Several studies have been conducted on the Matsuri, which are Shinto festivals or traditional local festivals in Japan; these have been focused mainly on folkloristic, sociological and anthropological aspects. The present research aims to analyze the formation of an annually-performed Shinto festival dedicated to a local deity by local communities from the point of view of the relations of the spaces where the rituals are held.

The Matsuri starts with local people who will participate keeping away from secular life for a certain period ahead of the festival, in order to purify their souls and bodies. On the main day of the Matsuri, they perform the ritual in a shrine, traditional activities such as Kagura and Dengaku, which are ritual music and dancing performed in shrines, or Sumo wrestling and Yabusame (horseback archery), that are dedicated to their tutelary deity. Meanwhile, a Shinto priest or a representative of the community moves the tutelary deity from the shrine to a mikoshi, which is a miniature shrine. The mikoshi is then carried into the village, to bring the power of the divine spirit to the community. It is believed that renewed energy will pervade the village. Thus, the community reconfirms its relationship with the deity through this Matsuri.

We paid attention to the passage of the mikoshi and to the spaces where the rituals are held. This is because the Matsuri organizes unrelated spaces and also influences the social structure of the community. The mikoshi is carried from the shrine to the Otabisyo which is located in the village plaza or on a village boundary, to the beach, to the cultivated fields, and so on. Then, it often returns to the shrine on a different course. Thus, these spaces are linked together and come to form a unity by the passage of the mikoshi. At the same time, the rituals help connect these spaces to the community’s daily activities.

We aimed to analyze the formation of the festival Tenno-sai based mainly on a spatial perspective. The festival is performed between Yasaka-jinja shrine in Enoshima Island, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Koyurugi-jinja shrine, located on the opposite shore of Enoshima, on the one hand, and the tutelary shrine of Koshigoe area, Kamakura City, on the other. To elucidate our purpose, we investigated the spatial relationship that is symbolized by the Tenno-sai festival, and described and explained chronologically the various elements which are connected to each space on a step-by-step basis from beginning to end.

On the day of the Tenno-sai, the festival begins with the main ritual performance in Hetsuno-miya, one of the Enoshima-jinja shrines. The participants, mostly parishioners of Yasaka-jinja, carry the mikoshi of Yasaka-jinja around Enoshima. Then the mikoshi is enshrined at Higashi-machi where the parishioners live, after which it is shoved and pushed at sea. Meanwhile, the mikoshi of Koyurugi-jinja is also paraded by parishioners around Koshigoe, and the timing of the passage of the mikoshi by the sea coincides with the Yasaka-jinja’s mikoshi. In the afternoon, the mikoshi of Yasaka-jinja comes over to Koshigoe. When the mikoshi of Yasaka-jinja is carried to Koshigoe, the mikoshi of Koyurugi-jinja is already waiting to greet the mikoshi of Yasaka-jinja on the border of Koshigoe. However, parish representatives of Yasaka-jinja and Koyurugi-jinja exchange greetings in front of Ryukou-ji temple which is located outside of Koshigoe. Both mikoshi are paraded around Koshigoe and afterwards reach Koyurugi-jinja. Then, the mikoshi of Yasaka-jinja returns to Enoshima, while the mikoshi of Koyurugi-jinja goes only part of the way.

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Men’s studies in geography have investigated the meaning of gendered space from a male perspective and have contributed to realizing gender equality since the 1990s. While scholars have been eager to conduct case studies, they have paid little attention to theoretical discussions, however. In this paper, I examine the validity of queer theory as a major theoretical framework in contemporary gender studies, and propose an alternative epistemology of men’s studies in geography.

Queer theory is a set of ideas based on the thought that the concept of identity or category is not essentially fixed but constructed by social-cultural performance. Influenced by queer theory, gender geography has also deliberately challenged all notions of fixed gendered space in various ways since the 1990s. Queer theory, however, has some limitations as a theoretical framework for deconstructing the concept of identity.

I examine the limitations of queer theory from the perspective of the actual meaning of identity for men. By clarifying how we recognize male identity in daily spaces, I argue that queer theory cannot explain the emotions of ordinary men who have no doubt about the existence of male identity. This is because queer theory places too much emphasis on destabilizing identity and it lacks the perspective that people do not always think that identity should be deconstructed.

