Department of Tourism & Northern Studies Anime in Tourism An Analysis of Norwegian Anime Enthusiasts’ Motivation for Conducting Anime-Induced Travels to Japan — Isabella M T Steine Master’s Thesis in Tourism, May 2019 1 ii Acknowledgements Writing this Master Thesis has been an interesting journey with both ups and downs, and I am very thankful to have completed my research. During my research process, I have received much love and support from various people that have helped me finish my project. I would first of all like to thank my supervisor Stein Roar Mathisen. Without his guidance and feedback, I would not have been able to write the thesis the way I have today. I would also like to thank the Academic Writing Centre for helping me improve the theory section of this thesis, in terms of suggesting how I could create a better structure. I am also very thankful to my interview informants, for setting aside time and providing me with rich and valuable information that I would not have been able to gather otherwise. A final acknowledgement goes to my family and friends. Without their kindness and support, completing this thesis would have been a much harder process and I am forever grateful. Isabella M T Steine UiT The Arctic University of Norway May 2019 iii Abstract Anime is a part of Japan’s biggest growing markets outside of Japan (JNTO, n.d. a; AJA, 2018). What attracts overseas consumers to watch anime ranges from everything to having coherent and interesting storylines, Japanese culture elements (Thelle, 2009; Yegulalp, 2018) to unique styles and drawings (JNTO, 2011; Yegulalp, 2018). Anime can also be connected to tourism and is more specifically referred to as anime pilgrimage or anime tourism, where fans conduct travels to locations featured in anime films or television shows (Okamoto, 2015; Beeton, 2016). What motivates fans to conduct anime travels to Japan can be due to several different reasons. According to Kasai and Hsu (cited in Kirillova, Peng & Chen, 2019, p. 269) the more one is invested in the world of anime, the more one is likely to conduct related travels to Japan. In regard to the latter, Kirillova, Peng and Chen (2018) discusses that the enthusiasts can be divided into three different types, namely otakus, anime fans and anime audience. The otakus are characterized as individuals that are immersed and often perceived as obsessed with the world of anime according to Lin and Tu (cited in Kirillova et al., 2018, p. 269). Anime fans are individuals that are not as immersed in the anime world as otakus, but still possess some knowledge regarding the matter, while the anime audiences are characterized as individuals that watch anime occasionally and are not as consumed by the anime world (Kirillova et al., 2018). In this thesis, I have chosen to focus on Norwegian anime enthusiasts’ motivations for conducting anime-induced travels to Japan. I have discussed their motivations regarding theories revolving around film ‘imaginaries’, anime tourist behaviour and motivation, as well as what characterizes an experience as regarding the Experience Realms model (Pine II & Gilmore, 1999). Motivators that were individually answered by the Norwegian enthusiasts will in addition also be discussed and analysed. Such motivators revolved around ‘travelling out of interest’, ‘travelling to meet individuals with the same interests’, and to ‘experience anime theme parks’. The Norwegian anime enthusiasts’ answers have also been analysed and discussed in terms of which anime enthusiast category they fit the description of. Key words: anime, anime tourism, anime pilgrimage, tourism motivation, imaginaries, behaviour, experience realms, anime category types iv Table of contents Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Anime and export ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Choosing a topic ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Thesis outline ................................................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 2: Background Description ...................................................................................... 6 2.1 Anime pilgrimage .......................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 History of anime pilgrimage ................................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Existing information about anime pilgrimage ........................................................................ 7 2.2 Chapter summary ......................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 3: Literature Review ............................................................................................... 11 3.1 Thoughts related to theories chosen ............................................................................................. 11 3.2 Motivation .................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.1 Anime tourism motivation .................................................................................................... 14 3.2.2 Anime tourist behaviour ....................................................................................................... 17 3.3 Characterization of experiences ................................................................................................... 18 3.4 Tourism “imaginaries” ................................................................................................................. 19 3.4.1 ‘Imaginaries’ in tourism ....................................................................................................... 20 3.4.2 Imagining anime ................................................................................................................ 20 3.5 Concluding thoughts regarding theories chosen .......................................................................... 21 Chapter 4: Methods ............................................................................................................... 23 4.1 Qualitative approach .................................................................................................................... 23 4.1.1 Choosing a method ............................................................................................................... 23 4.2 The research process .................................................................................................................... 26 4.2.1 Interview guide and questions .............................................................................................. 26 4.2.2 Selecting participants ............................................................................................................ 27 4.2.3 Validity and reliability .......................................................................................................... 28 4.2.4 Process and duration ............................................................................................................. 28 4.2.5 Ethical considerations ........................................................................................................... 29 4.2.6 Challenges ............................................................................................................................. 31 4.3 Chapter summary ......................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 5: Auto-ethnography ............................................................................................... 33 5.1 Animate Café ............................................................................................................................... 33 v 5.1.1 Inside the café ....................................................................................................................... 34 5.2 The Durarara cosplay event ........................................................................................................ 35 5.2.1 Dressing up ........................................................................................................................... 36 5.3 Chapter summary ......................................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 6: Interview findings overview ............................................................................... 38 6.1 Anime pilgrimage ........................................................................................................................ 38 6.2 Experience and expectations in regard to anime-induced travels ................................................ 39 6.3 Anime travels outside of Japan .................................................................................................... 40 6.4 Anime pilgrimage and motivation ............................................................................................... 40 6.5 Importance of visiting anime locations ........................................................................................ 41 6.6 Identity ........................................................................................................................................