In this paper the author presents a conceptual model applying the comparative advantage theory to rural tourism as a niche market, and clarifies the significance of rural tourism in diversifying the rural economy. This model shows that less-favored areas can obtain comparative advantages in regard to a niche market, against favored areas. These results underline the perspective that the theory of comparative advantage can be an effective conceptual background for the diversification of the rural economy by rural tourism especially in less-favored areas. The author also examines demand for rural tourism, outlining the characteristics of visitors of pick-your-own farms, and clarifies that they tend to have higher academic background, higher status, be outdoor oriented with moderate budgets and actively seek out travel information, but at the same time they are more severe concerning the quality of services they receive. These characteristics indicate that rural tourism is up-market, a result consistent with other proceeding studies. Thus, providing information through various channels from the rural side is considered effective in attracting these people on the one hand, and improving the quality of service is necessary to develop loyalty and to stay competitive with other rural areas on the other hand.

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The purpose of this paper is to clarlify the directions of farm products marketing with interactions between urban and rural residents, espscially farmers' rural markets. Major results are described that follows:
(1) Farmers' rural markets are increasing recently. That backgrounds are the increasing needs of urban residents, the changes of the distribution environmrnts, the changes of rural residents.
(2) The markets have the following significances: the acquirement of new marketing channels, to widen women's spheres of activity, the reductions of marketing costs, to get valuable information between urban and rural residents, and the far-reaching effects to the other industries in rural area.
(3) But they have two problems: As farm products are strong seasonal goods, to stock everything in all seasons is difficult. Recently the competition among the markets has become strengthened.
(4) Farmers' rural markets will be increasing from now on. In order to reassess the value of rural resources, it will be important to promote the connection among the other industries in rural area.

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Although the number of entrepreneurship operated by rural women has been increased in 1980s, the high rate of aged members and the low amount sold are its problems for development. By the case study in Hiroshima prefecture, it is found that there are many groups which operate restaurant or processing of agricultural products in the area where agricultural income is high and women are not so deeply engaged in agriculture. It is also found that entrepreneurship has the economic and social effects. In order to develop entrepreneurship, wages correspond to off-farm job, co-operation with regional agricultural production, inter group and inter region co-operation are needed.

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This paper examines the potential for recreational use of farmland by comparing dual land use policies between Japan and Europe (mainly the UK, Germany and the Netherlands).
First, regarding rental hobby community gardens for urban residents (i. e. allotment gardens), in Europe these have not been considered as a form of dual farmland use in any sense, but in Japan new legislative measures are promoting allotment gardens using farmland for the dual purposes of recreation and agricultural production. Examples of new allotment gardens are introduced, the problems are identified and directions for further development are suggested.
Second, small-scale caravan site using farmland are discussed. In many European countries, such caravan sites are exampt from strict planning controls to promote the recreational use of farmland, but there is no equivalent in Japan.
Third, the protection of the right of way of footpaths crossing private farmland is considered as an instrument of dual farmland use policy. A comparison between Europe and Japan shows that Japanese footpaths between paddy rice fields have much potential as a recretional farmland use, although there are no national measures to protect the right of way.
In conclusion, this paper suggests that in Japan a dualfarmland use policy for recreation and agricultural production need to be introduced or to be expanded further in these three policy areas.

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