Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the benefits of applying adult education to the Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) curriculum; the purpose of which would be to revitalize the Ainu indigenous people through Japan’s community development.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the benefits of applying adult education to the Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) curriculum; the purpose of which would be to revitalize the Ainu indigenous people through Japan's community development. The research will further examine the pedagogical implications of introducing adult learning into CBET practices of the Ainu people. Moreover, this paper intends to examine the lessons that the Ainu indigenous people can learn from Canadian Aboriginals' experiences with ecotourism.

Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan. They live mainly in Hokkaido, which is in the northern part of the country. Like Canada's First Nations, the Ainu people are intimately connected to the land and their traditional territories. Since the expansion of the Japanese government's adult education system into Ainu communities, traditional skills, such as cooking, hunting, fishing, weaving, dancing, and singing have shifted from homes to night schools, conversation schools, and community centers. These adult education initiatives have become an important part of the effort to preserve the Ainu language, which is now almost extinguished.

This paper therefore will be examining the progress and benefits so far achieved and the long road ahead for the Ainu people, and how Canada's First Nations ecotourism practices can be introduced into the community to achieve a sustainable tourism enlightenment and awareness.