SO 310 - Contemporary Urban Society in Japan

In this course we will explore the nature of contemporary urban society and culture in Japan, focusing especially on Tokyo, the world’s largest urban concentration. We will explore the origins and spatial characteristics of Japanese cities, the formation of cities through rural-urban migration, new postwar patterns of communications (especially the railways), changing social composition, neighborhoods and spatial organization, the social structures of differing localities, contemporary urban popular and consumer cultures and urban social problems in Japan. Class work will be supplemented by course-related trips and observational exercises.