Researching UNESCO Heritage and tourism in Amami Oshima
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Authors
Papoutsaki, Evangelia
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Date
2025-10
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Journal Article
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
Amami Islands (Japan)
Japan
tourism
island studies
cultural geography
environmental policy
interdisciplinary studies
geopolitics
Japan
tourism
island studies
cultural geography
environmental policy
interdisciplinary studies
geopolitics
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Papoutsaki, E. (2025). October. Researching UNESCO Heritage and tourism in Amami Oshima. Amami Station, International Centre for Island Studies, Kagoshima University Newsletter. October, No 21, 3-6.
https://hdl.handle.net/10652/7119
Abstract
Since 2017, I have been visiting the Amami Islands, initially as an International Research Fellow at Kagoshima University’s International Center for Island Studies. I was fortunate to be introduced to Amamian culture by Professor Emeritus Sueo Kuwahara, with whom I have collaborated on ethnographic research exploring the islands’ communicative ecology and information ecosystems.
This year, under a Japan Foundation Research Fellowship, I returned to Amami Oshima to investigate the impact of its UNESCO World Natural Heritage designation and emerging tourism trends. This study addresses a gap in the literature concerning the intersection of tourism, communication, and island studies within the Japanese context. Specifically, it examines how “islandness”—the unique socio-spatial condition of being an island—shapes tourism information ecosystems and, conversely, how tourism influences local narratives. The research also explores the dynamic interplay between natural/cultural heritage and the negotiation of external and internal priorities. Amami Oshima serves as a compelling case study for understanding how island identity is both affirmed and renegotiated within its distinct micro-communicative ecology and eco-cultural setting.
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Amami Station, International Centre for Island Studies, Kagoshima University
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