Urban Settlement in Hokkaido

EVERAL years ago three articles on Japanese cities were published in American geographical journals. However, as a result of a more severe climate and because of more recent settlement and a less dense population, Hokkaido, both urban and rural, differs markedly in some respects from the islands of Old Japan. Hence, this paper will consider only urban settlement on Hokkaido, and in some instances point out similarities to, or contrasts with, cities of subtropical Japan.