posterity with a number of options, so that they can choose the best one. This I believe is crucial in any tourism development plans. I am truly proud that I was able to share our experience in the Philippines with you today. Thank you very much.
Takada: Thank you very much. I learned much from the comments of both Ms. Lazo and Dr. Choi.
Firstly, as Ms. Lazo mentioned, domestic tourism is as important as international tourism, though the theme of this symposium is "Making Full Use of Local Cultures to Promote International Tourism."
As all the panelists would agree, the question is: how can a local community attract visitors, if the local people cannot identify the charms of their community? This question might also lead to the conclusion that Japan first requires community development that helps enhance the charms of each community and attract visitors from other parts of the country, before measures to attract visitors from foreign countries. Such development cannot be accomplished overnight. It therefore requires a long-term perspective, as Dr. Choi pointed out.
Both Dr. Choi and Ms. Lazo are from Asian countries. Many Asian countries are now pursuing community development with an emphasis on tourism. For example, Malaysia is actively promoting domestic tourism, as well as international tourism. As a result of this nationwide effort to promote domestic tourism, many Malaysians are taking various trips around the country, for example people from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country, taking a trip to Sabah or Sarawak in East Malaysia.
This symposium is drawing to an end. Though we only have 15 minutes remaining, I would like the panelists to focus on tourism in Asian countries other than Japan, and how those countries are cultivating their charms to attract visitors. I would also like the panelists to discuss what Japan should do to attract people from other Asian countries. I would like each panelist, starting with Mr. Kanzaki, to speak on these matters for three to four minutes.
Kanzaki: It is advantageous to be the first speaker, isn't it? I may not finish my talk within the given time, though I will try to do so.
What impressed me most during my recent trip to Asian countries was my visit to Malaysia. In Sarawak, Borneo Island, is a village known as the Sarawak Culture Village. This Village is designed to protect and introduce the Iban ethnic group's traditional way of life, which is now threatened by development of the jungles, the base of their daily life, for industrial purposes such as logging or oil drilling. This Village is not a conventional museum, but a new type of open-air museum that introduces the local people's traditional way of life as it is. If the weather is fine, people there plow the fields. If it rains, they stay at home and weave textiles, This facility allows visitors to learn first hand, rather than just by observing, this traditional way of life that was quite common among the local people several decades ago. In addition, visitors can also enjoy local meals or liquor. The liquor is distilled in the same way that was once common among the Iban ethnic group. As such, this village well serves
the purpose of presenting the local people's traditional way of life as it is. This open-air museum opened in 1994, if I remember correctly.
There are also similar and older facilities in other Asian countries. For example, on Hainan Island, China are a number of Folklore Villages,which are designed to protect and introduce the Li and other ethnic groups' traditional ways of life as they are.
In Taiwan are mountain ethnic groups who have nine language systems, though some Japanese once wrongly lumped these groups together as the Takasago aboriginal, ethnic group. In 1988, the Formosan Aborigine Cultural Village opened as part of the country's effort to protect and introduce these ethnic groups' traditional ways of life, which are being rapidly destroyed by modernization. The entire mountain near Taichung is used as the site for the Village.
The model for the Village is the Suwon Folklore Village in Korea, Dr. Choi's home country. If I remember correctly, the Village opened in 1974. This open-air museum, the oldest of its kind in Asia, presents the local people's traditional lifestyle as it is.
The question is: is displaying folk material and data in glass cases the best way to present folk culture or customs? Such a conventional presentation would not interest those presenting their folk culture. It would not much appeal to visitors, either. So what about presenting folk culture as it is, like the Sarawak Culture Village? Even such a presentation would require "devices" or techniques to attract visitors. However, the "devices" or techniques must be designed so as to be of interest to both visitors and those presenting their folk culture. To embody these ideas, I took part in a project to establish a local museum in Bisei Town, Okayama Prefecture, my hometown, located at the southern end of the mountainous region of Chugoku. To use Mr. Takada's words, the local people couldn't identify the charms of their community at first. I therefore focused on the history of the town, and conducted on-the-spot investigations with a historian. The result is the opening of the Chusei Yumegahara theme park, an open-air museum that introduces the local history of the town with an emphasis on the Medieval Era. The Folklore Village in Korea served as a model for this museum. To study the model again, young people in the town will visit the Village next week.
Speaking from experience, I would say that Japan should learn much from Korea and other Asian countries, as these countries are far ahead of Japan in presenting folk culture "vividly."
