Research Project
Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows
The study aims to understand the experience of international tourists atNorthern Japanese zoos that display red foxes through an innovativemultispecies, multi-sited ethnography. It interprets the values touristshold regarding the treatment of captive wildlife and how these areexpressed online.
The research explores how wildlife tourism in Japan is responding to increasing consumer pressure for close, embodied encounters with captive animals. Through a multi-sited, multispecies ethnography of Ezo red foxes at five zoos, the research analysed commodified ‘fox hugs’ and feeding encounters that satisfy tourists’ desires for wildlife selfies, feelings of iyashi and social capital. These practices have raised animal welfare concerns among some tourists and observations of the foxes’ behaviour indicate that these concerns may be justified. The research concludes that more ethical iyashi experiences can be derived from captive wildlife viewing at close proximity in which the animals are not subjected to forced physical contact with tourists or made to compete for food.
令和3年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。
All 2022 2021
All Journal Article (1 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results, Peer Reviewed: 1 results) Presentation (5 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results) Book (3 results)
Tourism Culture & Communication
Volume: Ahead-of-print Issue: 4 Pages: 387-392
10.3727/109830422x16420405391961
