TIFO Online Summer Programme in Japanese Cultural Studies: Tourism and Heritage in Japan Post-Lockdown

This edition of the programme considers directly the impacts of the Coronavirus on Japan. In collaboration with Teesside University’s Dr Christopher Hayes, the curriculum will be based around the theme of “Tourism and Heritage in Post-Lockdown Japan”. Throughout the world, tourism has been one of the industries most profoundly affected by the pandemic. For Japan in particular, which has sought to become a “Tourism Nation” and was host for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, the consequences have been significant. Even now at the time of this announcement, Japan remains inaccessible to foreign tourists. It therefore seems appropriate that we take this time to reconnect with Japan and explore what tourism in Japan will mean post-Covid. We will also consider Japan’s cultural heritage, too, and how Covid has affected the heritage industry, exploring the uses and value of heritage in the absence of international tourism. Over the two-week period, we will be joined by world-leading scholars, practitioners, and industry professionals based in Japan. We will also hear from academics from our MA Interdisciplinary Japanese Studies Programme, which is approaching the end of its second year.