Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Anthropology Theses Department of Anthropology 5-7-2016 Inaka ga Kokoro ni Fureru: The Practices and Parlance of Cultural Exchange in the Japan-America Grassroots Summit Gary Walsh Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/anthro_theses Recommended Citation Walsh, Gary, "Inaka ga Kokoro ni Fureru: The Practices and Parlance of Cultural Exchange in the Japan- America Grassroots Summit." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2016. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/anthro_theses/105 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Anthropology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INAKA GA KOKORO NI FURERU: THE PRACTICES AND PARLANCE OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN THE JAPAN-AMERICA GRASSROOTS SUMMIT by GARY LAMAR WALSH JR. Under the Direction of Dr. Faidra Papavasiliou ABSTRACT This thesis is an examination of the John Manjiro-Whitfield Commemorative Center for International Exchange (CIE) and its sole undertaking the annual Japan-America Grassroots Summit. The CIE’s goal is to foster greater mutual understanding between Japanese and American citizens through what it terms grassroots exchange. To achieve this, the CIE aids in organizing a weeklong cultural exchange program held alternately in the United States and Japan complete with a three-night homestay. As a participant-observer in the 25th Annual Grassroots Summit held in Japan, I address the underlying influences shaping this cultural exchange program and limits to achieving its goals. I also address how the summit’s structure and use of historical narratives affects the experiences of Americans who attend the summit when it is held in Japan. INDEX WORDS: Cultural Exchange, Cultural Diplomacy, Soft-Power, Non-Profit Organizations, Narrative, Tourism, Japan INAKA GA KOKORO NI FURERU: THE PRACTICES AND PARLANCE OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN THE JAPAN-AMERICA GRASSROOTS SUMMIT by GARY WALSH A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2016 Copyright by Gary Lamar Walsh Jr. 2016 INAKA GA KOKORO NI FURERU: THE PRACTICES AND PARLANCE OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN THE JAPAN-AMERICA GRASSROOTS SUMMIT by GARY WALSH Committee Chair: Faidra Papavasiliou Committee: Emanuela Guano Steven Black Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2016 iv DEDICATION To my wife and children Thank you for your patience and support To my fellow Grassroots Summit participants Thank you for your time To my sensei Thank you for introducing me to Japan v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work truly began nearly twenty years ago when I first traveled to Japan. I stayed in a small house with a tin roof occupied by a fisherman, his wife, and four children. They didn’t have much and I couldn’t communicate with them at all, but their hospitality and generosity left a considerable impression. Since that time, I have stayed with numerous Japanese families as part of the Japan-America Grassroots Summit. I thank the families, volunteers, and organizers of the summit for their hard work in making that program possible. Without their efforts, I would not have made the Japanese friends that I have today nor met other amazing American participants. Therefore, this project is dedicated to the numerous Japanese and Americans that I have had the privilege of encountering as a participant in the Grassroots Summit. I appreciate their willingness and openness in sharing their thoughts and personal histories without which this project could not have been completed. I would also like to thank my wife and children for supporting me throughout my graduate education. My research has taken me far away from home at times as well as taken many years to finish. The completion of this work is as much the result of my efforts and energy as well as theirs. Lastly, I wish to extend my gratitude towards my thesis committee for their guidance and expertise. Their support and suggestions have aided me in refining my writing as well as pushed me towards improving as an anthropologist. Moreover, they have assisted me in weaving together the various and seemingly disparate threads of tourism, narrative, and the nation-state which pervades this work. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. v 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Tropes of Arrival: Situating the Other ............................................................. 1 1.2 Towards an Ethnography of Grassroots Exchange ......................................... 3 1.2.1 Research Question .......................................................................................... 3 1.2.2 What is the Grassroots Summit? .................................................................... 4 1.2.3 Historicizing the John Manjiro Story ............................................................ 5 1.3 Methods .............................................................................................................. 11 1.3.1 Research Contexts ......................................................................................... 11 1.3.2 Fieldsite ......................................................................................................... 12 1.3.3 Data Collection .............................................................................................. 15 1.3.4 Key Informants .............................................................................................. 18 1.3.5 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................. 20 1.4 Literature Review .............................................................................................. 21 1.4.1 Tourism Approaches ..................................................................................... 21 1.4.1 Authenticity in Tourism ................................................................................ 28 1.4.1 Narrative Approaches ................................................................................... 31 1.4.2 Heritage and Tradition ................................................................................. 36 1.4.3 National Culture ........................................................................................... 38 vii 1.4.4 Cultural Commodification ............................................................................ 40 1.4.5 National Culture and Heritage in Contemporary Japan ............................ 42 1.4.6 Heritage Tourism in Japan .......................................................................... 45 1.5 Chapter Overview ............................................................................................. 46 2 The Center For International Exchange and The Grassroots Summit ............... 48 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 48 2.2 The CIE .............................................................................................................. 49 2.2.1 CIE Origins ................................................................................................... 49 2.2.2 Japan’s NPO Law ......................................................................................... 53 2.2.3 The Organization and Undertakings of the CIE ......................................... 55 2.2.4 The CIE’s Role in Organizing the Grassroots Summit ............................... 57 2.3 The Grassroots Summit .................................................................................... 61 2.3.1 Summit Composition and Opening Ceremony ............................................ 61 2.3.2 Local Sessions ............................................................................................... 63 2.3.3 Host Families ................................................................................................ 64 2.3.4 Closing Ceremony ......................................................................................... 66 2.3.5 Post Summit Work ........................................................................................ 68 2.4 Promotional and Travel Guide Materials ....................................................... 70 2.4.1 Summit Guides and Tourist Brochures ....................................................... 70 2.4.2 Scripted Behaviors and Pre-Tour Narratives .............................................. 73 viii 2.5 Putting Grassroots and Cultural Exchange into Perspective ....................... 80 2.5.1 Defining Grassroots ...................................................................................... 80 2.5.2 Grassroots? Exchange .................................................................................. 82 2.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 84 3 Opening Ceremonies, Closed Meanings ................................................................. 85 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................