Urban History – Urban Japan
Lok Ching Wong - 715895
Factors
Contribute to Urbanization and Modernization in Japan
Through the invasion of Western knowledge and technologies starting
from Meiji Restoration, Japan has begun its era of industrialization (1870s
onwards). According to Dore (1958, p.40-41), during the period of
industrialization in Japan, the government referred to the West and abandoned
the laissez-faire, the Japanese
Government interfered the development of industry and the welfare matters. The
rapid industrial growth has brought many people being gone from the country
districts and accommodating around the industry areas. The great population
brought by the industrialization accelerating labour forces and boosted the
development in Japan. In addition, the reconstruction process of WW2 atom bomb
on Hiroshima facilitated exchange of ideas and skills from foreigners.
According to Norioki (2003, p.95-96), Hiroshima acts as an ambassador of peace
memorial site and anti-nuclear war-damaged city in the postwar planning. This
identity brought many advices and proposals of planning from Western countries which
enriched the knowledge of Japan in the aspect of urban planning. In the influence
of the effects of industrialization and the Western ideas, Japan had more capitals
and knowledge on urban planning that facilitated urbanization and modernization.
The Urban
development due to Wars and industrialization
Housing:
Dore (1958, p.40, 42-43), since the rapid
migration of people from rural districts to the industry areas, slums were
formed. This was because the sharp increase of industrial expansion and the
rapid urban population growth, there were not enough accommodation for factory
employees which caused housing shortage problem. Slums are living places where are
dirty and poor with problems of over-crowding and health - hygiene and
diseases. According to the Home Office survey conducted in 1925, there were 217
slums areas and 2.5% of the total population of those towns living in slums
(Dore 1958, p.41). Due to inadequacy of accommodation, sharing houses were
commonly found in Japan. According to Uchida (2002 cited in Izuhara and Forrest 2012, p.54), house sharing was common
that around 40% of households were living with other households in 1948 (after
the war). This willingness of sharing of Japanese society alleviated the
post-war housing problem. This shows the solidarity and how people being
tolerant to the relationships of non-kinship living together in the Japanese
nation.
In terms of modernization, housing and buildings were usually constructed
in wood. After 1868, non-wooden buildings had started to increase on number,
constructing materials started to change from wood to brick and to steel-reinforced
concrete buildings in 1920s (Norioki 2003, p.103). Since
Japan is frequently affected by earthquakes and tsunami, there are changes in
building materials due to the protection and safety reason.
Cited from: Izuhara and Forrest 2012, p.55
Transportation:
Although, the rapid urban growth and expansion
have begun since the Western technologies and experiences flew in. Japan still
had its own interpretation in their planning. The main reason that the planning
of Japan differed from the Western Countries is because of the land adjustment.
According to Norioki (2003, p.94-95), land adjustment
is a planning instrument which concentrated on the basis urban infrastructure
and ignored the construction of building spaces such as housing – in terms of
height restriction and size of the construction. Since the industry areas were
clustered where there were not enough spaces for further industrial development
and housing spaces for allocating all workers, railways development are
significantly important as a solution to spatial problem. With the railway
services, people started to move out from the heavy industrial districts to
urban-rural areas where places around the cities. In 1960s, large scale of
housing estates and towns such as Tama New Town and Chiba New Town were started
to build along the railway and subway network areas (Okata
and Murayama 2011, p.20).
Also, railway network facilitated the economic
development in term of greater movement of people and trading. This caused that
urban development most likely to be around railway stations. According to the
figure of railway network and stations (Okata et al. 2005 cited in Okata
and Murayama, p.19), railway network is dense and expanding outwards. The figure also
shows the relationship between the railway network and the level of the urban areas. Urban
areas with denser railway network and more stations are more likely to be more
urbanized. Also, most of the urban areas are located along the railway network.
In addition, nearly 73% of morning commuters to Tokyo 23
Wards used railway lines while only 9% of them used private automobiles and
others used bus, bicycle or foot and in 1998(Nakamura et al. 2004 cited in Okata
and Murayama 2011,p. 20).
Cited from:
Okata and Murayama 2011,
p.19
From the google map, Tokyo is well-linked by
the railway and subway network. This shows that railway and subway are
important commuting infrastructure which strengthens the urban development in
terms of social – movement and flow of people, economic – trading and
environmental – less traffic congestion and less land used for parking. This
proved that transportation on railway influence the whole urban development in
Japan.
Conclusion
Japan is a rural country before its era of
industrialization when Western knowledge and technologies flowing in. The
influence caused by industrialization making
Japan to be urbanized which affects the
whole country in terms of social, economic and environmental.
Reference:
Ishimaru Norioki, ‘Reconstructing Hiroshima
and Preserving the Reconstructed City’ in Carola Hein and Jeffry M. Diefendorf
(eds), Rebuilding Urban Japan After 1945 London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003 pp.
87-107
IZUHARA, Misa; FORREST, Ray. Social Science Japan Journal. Winter2012,
Vol. 15 Issue 1, p53-74
Junichiro Okata and
Akito Murayama, ‘Tokyo’s Urban Growth, Urban
Form
and Sustainability’, 2011 pp.15-41
R.P. Dore, ‘Houses and Apartment Blocks’ in
City Life in Japan: A Study of a Tokyo Ward London: Routiedge and Kegan Paul,
1958 pp. 40-52
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