Present situation and Problems of Rural Tourism in Iwo-Jima, Kagoshima Prefecture

Abstract

In recent years, the term “eco-tourism” has come into popular use in various famous sightseeing places because mass tourism has come under critical scrutiny and has lost some of its appeal. In addition, “tourism” has become important in promoting rural areas that suffer “depopulation.” This paper reports on activities undertaken in Iwo-Jima of Mishima-mura, Kagoshima Prefecture by local officials and an NPO in which the writer is a member.
“Sustainable tourism” contributes to the livelihood of the area inhabitants by drawing on the rare natural environment in Iwo-Jima, which is a small remote island in a very isolated area. In the depopulated areas that once “failed” to develop tourism, there remain many legends and tourists enjoy the interaction with villagers, thus benefiting both sides.
However, problems related to developing tourism remain, such as: (1) few inhabitants are concerned with tourism; (2) absence of interpreter. So, this paper describes how such problems in Iwo-Jima can be overcome and the possibility of promotion by tourism.