Impact Objectives • Apply social economics to enable a deeper understanding about and studies

• Build awareness about the value of heritage railways in Japan from a cultural and historical perspective

The social economics of heritage tourism

Professor Hideto Fujii has spent many years studying transport and tourism. His latest work is delving into promoting railways and heritage tourism in Japan

Can you tell us You are based at Meiji University in Tokyo. this possible because they are interested about the basis What type of research is underway in your in them from a historical and cultural of your research department there? perspective. I want to make this the case background? in Japan and encourage people to become I am a member of the School of Commerce aware of the importance of heritage My academic at Meiji University. The School consists railways. career consists of of eight units: economics, commerce, two stages: the researcher of transport business administration, accounting, How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted studies and that of transport and tourism finance and securities, insurance, transport your studies? studies. Because I previously worked for and international trade. Until recently, a Japanese tour company before gaining there were very few Japanese universities The global pandemic has restricted my an academic post, I was able to create with transport in their curriculum because passage from Japan to the UK which the idea of organic integration between it falls within microeconomics. However, has been challenging. I have conducted transport studies and tourism studies. the number of tourism departments is research by reading documents, but My research methodology originates in increasing as it is now being seen as an visiting offices and archives is essential social economics, partly based on Marxian important subject to consider in its own to this study. The Heritage Railway economics and Bourdieu’s sociology. This right. Human behaviour is not rational – it Association in England limits the amount reflects the result of research regarding the is often a habitual product of , so I of information available on its website, so history of transport studies, the theme of approach tourism-related transport from a I am hoping I can access documents via my doctoral dissertation. social economics point of view. email.

Although mainstream transport What gaps in our knowledge are you Finally, what are your next plans? studies all over the world are based on hoping to address with your studies? microeconomics, a minority group of I want to conduct a historical comparison transport studies is dependent on social Heritage railways consist of railways study on railways and island tourism in economics, particularly Marxian economics and heritage tourism. However, we the UK, with a case study on the Isle of in Japan. Therefore, I don’t consider tend to regard heritage railways as an Man and Isle of Wight. There are very few the relationship between economic amusement for children, families and islands with railways, but both of these phenomenon and other social phenomena railway enthusiasts. This leads us to the islands do. They are said to be heritage as separate from that, but rather the whole. idea that heritage railways are merely fun railways, so I want to investigate the Ultimately, through my perspectives, I and not worthy of preservation. In England, reasons why both islands have kept the came to realise that social economics heritage railways are a popular attraction railway systems alive and understand their could be a useful tool to apply to transport to visit, but they can also ride in the trains effects on tourism. l and tourism studies. because they are seen as being worthy of preservation. Volunteers in England make

74 www.impact.pub Bringing heritage railways to Japan

A team based at Meiji University in Japan is conducting a comparative historical study between Japan and the UK on railway and heritage tourism. It is hoped that the findings will lead to the development of heritage railways that attract tourists to Japan from around the globe

Heritage tourism is a term relating to Fujii has discovered that the first heritage but also from a cultural perspective. natural and as a tourist railway in the UK is the existing Talyllyn Fujii visited Blackpool in the UK last year destination. As such, it can be thought of as Railway, which has been preserved since because it operates the oldest trams in the something that incorporates , 1951 and satisfies the three values required world. It has operated trams since 1885, and urban tourism. Heritage for heritage tourism: representative of the and in 1976 promoted the old-style trams tourism can encompass a range of forms, culture of railways, a historical and original as a . Meeting with people including nature, countryside, culture and locomotive and an architectural landscape in behind the scenes showed Fujii that people architecture, and is a means of handing down the countryside. ‘I want to understand how do understand and appreciate heritage value a kind of cultural value to the next generation. the Heritage Railway Association was formed for its own sake, which he says makes such Professor Hideto Fujii, who is based at Meiji in the UK,’ says Fujii. ‘In doing so, I want to things worthy of preservation. l University in Japan, has spent his career suggest a formation of a similar organisation exploring heritage tourism and what it in Japan.’ means from a social science perspective. ‘We can view the continuing appeal of heritage There are two anticipated impacts from Project Insights tourism as the product of cultural values, as Fujii’s research. First, the effectiveness of FUNDING opposed to an objective and independent using social economics as a methodology Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research sense of worth,’ he highlights. ‘Humans and second, how a universal usage of by Japan Society for the Promotion of appreciate heritage tourism landmarks as a institutional heritage railways can act as a Science means of accessing the past and instructing tool for increasing tourism. ‘Microeconomics the future.’ postulates that humans act rationally, but COLLABORATORS • Yoshinobu Oikawa, Professor Emeritus, Rikkyo University, Tokyo • Mutsumi Onda, Associate Professor, By studying the function and development of railways in School of Commerce, Meiji University, Tokyo heritage tourism, this research aims to show that heritage CONTACT railways have cultural, historical and architectural value Professor Hideto Fujii worthy of preservation as a tourist attraction T: +81 3 3296 4545 E: [email protected] W: https://gyoseki1.mind.meiji.ac.jp/mjuhp/ KgApp?kojinld=980101&Language=2 Fujii’s latest studies involve performing a the fact that heritage railways cost money comparative historical study between the to operate and repair - and do not generate BIO UK and Japan, with heritage railways acting huge profits - suggests that there is an Hideto Fujii is a Professor of Transport and as the focal point. ‘By studying the function irrationality to heritage tourism,’ outlines Tourism Study in the School of Commerce and development of railways in heritage Fujii. It is this aspect that he has a particular at Meiji University, Tokyo. He was awarded his doctor’s degree from Meiji University in tourism, this research aims to show that interest in. 1999. Prior to entering academia, he gained heritage railways have cultural, historical and industry experience in a agency. He architectural value worthy of preservation HERITAGE FOR ITS OWN SAKE was served as a visiting researcher at the as a tourist attraction,’ he explains. ‘The There are many countries around the University of Brighton, UK, between 2005 invention of railways triggered the Industrial world that have abandoned railways and and 2006. Revolution in the UK, so it could be said that locomotives, so if Fujii’s research can the railways are a symbol of modernisation.’ demonstrate the importance of them as a tourist attraction with historical and cultural SOCIAL ECONOMICS AND BOOSTING value, such countries may well utilise them. TOURISM This could, in turn, revitalise local tourism which is good from an economic perspective,

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