Abstract
Though cities supposed that provincial towns such as Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture bear comparatively few relationships either geographical or economic to other areas, I have looked into the question of what sorts of regions Nanao does have relationships with, locally with the surrounding communities within the prefecture and nationally.
First of all, the word “sphere”, used together with a number of terms-sphere of influence, social sphere, the economic shpere-is likely to be interpreted somewhat differently by each writer. In taking a provincial town as my theme I use “sphere” to suggest the area wherein the town has a system of relationships, hence my meaning is rather broad.
In the case of Nanao, in the same manner that all the other small towns on the Noto Peninsula serve as local centers, Nanao in addition to performing its function as a primary center stands about the other towns by performing functions as a secondary center.
Furtheremore from a nation-wide purspective considering where Nanao makes its purchases it has connections with nearly every town in the country and we perceive that its sphere of relationships is unexpectedly large. Too, the same fact is apparent when observing the destinations of travellers, throughout Kansai (those bound for Amagasaki and Kobe are numerous) and to the Nagoya and Keihin districts. Within Hokuriku my attention was drawn to the fact that there are a good many travellers to Niigata. In the same way there is, on the whole, also a strong relationship in the movement of goods between western Japan and Nanao.
