Challenges and Prospects in Making Memories of War through Touristic Guidance in Japan

• In Event: Curating Resilient Memory and Reconfiguring War Heritage in Northeast and Southeast Asia

Abstract

The seventieth anniversary of World War II has given people in many countries a great opportunity to re-think or re-organize the way in which the war has been (or should be) remembered. As many scholars have argued, collective memories of war have been articulated significantly through various mediated materials. The memory-making process in this manner is a contested site where what to remember or to forget is constantly formulated and negotiated.

In this context, along with the fact that those who experienced the war first-hand have been dramatically disappearing, various tourism operations, such as “dark tourism” (Lennon & Foley 2000), play an extremely important role in articulating collective memories of the war, especially among younger generations. In Japan (esp. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Okinawa), just like other countries, memories of World War II have been fading away or (re)arranged with various means and manners. This paper thus investigates how war memories have been interpreted, publicized, and embedded in war tourism, by examining various tourist materials such as guidebooks, war museum pamphlets, and materials for peace education focusing on school excursion brochures. It particularly looks at how these materials contribute to (re)forming certain narratives and interpretations regarding the previous war, in relation to the recent political economy of Japan seen in recent public discussions and criticisms toward the governmental policies on the national security. Subsequently, it will suggest potentials and challenges in balancing the responsibility to retain memories of the war while being open to domestic and international tourism in contemporary Japan.

Author

• Kaori Yoshida, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University