SG/3043 Week 4: Japan's Climates: Living with the Taifu

Lecture Outline:

• 1. Climatic Determinants
• 2. Climatic Characteristics
• 3. The Four Seasons: An "Objective" View
• 4. The Four Seasons in Culture
• 5. Climatic Hazards

Key Concepts:

Japan's climatic characteristics as a composite result of four major structural factors: i) location of the archipelago in relation to the Eurasian land mass, ii) latitudinal range of the archipelago, iii) maritime influences, iv) relief; impact of the Kuroshio and Oyashio currents; four characteristic features of Japan's climate: i) monsoonal airflow, ii) the baiu (plum-blossom rains), iii typhoons, iv) heavy annual precipitation; patterns of rainfall maxima; seasonality as an objective attribute of Japan's climate; cultural significance of the passing of the seasons; seasons culturally defined; respect for order in the seasons and respect for order in human affairs; the Superior Way and transcending the seasons; fûdo ("climate and culture"), the nihonjinron and "environmental determinism"; coping with the objective hazards caused by heavy rain (landslips [especially on ash-covered slopes] and flooding), snow and cool summers (reigai).

Revision Questions:

1. Give a reasoned account of the major seasonal characteristics of the Japanese climate.

2. 'In Japan, climate creates the hazards but people create the disasters'. Discuss, with reference to precipitation and air temperature patterns.

Recommended Reading:

Peter Ackermann, "The Four Seasons: One of Japanese culture's most central concepts". In: Pamela J Asquith and Arne Kalland (eds.), Japanese Images of Nature. Richmond: Curzon, 1997, Chapter 2, pp. 36-53

Harumi Befu, "Watsuji Tetsurô's ecological approach: Its philosophical foundations". In: Pamela J Asquith and Arne Kalland (eds.), Japanese Images of Nature. Richmond: Curzon, 1997, Chapter 6, pp. 106-120

Richard Bowring and Peter Kornicki (eds.), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993, pp. 7-13

Prue Dempster, Japan Advances. London: Methuen, 1967 Chapter 2, pp.36-52

Masako Gavin, "Nihon fûkeiron (Japanese Landscape): nationalistic or imperialistic?" Japan Forum, 12 (2) 2000, pp. 219-231

Christopher S Jones, "Politicizing travel and climatizing philosophy: Watsuji, Montesquieu and the European tour". Japan Forum, 14 (1) 2002, pp. 41-62

Ikuo Maejima, "Seasonal and regional aspects of Japan's weather and climate". In: Association of Japanese Geographers (ed.), Geography of Japan. Tokyo: Teikoku Shoin, 1980, Chapter 3, pp. 54-72

Glenn T Trewarth, Japan: A Geography. London: Methuen, 1965, Chapter 2, pp. 39-65