Japanese Tourism. Spaces, Places and Structures

255 Pages·2013·8.561 MB·English

by  Carolin Funck,Malcolm Cooper

Japanese Tourism
AsiA-PAcific studies: PAst And Present
Series Editors: David Askew, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Jerry Eades, Emeritus Professor, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University; Professorial
Research Associate, School of Oriental and African Studies; Senior Research Associate,
University of Kent
Xin Liu, University of California, Berkeley
The forces of globalization in the Asia-Pacific region—the most economically dynamic
region of the world—are bringing about profound social, political and cultural changes,
lifting millions out of poverty and creating a vast new middle class. At the same time,
the past continues to cast a long shadow, with unresolved conflicts adding fuel to
current tensions between the major regional players over a wide range of issues from the
environment to future energy supplies. Asia-Pacific Studies: Past and Present provides an
outlet for cutting edge academic research on Asia-Pacific studies. The major focus will
be the politics, histories, societies, and cultures of individual countries together with
overviews of major regional trends and developments.
Volume 1
Media and Nation Building: How the Iban Became Malaysian
John Postill
Volume 2
The Nanking Atrocity, 1937–38: Complicating the Picture
Edited by Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi
Volume 3
The Body in Asia
Edited by Bryan S. Turner and Zheng Yangwen
Volume 4
Education Policy and Equal Opportunity in Japan
Akito Okada
Volume 5
Japanese Tourism: Spaces, Places and Structures
Carolin Funck and Malcolm Cooper
J t
APAnese ourism
Spaces, Places and Structures
•
Carolin Funck and Malcolm Cooper
berghahn
N E W Y O R K • O X F O R D
www.berghahnbooks.com
Published in 2013 by
Berghahn Books
www.berghahnbooks.com
© 2013 Carolin Funck and Malcolm Cooper
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages
for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented,
without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Japanese Tourism: Spaces, Places and Structures / Carolin Funck and Malcolm Cooper.
pages cm. -- (Asia-Pacific studies: past and present; vol.5)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-78238-075-7 (hardback: alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-78238-076-4 (institutional ebook)
1. Japanese--Travel--Foreign countries--History. 2. Tourism--Japan--History. 3. Japan--Social life
and customs. I. Funck, Carolin.
G332.J38 2013
338.4’79104089956--dc23
2013006045
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Printed in the United States on acid-free paper
ISBN 978-1-78238-075-7 (hardback)
ISBN 978-1-78238-076-4 (institutional ebook)
contents
•
Figures and Tables vii
Acknowledgements ix
Abbreviations xi
Chronology xii
1 Introduction to Japanese Tourism 1
Carolin FunCk and MalColM Cooper
2 The Roots of Japanese Travel Culture 10
Carolin FunCk
3 The Rules of the Game: Policy, Plans and Institutions for
Tourism 40
MalColM Cooper
4 Domestic Tourism and its Social Background 62
Carolin FunCk
5 The Travelling Yen 96
MalColM Cooper
6 The Japanese Gaze on the World 139
MalColM Cooper
7 Welcome to Japan 160
Carolin FunCk
vi • Contents
8 Multiple Futures for Japan’s Tourism 187
Carolin FunCk and MalColM Cooper
9 Conclusions: Retrospect, Challenges and the Future 210
MalColM Cooper and Carolin FunCk
Glossary 216
References 217
Index 235
F T
IGURES AND ABLES
•
FIGURES
3.1 Organizational structure of the national tourism policy system up to
2007 53
4.1 The changing profi le of the Japanese population, 1950 to 2050 63
4.2 Population change by prefecture, 2000 to 2005 66
4.3 Travel intensity and travel companions by age, 2001 74
4.4 Travel intensity (domestic, overnight) by prefecture, 2006 76
4.5 Number of nights stayed in accommodation facilities by prefecture,
2007 (Japanese visitors only, in 1000s) 77
4.6 Changes in travel companions, 1964 to 2007 79
4.7 Domestic passenger transportation by mode of transport, 1951 to 2001 80
4.8 Changes in major activities at destinations, 1972 to 2007 81
4.9 Changes in skiing participation by sex, 1984 to 2008 82
4.10 Sea-opening ceremony 84
4.11 Miroku no Sato theme park 87
4.12 Tourists take a picture in front of Ishibutai burial mound, Asuka 92
5.1 Average length of stay of overseas visitors to Japan, 2008 103
5.2 Breakdown of accommodation sector types and numbers of facilities,
1965 to 2005 112
5.3 Changes in numbers of rooms in ryokan and hotels, 1965 to 2005 112
5.4 Number of accommodation facilities by prefecture, 2006 113
5.5 Percentage of the workforce in the accommodation sector, 2006 114
5.6 Tourism intensity index: number of rooms per 1,000 inhabitants, 2007 115
5.7 City of Beppu onsen resources and locations 130
