This research analyzes the characteristics and movements of tourists visiting Takayama City, located in Gifu Prefecture, and compares them with tourists who were on an “Anime Pilgrimage” based on the anime adaptation of “Hyo-ka”, which aired in 2012. A questionnaire

survey was conducted at five investigation spots in Takayama City in June 2014; 1,958 tourists, comprising 623 groups, responded to the survey.

The results indicated that many tourists from the Nagoya metropolitan area visited Takayama City on day trips, whereas tourists from the Kanto and Kinki areas lodged there overnight. Of the 623 groups, 48 (7.7%) groups visited Takayama City after watching “Hyo-ka”.

The ages of the tourists that responded varied widely; however, the tourists after watching “Hyo-ka” were mainly in their 20s and often formed all-male groups. This research also found that the movements of all the non-pilgrimage tourists were often limited to the area between the San-machi district, containing historical streets, and Takayama Station. However, the tourists after watching “Hyo-ka” widely toured Takayama City and sought out the “sacred places,” sites, and facilities depicted in the show.

Shinjuku 2-chome is a former red-light district and has become well-known as the largest focal point for gay bars in Japan. This paper examined the preservation and existence of the gay district in Shinjuku 2-chome, referring to the gay district model in English-speaking countries. Analysis of the locational trend of gay bars and interviews with their managers and landlords revealed that the location of the gay bar depends on the owner’s management policy in Shinjuku 2-chome. In particular, the gay district survived owing to the existence of low-cost property, the reduced risk for individuals of coming out, and the willingness of people to lease out property. On the other hand, it became clear that a tense relationship with residents was a potential threat to its future existence. According to the previous studies on the gay district in other countries, the gay district of Shinjuku 2-chome is characterized as a concentration of gay oriented stores but few gay men live there. It suggests that there are gay districts that are not generalized to the axis of Western / Asia and the necessity of discussing gay districts in each city based on a broad framework.

This paper aims to examine practical measures used to revitalize a local shopping street through the creation of new businesses.

Iwamurada-Honmachi shopping street in Saku City is used as a case study. As a result of suburban commercial agglomeration, and a to inherit from aging entrepreneurs, the number of vacant stores in the city center is increasing. However, urban renewal trends indicate a shift to a combination of commercial and residential buildings. The Iwamurada-Honmachi shopping street has developed as a post town along the roadside. In the 1990’s, concurrent improvement of the expressway and a boost in development of commercial agglomerations in suburban areas around the shopping street occurred, consisting mostly of large-scale stores. In response, the shopping street organization experienced a generational shift. Young members of the organization utilized vacant stores for recruiting new entrepreneurs from outside the city, and creating new businesses directly managed by the organization. Consequently, the street reconstructed its commercial and social function, supporting the livelihood of residents, who can now easily access produce stores, restaurants, childcare support, and educational facilities. The following can be considered the main methods for carrying out these activities: (1) Based on the premise that their street is the best located commercial agglomeration in the area, the organization has established its vision for regional contribution. The chief director has shared his vision for concrete plans within the organization. (2) The entrepreneurs are from the same generation, born and bred on the shopping street. Therefore, their regional solidarity was effectively used to unite the organization in revitalizing of the street. (3) Entrepreneurs appointed competent employees from outside the district, allowing for various opinions on operations to reflect in business management. In doing so, they also actively utilized smaller stores, which are easier to set up for business.

This study focusses on the development of Kozoji New-town constructed on the hills in the east part of Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture, and analyzes the landform transformation performed in the process of development. This study is intended to reveal the modification of geographical features by comparing the 50m mesh data about the height range of the grounds in 1959 and them in 2002 as shown by “City planning maps”. As the result of our analysis shows, most of the area in Kozoji New-town might have been constructed by filling up the lands with soil. Especially, although the roadways had been constructed in the places where valleys were to make the best use of original geographical features, the possibility is high that the roadways had been actually made by landfilling. It is a cause of worries in case of resident's emergency evacuation implemented in case of disasters such as earthqukes because the majority of resident does not know about the process of land development that weakens the grounds.