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The integration of negative heritage in rehabilitation strategies in Fukushima Prefecture: Bosai Tourism and Social Services Improvements in depopulated regions in Futaba, Namie, Minamisoma and Soma.

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K23126
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section 0104:Geography, cultural anthropology, folklore, and related fields
Research InstitutionTohoku University

Principal Investigator

Gerster Julia  東北大学, 災害科学国際研究所, 助教 (90842716)

Project Period (FY) 2019-08-30 – 2022-03-31
Project Status Granted (Fiscal Year 2020)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
KeywordsNegative Heritage / Bosai Tourism / Dark Tourism / Disaster Recovery / Resilience / Identity / Cultural Memory / 3.11 / Negative heritage / Post-disaster / Earthquake / Tsunami / Nuclear Disaster / Recovery / Narratives / revitalization / disaster risk education / nuclear disaster / depopulation / disaster recovery
Outline of Research at the Start

This study clarifies and aims to evaluate how affected municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture try to integrate the negative image of the nuclear disaster in rehabilitation measures. Examples for such practices will be Bosai Tourism and social services improvements in depopulated and aging communities.

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

This research investigates how lessons from the 3.11 disasters are implemented in disaster risk education through negative heritage preservation, tourism, and memorialization practices in Japan. First research results show that preserving negative examples of evacuation can lead to improvements in disaster mitigation measures. However, also frictions regarding negative heritage and its promotion in tourism and education in local communities were uncovered. The ongoing pandemic made clear that recovery strategies should not rely too much on tourism as it led to financial difficulties of the communities that introduced facilities mainly focusing on visitors. Disaster museums on the other hand were able to attract domestic visitors through the promotion of disaster risk education.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, international tourism came to a halt in Japan. The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics further led to the cancellation of many promotional activities of the Tohoku region. The rapid change of the state of emergency in different regions in Japan further led to a decline in domestic tourism in the Tohoku region. The research focus this year has changed accordingly to negative heritage preservation in the Tohoku region. Field research and interviews with stakeholders on the topic led to valuable results that were shared at international conferences and in research papers.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Based on the current research results, interviews with stakeholders in negative heritage preservation will be increased. After travel restrictions are eased, research on post-disaster narrative construction through Bosai and Hope tourism will continue. Adaptation methods in terms of online tours will further be investigated. In addition to interviews, online surveys with local communities and tourists will be conducted. Discussions on the project with stakeholders and experts will continue in meetings and at international conferences. Results will be submitted in research papers to international journals.

Report

(2 results)
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report

Research Products

(14 results)

All 2021 2020 2019

All Journal Article (3 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 3 results,  Peer Reviewed: 2 results) Presentation (11 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 9 results,  Invited: 4 results)

  • [Journal Article] Kataritsugi: Storyelling as a method in disaster risk education2021

    • Author(s)
      Gerster, Julia; Shibayama Akihiro, and Ono Madoka
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of the 17th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, 17WCEE, Sendai, Japan

      Volume: online Pages: 1-11

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Social Lives of Tsunami Walls in Japan: Concrete Culture, Social Innovation and Coastal Communities2020

    • Author(s)
      Boret Sebastien and Gerster Julia
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of Aceh International Workshop and Expo on Sustainable Tsunami Disaster Recovery, AIWEST-DR 2019, Sendai, Japan

      Volume: online Pages: 1-10

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Hierarchies of affectedness: Kizuna, perceptions of loss, and social dynamics in post-3.11 Japan.2019

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Journal Title

      International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.

      Volume: 41

    • DOI

      10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101304

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Institutionalization and Representations of Disaster Memory in Tohoku. Disaster Museums and Exhibitions on the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster2021

    • Author(s)
      Gerster, Julia
    • Organizer
      Continuity and Change ten years after 3.11. VSJF annual conference, Berlin, 2021.3.19, Online
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Kataribe to the World. コロナ禍の中と課題と成果。2021

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      Tohoku Hisaichi Kataribe Forum
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Between Debris and Disaster Heritage: The Connection of Memories and Disaster Remains after the Great East Japan Earthquake 20112021

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      3rd MEMORY, AFFECTS AND EMOTIONS International Interdisciplinary Conference
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Framing negative heritage in disaster risk education: school memorials after 3.112020

    • Author(s)
      Gerster, Julia and Fulco, Flavia
    • Organizer
      Border of memories Conference, Kyushu, 2020.7.31, Online
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Varieties of Justice and Hierarchies of Affectedness2020

    • Author(s)
      Gerster, Julia
    • Organizer
      Association for Asian Studies Conference in Asia
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] School Memorials and disaster risk education after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.2020

    • Author(s)
      Gerster, Julia
    • Organizer
      Learning from disasters for a resilient society. Experiences from the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami and COVID19 pandemic. Berlin Science Week, Berlin, 2020.11.2, Online
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] Hierarchies of affectedness and social dynamics in post-3.11 Japan2020

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      Resilient living environments in the recovery from the disaster
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] The integration of negative heritage in collective memory: Bosai Tourism after 3.112020

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      Critical Tourism Studies Conference
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] BOSAI tourism or BOSAI education? Exploring disaster prevention educational practices in the afterrmath of the Great East Japan Earthquake.2020

    • Author(s)
      Flavia Fulco and Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      Critical Tourism Studies Conference
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The integration of negative heritage in collective memory: Bosai Tourism after 3.112019

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      EAJS in Japan
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The power of Disaster Theater in education and social recovery: Theater projects in Northeast Japan after 3.112019

    • Author(s)
      Julia Gerster
    • Organizer
      AIWEST
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research

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Published: 2019-09-03   Modified: 2021-12-27  

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