5.8 Beppu’s active steam vents 131
6.1 Outbound tourism, 1965 to 2011 140
viii • List of Figures and Tables
6.2 Major destinations for Japanese tourists, 2000 and 2010 147
7.1 Foreigners registered in Japan, 1997 to 2007 165
7.2 Changes in the number and purpose of visits, 1991 to 2009 170
7.3 Changes in origin of overseas visitors to Japan, 1997 to 2007 170
7.4 Percentage of foreigners visiting each prefecture, 2007 171
7.5 Number of nights stayed in accommodation facilities by foreigners in
each prefecture, 2007 172
7.6 Hida Takayama offers ‘something interesting’ for international
visitors 177
7.7 Overseas visitors’ positive perceptions of Japan by country of origin 183
8.1 Direct sale of agricultural products at Karari in Uchiko 190
8.2 A meal prepared by local farm women for guests of Ikadaya public
lodge in Uchiko 191
8.3 Cedar trees on Yakushima Island: Kinensugi 196
8.4 A volunteer guide explains the history of Mitarai (Kure City,
Hiroshima Prefecture) 199
8.5 Hands-on experience of local products: noodle making in Shodoshima 201
8.6 Visitor numbers for selected World Heritage sites 202
8.7 Visitor numbers for Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum 204
8.8 Apartment buildings looking down on the A-bomb Dome, Hiroshima 205
TABLES
3.1 A Selection of laws relating to tourism promulgated since the Second
World War 51
4.1 Forecasts of Japanese population changes 64
5.1 Numbers of tourists and the value of tourism in Japan, 1970s to the
present 98
5.2 Number of visitor nights by prefecture and population, 2007 100
5.3 Number of visitors from major markets, 2010 and 2011 103
5.4 Breakdown of Japanese overseas travellers by age and sex, 1997 and
2007 104
5.5 Number of Japanese overseas travellers by destination, 2002 to 2011 105
5.6 Breakdown of reasons for overseas travel by Japanese travellers, 2006 107
5.7 Estimated economic impact of tourism, 2005 107
5.8 Number of registered travel agents in Japan, 2003 to 2007 117
5.9 Shifts in patterns of population and tourism in Beppu since 1965 132
6.1 Average value of the yen against the US dollar, 1965 to 2012 143
6.2 Observed and forecast Japanese overseas trips, 1970 to 2025 153
7.1 Motives of overseas visitors for visiting Japan by country of origin,
2007. 182
Acknowledgements
•
While we were still making changes to this book, the great east Japan earthquake
of 11 March 2011 occurred, followed by devastating tsunamis and a very serious
nuclear accident that is still not totally under control, which has left deep scars
in the country’s psyche. It goes without saying that tourism destinations suffered
heavily too, and some places mentioned in this book were directly affected. Far
worse were the long-term effects, as many Japanese continued to hold back on
travel, and foreign tourists shied away from Japan. In March and April 2011, the
country saw a reduction in inbound tourism of 50 per cent, and domestic and
outbound tourism saw a decline in the desire of locals to travel for pleasure while
fellow nationals were suffering from the after-effects of the earthquake. While
tourism has been previously seen to bounce back quickly after natural disasters,
and most parts of the country were not affected at all, the ongoing nuclear scare
still affects tourism in Northern Japan. However, inbound tourism in 2012 had
almost returned to pre-earthquake levels. We can only express our hope and
sincere wishes that Japan will successfully rebuild itself after this disaster.
More recently, inbound and outbound tourism have both also been affected
by the ongoing struggle between Japan and China (and Korea, though to a lesser
extent) over territorial claims in the seas between the two countries. As a result
of this struggle there was a notable drop in Chinese visitors to Japan since August
2012, and by December, visitor numbers from China had dropped by 34.2%
compared to 2011, mainly due to cancellations by group tours (JNTO 2013).
Unfortunately, this situation shows little sign of change, and once again we can
only hope that this situation does not continue.
Work on this book has been supported by many colleagues and researchers in
tourism studies and in geography, both in Japan and elsewhere. Special thanks
go to our colleagues and students at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and
Hiroshima University, and our families, partners and friends. Special thanks also
x • Acknowledgements
goes to the team at Berghahn led by Mark Stanton and Charlotte Mosedale, and
to Jeremy Eades for his editorial assistance and unfailing support.
The research for this book has been supported by the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research Projects 17320099
for Kanoh, Mitsunori; and 19520677 and 22520794 for Carolin Funck), and
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University internal research grants (Malcolm Cooper).