Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific

Volume 73, No. 3

 

Ethnic Tourism in Hokkaido and the Shaping of Ainu Identity
By Lisa Hiwasaki

 

Abstract

The Hokkaidô Ainu, who have inhabited what is now northern Japan for thousands of years, remain virtually invisible in Japanese society to the extent that the government does not recognize them as an indigenous people. One venue that plays a vital role in their representation in Japan is ethnic tourism, focused on tourist centres scattered across the northernmost island of the Japanese archipelago. Using data gathered during fieldwork in 1995, this paper will explore Ainu cultural and identity expressions as they manifest themselves through ethnic tourism in Hokkaidô. Active involvement in tourism has resulted in numerous changes for the Ainu economically, socially, culturally, and politically. By demonstrating the diverse ways in which the Ainu have been influenced by and through ethnic tourism, including some outcomes generated which benefit the Ainu, this paper will emphasize the importance of ethnic tourism both in Ainu contermporary culture and in the representations of Ainu in Japanese society today. Tourist centres serve as a venue where Ainu-Wajin relations are played out and through which Ainu ethnic identities are represented, formulated and reinforced. Examining tourism is integral to the understanding of the Ainu of the past, present, and future.