Amami park and island tourism: Sea, land and islandness at a site of simulation

Abstract

Amami Park is a nature and culture centre located in the Amami islands in the southwest of Japan. Objects are displayed on one site and marketed for tourists, whether on-island, in the Amami islands or more distant. This article discusses Amami Park in terms of the themes of sea, land and islandness, which emerged as topics for discussion during the research process with regard to how Amami Park represents itself, and the cultural meaning of such presentation and its relevance in the tourist industry. Amami Park offers a range of media through which to showcase the history, nature and culture of the Amami islands, and it offers numerous objects, audiovisual displays and other types of media with much description, representation and celebration of local and archipelagic identity. In this island setting, the article discusses the objects and their presentation, focussing on theme park analysis, cultural tourism and self-representation. Drawing on theoretical ideas pertaining to the notion of “simulation”, as applied to the recontextualization of disparate items in one location, the article shows how this particular nature and culture centre can be viewed as a microcosm of broader social and touristic themes in Japan, particularly with regard to the process of traveling to “other” locations within the domestic tourism industry. The article divides into three main parts that describe, analyze and discuss Amami Park, respectively through an ethnographic and critical lens.