This article is the first step for the author's World regional study of cities. It will cover the regional side, besides his “Researches in Urban Geography” published in 1951 which dealt with systematic aspects.
The author has visited United Kingdom to participate in, the I. G. U. meeting in 1964. This is the result of the Urban Geographical Symposium held at Edinburgh and its related excursions.
At first, the general characters of British urban studies are briefly reviewed. Scotland is situated out of the European Continental and South British Metropolitan Region; though she has many difficult economic conditions, Glasgow has felt over-crowdedness, which would be solved by decentralizing industries. Another important project is to establish New Towns to attract new industries. They are different procedures, compared with Japanese regional development. In this region, traditional towns are well preserved. As for examples, Alnwick, which Prof. Conzen studied well, and Edinburgh are described. The author has analysed Edinburgh's structure, considering location, historical development, function, and house density which was calculated on the one inch-map, with meshes of 500 metres (Fig. 1). Density is the highest around older centres, and most new corporate housing estated are distributed in areas with density less than 5/10.

View full abstract

Cette note est le résultat d'une étude analytique des sables éoliens de la région de Shari. 25 échantillons collectionnés de la dune littorale actuelle ont été examinés suivant les méthodes d'autrefois, en même temps que ceux de la plage correspondante.
A la granulométrie le principal élément est composé habituellement de grains moyens et fins, environ 2.0phi pour Md; et it y a un'égalité quantitatif des fractions, autour de 0.5phi Pd, transportés en reptation et en saltation par l'action de vents forts dominants. On se trouve qu'une forte proportion des minéraux colorés tien en taille de grains plus fins.
L'indice d'émoussé, la morphométrie, montre comme d'habitude plus grande valeur en comparaison des sables marins. Dans la classification de types des grains de sable, il est de toute évidence que l'éolisation au cours de la plage à la dune, a donné lieu à une supériorité des grains qui sont presque l'aspect intermédiaire entre le RM-type franc et le EL-type franc.
Leurs critères distinguables dans la table 4 de qui chaque indice des sables éoliens et marins est montré seront appliqués partiellement aux recherches de dépôts anciens.

View full abstract

First, the author studied the changes of river bed in the lower stream (0-7Km.) of the Fuji River, considering a) fluctuation in the mean heights of river bed and b) quantity of deposition or scouring in river bed. Then he discussed the relation between the changes of river bed and gravel exploitation in the same stretch. Conclusions are summarized as follows:
(1) When the mean heights of river bed in 1963 are compared with those in 1960, it is recognized that the river bed has been considerably lowered excepting at a few gauge stations. The average degradation for all sections is 39.2cm, although values of over 150cm have occurred locally. (2) According to the records of annual amount of deposition and scouring in river bed, there is a huge amount of scouring for every year since 1961, and the total amount of deposition and scouring during recent 3 years (1961-1963) reaches about 2.4×10⁶m³ of scouring.
(3) The total quantity of gravel exploitation in the lower stream of the Fuji River during the 3 years (1961-1963) was estimated to be about 6.0×10⁶m³, which was twice as much as the quantity authorized by the prefectural government.
(4) Regarding the causes of the degradation of river bed, it can be considered that the effect of gravel exploitation in river bed is far more direct and decisive compared with other causes.

View full abstract

In Japan, frequent heavy rainfalls appear bringing floods somewhere every year. In this paper, the author considered the geographical distribution of the frequency of heavy rainfalls in Tohoku District. Drawing the distribution map of the frequency of precipitation above 40mm/day, 60mm/day, 80mm/day and 100mm/day in each month (1922-1941), the author obtained the following results.
1) The distribution of high frequency areas of heavy rainfalls is fairly specified in each month, and the more the daily amount of precipitation, the clearer is that tendency. 2) High frequency areas do not always coincide with, the so called rainy areas, for exmaple, heavy snow falls appear often on the eastern slope of the Kitakami Mountains where there is little snow usually. 3) The distribution patterns of the frequency of heavy rainfalls change seasonally. Grouping the patterns, a year is divided into four periods: (a) Feb. -Jun., (b) Jul. -Aug., (c) Sept. - Nov. and (d) Dec. - Jan. 4) High frequency areas are on Pacific side at (a) period (eg., Fig. 1, 2), on the Japan Sea side at (b) period (eg., Fig. 3), on Pacific side at (c) period (eg., Fig. 4), on the backbone range at (d) period (eg., Fig. 5). 5) The four periods do not always correspond to the four seasons of the year, but the seasonal change of the patterns is to be understood in a sense of dynamic climatology. In other words, the pattern of the frequency distribution changes from (a) period to (b) period when the Baiu front passes over Tohoku District, the pattern of (c) period prevails in the season of Typhoon, the pattern of (d) period prevails at the northwestern monsoon time, and that pattern disappears when the monsoon becomes weak at the end of January.

