Anmeldelser: Atlas of Japan, Physical, economic and social

Summary

This is a review of the Atlas of Japan (1970), edited by R. Isida. The atlas comprises 73 maps with trilingual text in English, French, and Spanish, priced at 20 USD. The reviewer notes that the atlas centers on economic geography, covering 46 traditionally significant topics, mostly based on prefectural statistics. Social geography is underrepresented (only 3-5 maps), physical geography topics are conventional, while economic maps show more creativity, such as those depicting commuting fields of Hanshin, Tokyo, and Keihin. Despite drawbacks like inconsistent map scales and paper quality, the atlas is deemed an indispensable reference for Japanese geography given its rich content and reasonable price, with hopes for future updates.