• KIEAE Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.121-126
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• 2014

Many cities in Japan retain older city structures with buildings in traditional form and style. Visitors are fascinated by charms and tranquility of pre-modern life styles. Architectural features of olden days are well conserved or carefully restored on purpose. In the case of Kawagoe city near Tokyo, local residents are largely replete with visitors without being necessarily aware of slow commodification of historic spaces. Kawagoe is yet socio-culturally sustainable and financially fit. This paper intends to analyse conservation strategies, with focus on architectural heritage, taken for the historic city of Kawagoe. With the population of 300,000 in the suburb of Tokyo, it is one of the best known historic cities in Japan. Kawagoe grew as a merchant city since 1700s, and it once reached to a major port of silk trade en-route to Edo (Tokyo) from northen provinces. Tourism industry is discovered as a key element in the conservation strategies applied to revitalize historic city center, Ichibangai, an important cultural heritage site with special reference to kurazukuri. This paper argues that augmentation of conceptions in architectural heritage is not only advantageous for the conservation of historic urban environment but it also provides opportunities for sustainable urban renewal.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.323-335
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• 2005

The aim of this study is m inquire the features of preservation and utilization of traditional buildings landscape through the effort of civics and public institution. Kawagoe is 30km from Tokyo and keeps the history and culture of Edo period. The tourism feature of the Ichibangai area which has the traditional warehouse(Kurazukuri) landscape is that the rate of old tourists from nearby regions is high and the one day trip is majority. The most tourists have visited many times, but they have spent small sum of money. The tourism activation of Ichibangai area is the result of the cooperation and effort of public institution, civic organization, and civics. The public institutions have the institutional support system has established which is including the designation of cultural assets, ordinance enactment, tax exemption, repairing charges support, public hearing, construction of tour network. The residents of the Ichibangai area have contributed to preserving the traditional landscape and activating tourism through their own organizations and meetings for a long time. And the roles of various committees which have leaded close cooperation relations between civics and public institution are activated.