Abstract
In the midst of growing demand for rural life of urban dwellers, this study tried to investigate the difference in behavior and recognition about urban rural exchange between Korea and Japan. For this, this study utilized 2,000 total samples of the survey conducted by MLIT in Japan, because Japan has experienced a low birth rate and aging population earlier and actively promoting urban rural exchange program than South Korea. The result of the analysis is as follows. First, the needs for rural life of urban dwellers are similar both in Japan and South Korea. However, Japanese prioritize future efforts to current efforts. Second, urban dwellers' activities in rural areas were classified into three categories; field trips and hands-on activities, cruise and circulating activities, and leisure activities. Third, similarly three types of visit or intercourse of urban dwellers into rural areas were classified; repeatedly visit the same place as 'iterative type', visit a new place as 'new pioneer type', and not yet determined as 'undefined type'. Variables such as age of household, income, number of inmate, and number of children were analyzed linked to these three types of visit or intercourse in a Discriminant analysis. As a result, only 'age of household', however, turned out to be the crucial factor which influence decisively distinguishing characteristics of these three types of visit into rural areas.