Fluctuating Boundaries, Melting Memories: Meteorological Remains in the North of Lake Biwa (December 2008)

Fluctuating Boundaries, Melting Memories: Meteorological Remains in the North of Lake Biwa (December 2008)

What once separated the northern and southern regions of Lake Biwa was neither the surface of the lake nor the map, but the temperature. The winters of Hubei, dominated by bitter cold and snowfall, contrasted with the mild climate of the south, and the bases of agricultural technology were rooted in their respective regions. Now, however, the curtain is quietly falling on the Kohoku region. The Kohoku Branch of the Shiga Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station will complete its mission in the midst of changes in the name of climate uniformity.

The cold air in Kinomoto eased, the snow became lighter, and agricultural research that depended on climatic differences lost its meaning. The administration opted for rationalization and made the decision to abolish the sub-branches. However, this was not just the disappearance of one observation point. It also means that the memory of the knowledge that was close to the local climate - the countless trial-and-error exchanges between farmers and researchers - will sink into the past.

The article notes, "As the infrastructure of climate is shaken, the infrastructure of knowledge is also shaken. It is a silent alarm that environmental change is beginning to dissolve the contours of institutions and organizations. We no longer live in an era in which organizations are being organized according to the temperature of the land. However, we must not forget the certainty of the past in the midst of this "swaying.