Koreans’ observation trip to Japan during the colonial period

Abstract

During the 1920s and 1930s, under the rule of Japanese imperialism in Korea, Government-General of Korea and the provincial authorities organized a group tour to Japan to provide the opportunities to observe the development in Japan. The members of the tour group were the high-ranking government officials, school teachers, financial specialists, members of the young men’s association, and the Confucian scholars in Korea. They usually visited Simonoseki, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo, Niko etc. Sometimes, some of the industrial cities (e.g., Nagoya, Kobe), military cities, or wealthy farming regions were included as well in the itinerary.BR The members of the tour group were shocked and attracted by the modernity of the cities they visited. The high-rise buildings, fashionable department stores, night views of the brilliantly illuminated cities were all new to them. They also visited the historic places, the Shinto shrines and temples and were impressed by the richness of their cultural inheritance. After returning to Korea, the members of the tour group were asked to make a report on their trip, that had them to make explicit comparisons between the two countries. They highly evaluated the advancement of Japanese culture and admitted that Korea was quite behind. This group tour to Japan seemed to playa critical role in establishing a pro-Japanese group in Korea during the 1920s and 1930s.