Based on this examination, I propose an alternative epistemology of men’s studies in gender geography by introducing phenomenology. The epistemology of phenomenology has clarified how we recognize the meaning of everyday world, and helps us to understand the nature of human cognition to gendered space. Men’s studies in geography, therefore, should not anticipate destabilizing to male identity and the space, but should examine the actual meanings for men, which can lead to construct space and place for gender equality.

I investigated the role of a real estate agency dealing with property on Yakushima Island and the effect this has had on migration to the island. I examined the information provided and the services offered by the agency and how migrants received them. Furthermore, I looked at how migrants and local residents got on with each other. Through my research, I have clarified what the process of migration to Yakushima actually involves.

Yakushima is an island located to the south of Kagoshima, Satamisaki. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 for its rich array of flora and warm-temperate ancient forest. Many people have migrated to Yakushima from urban areas hoping to live a life surrounded by nature.

The movement of people from urban to rural districts to live is called an ‘I-turn’. People who migrate to the country need a certain amount of information in order to begin living in a new area with which they have few connections. They also need information so that they can adapt to the rural community.

It was apparent that the agency played an important role in the process of migration to Yakushima. Specifically, when the agency provided local information that was not available through the general media, migrants acquired the ability to make decisions, making the migration process much smoother. Obtaining local information on such things as reliable builders and employment opportunities, as well as meeting with local ward leaders and other migrants, was necessary to begin living in a new place, but it was difficult for migrants to do these things as individuals. Therefore, the role of the agency in providing information and arranging meetings was important. Problems still arose due to differences in the thoughts and feelings of the migrants and local residents.

This study considers the activities of street performers on and around the new Umeda footbridge in Kita, Osaka. In this study, the perspectives of time geography and social networks are emphasized.

The following conclusions can be drawn as a result of field observations and personal interviews with street performers,

The various street performers are divided into 4 types: (1) musicians, (2) fine artists, (3) vendors, and (4) other performers. Based on these types, the purpose of their street activity varies and their space-time distribution patterns can be seen around the new Umeda footbridge.

The environment surrounding the street performers consists of the police and municipalities, local companies, media organizations, fans and visitors. On the one hand, they regulate the activities of the street performers, while, on the other, they are affected by the independent activities of the street performers.

Against the background of the spread of the Internet, street performers form social networks by creating their own homepages.

From knowledge of time geography and social networks, this paper analyzed various structural relations around street performers. Street activities in the city are understood as an example exhibited in many dimensions of time, space and society.

There are many theories that deal with the processes of urban formation from the viewpoint of land-use and the location of services. Although it is also important to consider the processes from the viewpoint of land rights, not many studies have attempted this until now. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to consider the formation and the change of the area around Osaka Station through the analysis of transfers in land-ownership.

The analysis in this study had three phases. First, the author investigated the transfer of land-ownership in the study area from 1945 to 1999. There were 4,063 transfers, of which 2,695 were land trades. Immediately after World War II, many lots were bought by individuals from land-owners who had possessed them before the war. The numbers of lots purchased by individuals decreased as time passed.

Many corporations actively bought lots from the late 1960s to the first half of the 1970s and from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. As these two periods represented booms in land trades, the same phenomena occurred throughout Japan. Moreover, the author believes that urban development around the study area stimulated land trades in the region. As a result, corporations owned 75% of the land in the area by 1999.

Second, the author investigated where the buyers were located and their type of business. Many individuals who bought lots immediately after World War II lived in the same neighborhood. However, many of the real estate companies that bought a large number of lots in the late-1960s were companies that were located in Tokyo. In the late-1980s, real estate companies bought lots again, but this time many were located in Chou Ward, Osaka City. After the bubble economy burst, Tokyo companies again increased their ownership of land.

Third, the author considered the acquisition processes of lots by Hankyu Corporation and Hankyu Realty Co., Ltd (real estate division of the Hankyu Corporation Group). These companies obtained many lots after World War II. Hankyu Corporation owns more than 10% of the land in the area. The lots that these companies own are unevenly distributed within the area. They commonly own many lots in Chayamachi. They have acquired these lots in order to enforce urban redevelopments. In particular, Hankyu Corporation has acquired the lots strategically, by entrusting other companies with their purchase.

The significance of this study is to clarify the changes in land-ownership, which happened before land-use changes. After World War II, the structure of land-ownership in the study area changed from individual-based to one based on corporations. This change is highly likely to influence the development of the area as a business and commercial district. Judging from the number of land trades, the author suggests that the late-1960s were the turning point in that change, and supposes that the corporations that bought lots at that time developed the area.