Pacific Magazine > Magazine > January 1, 2008

Japan Tourism

Why We Travel

What ‘Homo Mobilitas’ Can Teach The Pacific

By Rieko Hayakawa, Sasakawa Pacific Island Nations Fund

Sasakawa Pacific Islands Journalism Fellows Suzanne Chutaro, Agnes Donato and Moffat Mamu practice the correct way to “purify” oneself at a Shinto shrine. PHOTO: PACIFIC MAGAZINE

Prof. Kazumichi Katayama of Kyoto University in Japan has a theory about the need for humans to travel. He calls this theory “Homo Mobilitas.” It means that humans may have a genetic predisposition that causes them to roam—for curiosity, adventure, finding resources, among other reasons.

History also tells us that Pacific Islands people have the “Homo-Mobilitas” gene. They traveled the vast Pacific Ocean by canoe in some of the great migrations of human history. Today, relatively large percentages of many island populations continue to migrate to urban centers for opportunity, education and adventure.

Japan’s historical experience with Prof. Katayama’s “Homo Mobilitas” gene isn’t as dramatic as the movements of Pacific peoples, but it does show that Japanese have been ardent travelers for centuries. Japan’s travel culture began in the early Edo Era, which lasted from 1603 until 1867.

The Edo period is the first time in Japanese history when the country was at peace. This period of stability lasted for 264 years. Under the Edo Government, although there were strict controls on what people could do and where they could go, there existed organized ways for ordinary people to travel.

Ironically, this culture developed because of the efforts of the central government to control regional leaders, the daimyos. This strategy was called “Sankin Kotai.”

The strategy required that the wife and children of a regional daimyo were forced to live in Edo (Tokyo). But they were allowed to return to their territory every two years. This travel back to the daimyo’s territory from Edo involved at least 50 to 100 staff and sometimes up to 4,000 people.

“Sankin Kotai” was a way to curb rebellions by the daimyo, which would fear having their family and wealth held hostage in Edo. As a result of the “Sankin-Kotai” policy, roads were developed, accommodation houses were built, gifts were bought, and even a courier system was developed in the Edo era. Without “Sankin-Kotai” a commoner would have found it difficult to travel on pilgrimages across Japan.

The development of a travel culture in Japan also coincided with a period of high literacy in the country. One estimate says that 60 percent of Japan’s population was literate during the Edo period.

Although the high rate of literacy was not the cause of Japan’s “travel culture” or vice versa, it allowed or even contributed to people’s enjoyment of their travels, and also to appreciate and contribute to a knowledgeable society during times of peace.

Today, of course, there are no restrictions on travel in Japan, or from Japan to the rest of the world. Japanese have developed a well-deserved reputation for being enthusiastic travelers, and with them come many of the elements of their travel culture (the buying of gifts, group travel, etc.) that were formed centuries ago.

Japanese travelers are major players in a number of Pacific Islands markets, and many more islands would like to have planeloads of tourists from Japan, too. Thus the question: what is the best way to approach this opportunity, for the islands as well as Japan?

Part of the answer will include a discussion of the proper role of Pacific Islands governments in developing tourism. Also, what is the private sector’s role? And what can non-governmental organizations such as the Sasakawa Pacific Island Nations Fund do to help?

In many islands, an active government sector will be required to ensure that culture, the environment and other national issues are dealt with in a way that fosters broad-based growth.

Second, for Japan, and likely Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and countries such as South Korea and Taiwan who send tourists to the Pacific Islands, there may be a need to develop a code of ethics and behavior for tourists traveling to Pacific Islands destinations.

Finally, I would like to suggest that tourism development does not only encourage the one way movements of people, but also supports Pacific Islanders who can travel with reasonable costs to foreign countries. Ten years ago, brain drain migration and other issues related to massive immigration of Pacific Islanders raised a host of social and economic issues. However, we need to realize that people need to move, especially those who live in environments that have difficulty supporting them, such as islands that have limited resources.

Donor countries and agencies such as the Sasakawa Pacific Island Nations Fund may need to shift their focus toward the support of Pacific Islands people’s “Homo-Mobilitas” gene.

The writer is a project manager with the Sasakawa Pacific Island Nations Fund. She helped organize the 2007 Sasakawa Pacific Islands Journalism Fellowship.