Housing Industry in Hokkaido - Term Paper Example

?Hokkaido Introduction As a or academic discipline, geography is the study of earth as the home for humanity. However, man has created conditions that are favorable to his existence on the foundations of existing physical features. Study of such creation encompasses human geography, which analyzes the relationship between human activities and the natural environment. Cultural geography is a major branch of geography and it is concerned with language, religion, government, and economy of a geographical region. Japan is an island nation that has fascinating environment and climate. These features have greatly influenced how people make a living from available resources. This essay will therefore discuss Japanese cultural geography with emphasis on Japanese architecture in Hokkaido. Housing Industry in Hokkaido Hokkaido is among the major islands if Japan that is located in the northernmost end of the country. The island of Hokkaido lies between latitudes 41 degrees and 45 degrees north. Hokkaido is a densely populated area with approximately 5 million people, which constitute 5% of the total Japanese population (Silverberg 98). Unlike other Japanese islands, Hokkaido experience cold climate similar to that of Ontario in southern Canada. Cold climatic conditions in this region have greatly influenced the way people build their houses. Unlike other warmer island in the south such as Kunamoto and Kagoshima, Hokkaido experience extremely cold weather patterns. The cold climate is therefore, the main factor that influences architecture in Hokkaido. In addition, Japan has active housing policies particularly those intended to enhance safety of buildings due to earthquakes. Japan has strong policies on housing and construction; such regulations are meant to promote safety in the building industry and standards. These laws mostly affect large buildings and buildings designed for the public use. Small private houses are however, exempted from such policies. Among these policies is the Hokkaido cold weather housing law that was enacted in 1953 (Sugimoto et al 178). This policy was passed to promote construction of houses that can withstand cold weather conditions. The cold weather experienced in the region had promoted the construction of wooden houses among the native communities. However, the government has banned wood as a construction material in Hokkaido due to fire accidents. The Construction Industry The Japanese construction industry contributes about 20% of the total GDP of the country. This constitutes construction works performed in the country and outside the country. Construction of houses in Hokkaido is very different from other parts of the country. This is partly due ton the housing values of the native communities and the developing status of Hokkaido. Unlike other parts of Japan such as Tokyo, Hokkaido is still in its early development stage. However, Hokkaido is developing very fast and it may soon overtake Tokyo as the world largest metropolitan. This has made the region to be characterized by new construction and engineering works. It has often been said that public construction work in Hokkaido greatly exceeds work done in the private sector. Registered contractors who are regulated by the prefectural governor cry out construction works in Hokkaido. Hokkaido is considered as the land of construction. Currently the region holds 7% of the total number of construction companies in Japan. This is a significant figure considering the fact that construction in Hokkaido constitutes about 5% of the total construction works in Japan. Small construction companies are the most dominant in Japan and they handle nearly 78% of all construction contracts awarded annually in Hokkaido. In Hokkaido nearly 8% of the total population work in the construction industry, either as s killed semi-skilled or unskilled laborers. The most desirable characteristic of Hokkaido construction workforce it that, there is a striking balance between the skilled and unskilled labor force. However, the region is likely to experience a shortage in skilled labor due to the increasing demand. Basic construction materials are produced locally. However, other materials such as glass and pottery are shipped in from other region and, this increases the cost of construction. Construction Status The rate of constructing new houses in Japan currently stands at 1,000,000 unit per year. This includes housing units that are constructed in major urban centers in Japan and those that are constructed in the rural areas. Hokkaido constitutes about 60,000 housing units of the total number of housing units constructed annually in Japan. Like other region in the country, construction in Hokkaido is done under private initiative. Public initiated housing projects also contribute to the housing needs of people in the region. Most housing projects in Hokkaido are meant for private housing while some are intended for rental purposes (Samuels 104). Most civil construction projects in Hokkaido are financed through individual savings or public loans. Public loans are not popular in Hokkaido since all constrictions under such loans are required to comply with strict construction guidelines and policies. Constructions under public loan constitute about 30% of all new construction projects in Hokkaido. The fire policy that restricts wood as a construction material is the main factor that has led to the low popularity of public loans in the construction industry. This is because people in Hokkaido consider wood as an appropriate construction material due to its availability and the cold weather. Wooden buildings are also associated with the rich members of the society and Buddhism religion and traditions. Although constructions is a significant human activity in Hokkaido, housing shortage is evident in most parts if the region. This is partly due to the ever-increasing population and increasing number of rural- urban migration. Recent statistics from Hokkaido showed that housing shortage in Hokkaido is approaching 14% where as the total housing shortage in Japan stands at 11% (Nagata 78). However, the situation is likely to be contained by the fast growing construction industry. Conclusion Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan. Unlike other islands that form the country, Hokkaido has extremely cold climate that influence how people construct their houses. In addition, Hokkaido sits on a rugged terrain, which has a relatively high water table. These factors also influence the design and sizes of house that can be constructed. The region is also prone to earthquakes that also influence housing designs and structures. Hokkaido is known as the territory of constructions this is because the region ever has new buildings. In Hokkaido, public construction works exceeds work done in the private sector. Government policies and regulations meant to enhance safety in the construction industry greatly influence building of new houses in Hokkaido. Work cited Nagata, Yoichi. Recentering Globalization: Popular Culture and Japanese Transnationalism. Ontario: Duke University Press, 2002. Print. Samuels, Securing Japan: Tokyo's Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia, Cornell University Press, 2008. Print. Silverberg, Erotic Grotesque Nonsense: The Mass Culture of Japanese Modern Times, University of California Press, 2007. Print. Sugimoto et al., An Introduction to Japanese Society, Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Read More