In the Edo period, especially in the 18th century, many people collected a great deal of information and knowledge through their networks. Nevertheless, there have been very few analyses of the process of collecting maps in various periods, and thus we have not been able to verify whether geographic knowledge of maps was also exchanged through networks like other types of knowledge. Focusing on the map collection of WATANABE Yoshikata (1701-?), a priest at the Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, this paper shows a concrete picture of map collection through networks in 18th-century Japan.
Watanabe owned more than 100 maps, many of which were obtained by tracing the originals possessed by various persons, including village managers, painters, warriors, traders, officials, and physicians. Watanabe formed a network among them, and they exchanged maps with each other.
Places of residence also varied. Those living in Osaka, like Watanabe, forged close relationships through borrowing and reading maps. Others lived elsewhere. But when Watanabe and other map collectors traveled, made pilgrimages, or traded, they visited people with the same interests and exchanged information and goods. Some who lived in remote areas also stopped at Watanabe's house when visiting Osaka.
Watanabe increased his geographic knowledge by obtaining maps created by earlier generations. After knowledge of his map collection spread, the next generation often borrowed or traced his maps. His network stretched into both time and space. Much geographic knowledge of maps was distributed over that large network.
Watanabe was located in one of the hubs of the movement of the period's geographic knowledge. However, Watanabe was not exceptional. Many other individuals mentioned in this paper also functioned as hubs in networks. Their networks were crucial for collecting maps or obtaining geographic knowledge in 18th-century Japan.
In the future, research on the relationships between geographic and other types of knowledge and discussion of the position of maps or geographic knowledge in the intellectual culture as a whole will be required.

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Recently, it has been reported that the vegetation on the moor of Mt. Hiragatake is changing. This moor is located on the boundary between Gunma and Niigata prefectures, central Japan. To clarify this change in vegetation, we compared aerophotographs of Hiragatake moor obtained at different times. The distortion in these aerophotographs was removed using correction software (orthonized). The moor area was calculated using GIS software based on the orthonized aerophotographs. The results reveal that the moor area was reduced by 10% over the period of 33 years from 1971 to 2004. Further, we investigated the part of the moor where the vegetation had changed markedly and found that patches of Pinus pumila had colonized the interior regions of the moor. Furthermore, we found Sasa kurilensis growing thickly on the moor edges. We examined the ecological characteristics and invasive forms of S. kurilensis and P. pumila. Our results clarify that P. pumila was the pioneering species invading the moor and it played the main ecological role in changing the vegetation of the moor. Moreover, S. kurilensis was the main plant with area changes in the moor. The change in vegetation is believe to have occurred due to the decrease in snowfall which is related to the origin and maintenance of the moor.

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Mergers of municipalities affect inhabitants' services in areas where with geographic barriers such as mountain passes occupy about 25% of the entire area. The financial argument that played a key role and its correspondence to services was postponed by the “great municipality merger in the Heisei era.” Therefore this paper, through a case study of Numata city in Gunma prefecture, attempts to clarify the effects of a geographic barrier on welfare services for the elderly.
In Numata, the barrier for commuting services between the Shirasawa and Tone districts is the Shiisaka mountain pass located at the boundary of the two districts. Deficiencies occurred in the service system after the merger of municipalities and reorganization of service areas. However, factors such as time and energy for mutual use of services between the districts over the mountain pass were not enhanced because the separation of the former municipalities remained in inhabitants' minds.
In municipalities that include such geographic barriers, an administrative body responsible for where elderly welfare services after the merger of municipalities should deal with the area as a whole, not simply within the limits of each former municipality, taking geographic conditions into account.

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