午夜剧场

Currently, I conduct research and studies on regional economic and social policies at a private think tank, but my major at 午夜剧场 was political science. At Hiyoshi, I was drawn to political dynamics such as decision-making and power theory, and at Mita, I chose the history of Japanese diplomacy as a field where those dynamics could be concretely observed. In publishing my first book recently, I realized once again that the training I received back then is still very much alive today.

Overtourism is also referred to as "tourism pollution." It is a phenomenon where noise, littering, and other issues caused by a rapid increase and concentration of visitors damage not only the nature and atmosphere of a tourist destination but also the lives of local residents. While seen worldwide, it has become serious in some Japanese cities like Kyoto since the mid-2010s, when efforts to attract foreign visitors to Japan got on track.

When I began writing, several reportages on this theme had already been published, so I was forced to differentiate my work from preceding books. What I kept in mind was an "emphasis on historical context" and the "presentation of concrete solutions."

In the first half of the book, I introduced domestic and international cases, paying attention to the origins of tourist destinations and industries, as well as the relationship between the countries sending visitors and those receiving them. Through these, the unique circumstances of each region and the long-standing factors preventing the resolution of overtourism were revealed, which shared commonalities with the study of diplomatic history.

In the second half of the book, I covered new trends in addressing overtourism, such as the use of ICT and "responsible tourism"—a travel style where tourists also strive to prevent overtourism. It is not easy to present solutions for an ongoing phenomenon, but the reason I dared to challenge it lies in a memory from my master's program. Please forgive me if my memory is incorrect, but in a certain seminar, the professor in charge gave a biting comment to a student who was solely explaining observation results. He said, "An analysis that does not consider solutions to reality and the provision of costs is not a social science study." I still remember the strong, stern tone of the professor, who was usually full of humor.

Even though my university days are long ago, I feel that the influences received in one's youth do not easily leave the body. While I am grateful for the various things I was taught, it also feels like evidence of a lack of progress, leaving me with somewhat complicated feelings.

Akiko Kosaka

Gakugei Shuppansha

272 pages, 2,300 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time this magazine was published.