The purpose of this study is to examine the adult education system from the viewpoint of location and utilization of adult education centres and secondary schools in the U. K. The author intends to compare the adult education programmes, which are related to the urban environments and the locations of the centres in the boroughs of Camden and Kingston upon Thames in London. The centres are classified in two categories; centres only for adult education but originally for other uses, i. e. secon dary schools, ccolleges, libraries, community centres and so on. The subjects offered in the programmes are classified to seven categories; liberal studies, health & sports, foreign languages, test preparation, specialized studies, technical studies and basic skills. The questionnaire survey with respect to after-hours use of secondary schools was given to them and the user's groups in the boroughs. The results are as follows:
There are over 35 adult education centres in Camden and 16 in Kingston upon Thames. In Camden, all of the centres were originally for another use; Kingsway College. In Kingston upon Thames, there are 6 centres only for adult education authorized by Kingston Community Education (KCE), Other centres were originally for other uses; 5 for KCE, 2 for Kingston College and 3 for Kingston University.
About half of all subjects consists of technical studies and liberal studies in both boroughs. With regard to the location of the centres, there are many subjects such as technical studies and basic skills in north Camden, and there are many subjects such as liberal studies and test preparation in south Camden. In Kingston upon Thames, the curriculum is not so different between various areas in the borough. However, with regard to the 3 authorities, KCE, Kingston College and Kingston University, each imposes a variety of courses. There are many subjects such as liberal studies, health & sports and foreign languages in KCE, test preparation, technical studies at Kingston College, and specialized studies at Kingston University.
Within KCE, the number of subjects offered was 1, 182 in 1995/96. There was a wide variety of subjects in all centres, even in small evening centres. From the course timetable, over half of the subjects (637) were provided in the evening (after 18:00).
There were 347 subjects in the morning, and 195 in the afternoon. This means that the evening time is important for many students.
From the results of the questionnaire survey, secondary schools let out many kinds of facilities (everything except school libraries). Generally, school managers' main concern was not local help for the courses, bututhe maintenance of facilities, especially against violence. Many users' groups answered that than ratio of members who live beyond walking distance to school is larger than within walking distance. In many cases, users' groups rent classrooms, halls and gymnasiums because of the low rental price and their familiarity with schools. It is considered that the location and utilization of secondary school facilities are important for the provision of adult education in local areas.

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This research aims to clarify the inhabitants' response after discontinuance of the local bus line service in Sakamoto, Hosono and Tsukumo districts of Matsuida-ma-chi, Gunma Prefecture. The results are summarized as follows;
As to the use of the local bus line service directly before the discontinuance in 1980's, it can be said that the number of users was not so many, since frequency of per-capita use was generally low.
As the local bus line service was discontinued, many inhabitants came to depend on private car sharing. But not only persons getting a ride but also persons giving a ride are reluctant to use this system. Persons getting a ride have difficulties to adjust to persons giving a ride, feeling ill at ease in many cases.
As soon as the local bus line service was discontinued, the local authority introduced the taxi ticket system, with upper limits, for the mobility handicapped, especially the elder. But this system is hardly to function well, because 1) it is only applied to taxi companies within Matsuida-machi, 2) some settlements are far from the town center, where taxi companies are located, requiring higher fares, and 3) the subsidies for this system are limited.
Especially the elder are reluctant to receive both private car sharing and taxi ticket systems. As a result, activity opportunities and spheres of the elder have been reduced.
The inhabitants of settlements need the local bus line service more as distance grows since the distant settlements tend to have a higher rate of unlicensed inhabitants, mostly elder, the main users of the local bus line service. Many of them now feel nagative influence on their daily life affected by discontinuance of the local bus line service. The anxiety also includes uneasiness of the future mobility handicapped.
Most inhabitants recognize the need of public transportation. But they tend to rely on the local authority. The author thinks that all inhabitants must consider this matter as their own problem since everyone is or will be involved in this current issue.

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The United Nations has declared 1996-2005 as the decade to root out problems of poverty all over the world. Recently in Japan, education for international understanding has became very popular. However most students are only interested in developed countries, such as those in Europe and North America. Although Japan is located in Asia, Japanese people look down on developing countries; the Third World, like Asia, Africa and Latin America.
It's not good for us to add to the North-South Problem. So we need to promote and spread the idea of Development Education. Through this type of education we can learn equal aspects about people of the Third World, and they have an equal right to development.
I believe that Japan's negative image of the Third World started at the begining of the Meiji era, in the late 19th century. Until the end of the Edo era, almost all Japanese had been respectful of other Asian nations, like China and Korea.
FUKUZAWA Yukichi (1835-1901) one of Japan's most prominent educators and propagator of Western knowledge, wrote SEKAIKUNIZUKUSHI in 1869 (World Geography for children and women). In this book he insisted that westernization was the most important factor for Japanese development. Also the first contemptuous expressions against the Third world can be found. Since that time, percentage of Europe and North America has increased in World Geography texts, compared with Third World areas.
The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 was the big turning point for Japanese geographical education. From the outset of this war, Japan started other invasions overseas and aquired new territories, like Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria and other areas in Asia. So in Japan's World Geography textbooks the contents regarding Asia and Oceania gradually increased until the end of World War II. Subsequently the percentage of information devoted to Europe and North America decreased.
The Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere (Dai Toa Kyoeiken) was a slogan used by the Japanese government during World War II to express the idea of a politically and economically integrated Asia, free from western domination.
This idea had great influence on geographical education throughout the period of World War II. At that time geography teachings and textbooks also supported ultra-nationalism. So geographers and geographical educators shoud reflect on this in earnest.
Today internationalization regarding the Third World is very important, especially in geographical education. We need to study and truly understand the harsh realities of the Third World, in order to eradicate the problem of poverty.
In spite of these situations, the contents of World Geography have decreased in recent Social Studies textbooks. It is regrettable that elementary students have no chance to study World Geography; especially about Third World countries.
In effect, the students' right to study has been taken away. I therefore hope for the comeback of World Geography in elementary school textbooks, including a Development Education point of view.

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“Shinano” is an ancient name of Nagano prefecture. The “Shinano no kuni” (Shinano province=Nagano prefecture), a local song in Nagano prefecture was made in the 33rd year of Meiji (1900), and has been sung by almost people in Nagano prefecture since then. The “Shinano no kuni” became to the prefectual song of Nagano prefecture in the 43rd year of Showa (1968).
The author has examined university students' knowledge about the “Shinano no kuni” by questionnaire in Nagano prefecture at April 1996. As a result, I have found that almost students horned in Nagano prefecture know the “Shinano no kuni” and they memorized the song at the age of elementary school student.
Based on the above mentioned facts, I would like to point out following 3 points as meaning of “Shinano no kuni” for the geography teaching as social studies education.
1) The “Shinano no kuni” is a good teaching material for local geographical study of Nagano prefecture in school, because many local important facts are written in the song words.
2) The love for their home prefecture Nagano could been developed by learning and singing the “Shinano no kuni”.
3) It is important in the lifelong education society to connect the school geography with the community activities. The “Shinano no kuni” is one good teaching material for lifelong geography teaching.

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