View full abstract

Daishichi-chiku is the last polder reclaimed from the former Lake Shinai, a retaining pond that has been drained since the 17th century for the purpose of using it as rice fields. Draining of this area, 370ha. large started in 1940 and was finished in 1948. Because the retaining pond has disappeared as the result of this draining, floods occur frequently in and around this area, for the improvement of the rivers which flowed through it was imperfect. To protect the land around this area from the floods, an over-flow weir along the embankment encircling it was built, so that certain amount of water flows into this area when the rivers stand above normal level, that is to say, its function of retaining water was preserved notwithstanding reclamation. So this polder is submerged once or twice a year and rice is somewhat damaged. But in accordance with recent progress of the revision of the channels, it was desided to raise the height of the over-flow weir in near future.

View full abstract

The urban growth of Sendai has been remarkable in recent years, and accordingly the transportation of commodities has also been increasing year by year. To deal with these commodities, Miyagino Railway Station for freight was built, and started its business in July, 1961. Consequently, lots of Warehouses were built around the station, and especially of late, they have remarkably increased in number, mainly for the following reasons;
1) For the storage of the increasing commodities shipped from and to Sendai.
2) As the big makers in Kansai and Kanto districts started to have their own warehouses to open new markets in Tohoku district.
3) As “deposit-warehouses” in accordance with the change of the merchandise circulation based on “maker to retail dealer” system.

View full abstract

Kesennuma harbour suffered a great damage caused by the Chilean Tsunami of May 24, 1960. Erosion caused by the Tsunami in this harbour was remarkable at the narrow water-way near Hatigasaki in particular. There are sand waves aligning transverse to the direction of the narrow water-way in the eroded area, according to the results of detailed survey which was made just after the Tsunami. The length of sand wave near Hatigasaki attained 20 meters, and amplitudes 1.5 meters. The group on the shallow sea bottom to the southeast of Hachigasaki was less than 5 meters in length and 0.5 meters in amplitude. It is likely that the sand waves were formed by the secondary current of the Tsunami which flowed west to east near bottom and were caused by the curvature of the narrow water-way.

View full abstract

At Izu Botanical Garden, the southernmost point of Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka Pref., some tropical plants on the slope facing southward are the poorest in their growth. The reason will be because the daily variation of surface temperature is the largest on the bare slope facing southward. The temperature rises up to 30°C even in the middle of winter, but it drops below zero in the early morning of a calm day. On the other hand, at the depth of 5cm below the earth surface, the temperature is always the highest, making the soil very dry. The same conditions were observed at the foot of Tanzawa mountains, Kanagawa Pref. in Jan. 1950.

View full abstract

The author investigated the relation between the distance from the shore or bank to the station (D) and the thermal conductivity which is here represented by the amplitude ratio of soil temperatures (A₃/A₁). (A_X means the annual amplitude of soil temperature at x m depth. Data of 34 stations in Japan are available for this study.) As a result, the curve in figure suggests that the thermal conductivity depends upon the soil moisture so long as the distance (D) can be regarded as a function of moisture; but near the shore or bank, the excess of moisture lessens the thermal conductivity due to the increased heat capacity.

View full abstract

“Bandai tomato” is cultured on the southern slope of Mt. Bandai and on the small fans along the Kawageta fault line. After the experimentary period of the culture of 3 years, it was established in 1961. It is a kind of “controlled culture”, and the products are shipped to Tokyo during the season from the later part of July to the early part of October, which is later than the shipping season in low land. The area of tomato-fields and the total yield are 14.5 hectares and 800 tons respectively. As the rice culture for self-sufficiency is main support of the farming in this area and there is no valuable cash crop other than tomato, the tomato culture is becoming more important in spite of its small scale management (only 6.1 ares per farm household).

View full abstract

A briny wind damage happened on agricultural crops and electric lines by a rainless storm from the rough sea. 6124 Typhoon came on Hachijo-jima with a swell of 10m heights and a rainless storm of SW (Maximum velocity 32.9m/sec) after the rainfall. The briny wind in Hachijo-jima destroyed agricultural crops. In Hachijo-jima, cultivated fields are distributed on the southern and the western foot of Mt. Mihara and in the lowland in the central part of the island, and therefore the damaged area covered the majority of the cultivated fields. The briny wind in this island blew above 100m in heights, and there is a correlation between the direction of the wind and the distribution of the damagearea.

View full abstract

Sakaide-shi (62, 000 population) has commenced its slum clearance and urban renewal by means of the so-called “artificial ground” construction, which is 1.2 meters thick and covers 12, 690sq. meters at the heights of 7.0 meters and 4.5 meters. Under the artificial ground the space is to be used for two-stroies stores, warehouses, and parking lots, while the space on the ground for apartmenthouses, park, squares, and sidewalks. This construction will reacommodate the present slum consisted of 128 housing units into the modern apartment-houses on the artificial ground as well as the solution of traffic congestion and the redevelopment of shopping street of the city.

View full abstract

This area had been known as a typical low-class workers' area before the War. It is located at the bottom of a valley cutting the margin of the upland of Tokyo. The total population of this area is 4, 103 in 1940 and the ratio of semiskilled and unskilled workers was 72.5% in man and 75.4% in women. 73.7% of them are working in the urban center. In the “Population Pyramid” some characteristics are to be observed: First of all, the age group of 21-22 years is missing, secondly as is shown in black, the workers working outside this area are mainly men of all age groups and women of age groups 18-21 and 40-55 years. Thirdly, the population in productive age is not in excess in spite of the fact that this is a workers' residential area.

View full abstract