Following the research paper covering cruise tourism development in Akita in the previous issue of this journal (Murayama, 2020), this paper focuses on the results of a survey conducted with inbound cruise tourists in the Akita Prefecture and interviews with tourism businesses in Akita city, as well as providing recommendations. The study on sustainable cruise tourism in Akita included a cruise visitor survey that was aimed toward inbound tourists, passengers, and crews, and was conducted in the summer 2019 in Akita City. This survey covered activities, satisfaction levels, and spending patterns of cruise tourists in the prefecture. After the cruise season finished (winter), tourism businesses were interviewed to assess cruise tourists’ behavior. While the satisfaction level of cruise visitors was very high overall, many opportunities and challenges were identified, such as more demand for Akita tourism information online in English and the need for more English signage in the city, English menus and explanations at tourist attractions. Demand for cafés and free Wi-Fi access in tourist attractions (e.g., museums) was also highlighted. It was found that the economic impact of cruise visitors in Akita was relatively low. To increase the economic benefits for the local businesses and the community, a variety of approaches are suggested, such as longer stops at Akita and new product development, including an enhanced promotion of the “experience” of the traditional culture of Akita.

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The 18th century Western-influenced Samurai paintings from the Akita Ranga school, with its rigorous style, are not largely recognized as associated with Megane-e paintings, which are optic pictures designed using perspectives and are viewed through a lens. However the landscape paintings of the Akita Ranga school demonstrate a Megane-e like spatial organization and similar literary ideas and inspirations for their subject matter, such as the famous sites of Edo and its outskirts. This study aims to investigate the Akita Ranga school’s landscape paintings, which marked the establishment of the Edo school, and the relationship of the Akita Ranga school to Megane-e, by examining the recent acquisition of Akita Ranga’s Megane-e series by the Akita Senshu Museum of Art.

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Professor Mineo Nakajima (1936-2013), the first President of AIU and a famous specialist on China, authored 119 books in his life. He was known for his harsh criticism of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, especially on its China and Russia policies. He blamed Japanese policy toward China as “weak-waisted diplomacy” and warned it would eventually worsen relations between the two countries. He also argued that the opportunity for Russia and Japan to resolve the Northern Territories issue had arrived since the Gorbachev era, and that Japan should make concessions and settle the issue as soon as possible. The Japanese Foreign Ministry rejected and neglected Nakajima's argument. However, presently, the Japanese foreign policies toward China and Russia face great difficulties. In this essay, I analyze the controversy between Nakajima and the Foreign Ministry by examining the legitimacy of their positions.

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The Kanto Team of Akita International University (AIU), founded in 2005, is a student body that includes exchange students who have continuously participated in the Akita Kanto Festival. Since some professors and foreign students from the Minnesota State University-Akita campus (MSUA) have participated in the Kanto festival in the past, it can be said that Kanto is a traditional event that has accepted participants from foreign countries for over twenty years. By analyzing the AIU Kanto team, this study aims to investigate how the exchange students of AIU joined the Akita Kanto Festival. First, we discuss the relationship between the AIU Kanto Team and external organizations based on interviews with the Junior Chamber International Japan (Akita) and the Kanto Society of Kami-kamenocho. Second, we analyze the exchange students’ participation forms as well as their social interaction through the results of a questionnaire survey among degree-seeking students and interviews with exchange students. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of foreign participants in the Akita Kanto Festival.

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