https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5909-9223
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ABSTRACT
In Japan, real-world locations that appear in manga and anime have gained popularity as tourist destinations since the 1990s. Fans refer to those locations as “Seichi” (i.e. “a holy place”). Since 2010, research on this new type of tourism (Seichi-junrei, also known as contents tourism) has increased. The relationships that emerge between the fans, content creators/producers, and local stakeholders through contents tourism are varied. This study examines the work Love Live! Sunshine!! and how Seichi-junrei was developed by the creators/producers since the project’s inception. Through an examination of the work and interviews, I assessed the relationships that developed between the involved parties (fans, creators/producers, and regional stakeholders), as well as the extent to which Seichi-junrei gained acceptance in the region. The development of Seichi-junrei related to Love Live! Sunshine!! marks a departure from prior examples of this phenomenon, since it has been essentially creator/producer-driven rather than fan-driven or the result of a collaboration between the creators/producers and regional stakeholders.
Acknowledgments
I have received substantial support and guidance throughout the writing of this article. I would especially like to thank Professor Dr. Keisuke Matsui and other members of the Human Geography Laboratory of the Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba. This paper is based on a master’s thesis submitted to the Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba in March 2018, the outline of which was presented at the 2018 Fall Meeting of the Association of Japanese geographers at Wakayama University.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Shuichi Matsuyama
Shuichi Matsuyama is currently a doctoral student at the University of Tsukuba. He has majored in cultural geography, with a particular focus on manga and anime, and conducts cultural geography research. He graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Ritsumeikan University and completed his Master’s Course at the Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba.