ABSTRACT
Many sports new to Japan exploit the opportunities provided by its natural assets, mountains, rivers and coasts. Large supplies of water and electricity are needed for modern industrial production, and for that reason almost all rivers have been dammed. Dams have been used to solve the problem of depopulation in certain regions, as well as to provide better rivers and irrigation. This has led to the development of a range of new activities including the use of boats and mountain-biking. These attempts first progressed with the help of the regions that own the dams and rivers and then with that of the Ministry of Construction. In 2001, the Ministry of Construction became the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and now administers these facilities, with the help of special consultants. This marked the beginning of E-boat movement which I shall describe later.
