The Interconnection between Popular Culture and Tourism

This article argues that the study of popular culture should move beyond purely representational and semiotic analysis, and acknowledge the ‘social’ elements that have accrued to popular culture in a world of much increased mobility. As such, the author argues that tourism and popular culture are increasingly overlapping and influencing each other, and that scholars need to acknowledge this and adjust their strategies of engagement accordingly. Such engagement should extend to how soft power drives tourism and culture, and how the overlaps between tourism and culture create channels of influence in both directions. Examples are provided from Japan that illustrate the fusing of tourism and popular culture, including Anime Pilgrimages in which domestic and international fans travel to real settings and locations of anime features and series, virtual pop concerts, and outdoor Projection Mapping light shows.