Paper short abstract:

The utilization of mythology in contemporary Japan, especially in Miyazaki and Shimane prefecture, is by no means limited to tourism promotion. This paper shows how different stakeholders construct narratives that create images of ancient Japan and thus influence Japanese cultural identity.

Paper long abstract:

References to mythology can be found seemingly anywhere in contemporary Japan. Especially Miyazaki and Shimane prefecture heavily advertise their essential role in Japanese myths in tourism campaigns and use it as branding to attract more visitors. This utilization occurs not only on the prefectural level but also on the regional and national level: municipal tourism bureaus, local volunteer organizations, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), and the “Japan Heritage” Campaign are just as much involved. Looking at this kind of presentation, a connection between archaeological discoveries and mythology that blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction is particularly noticeable. Incidentally, such a mytho-historical narrative can also be found in (nationalist) discourse as a tool for arguing for an unbroken Japanese heritage stemming from ancient times.

These observations raise numerous questions: What is the role of contemporary mythology in Japan? How and why is mythology utilized and applied to different contexts, such as identity construction, tourism promotion, and community building? How are Miyazaki and Shimane prefecture and their respective connections to mythology presented by different actors, and for what purpose? Who are the main stakeholders in the “mythology business,” and do their aims correspond, or do they create tensions?

Focusing on the online presence of different stakeholders in and on Miyazaki and Shimane prefecture, this paper aims to analyze the various approaches to mythology in contemporary Japan. I chart the complex network of relationships between stakeholders and illustrate their diverging interests to show today’s meaning of mythology. Special attention is put on the connections between mythology and various aspects such as (contents) tourism, spiritualism and Shinto, nature and primordialism, and nostalgia and its different characteristics. Thus, I situate mythology within the areas of tourism, nationalism, and heritage management to show its ongoing importance for various stakeholders and possibly recurrent narratives. I argue that today’s utilizations of mythology display certain nuances of nationalism, which will often unknowingly influence the (online) visitor.