‘Transference of Traditions’ in Tourism: Local Identities as Images Reflected in Infinity Mirrors

Local identities are created for tourism purposes as if they were reflected in infinity mirrors. Local identities are synchronized with each other, and are deprived of their authenticities. They drift as rootless (deracinated) ones for the purposes of tourism. In this presentation, I will show that local identities are not objective phenomena but rather they constructed by people’s desires and interests, based on my survey of studies regarding transformations or inventions of tradition. Next, I will analyze ‘transference of traditions’ by referring to the festivals known as Yosakoi Matsuri and Yosakoi Soran Matsuri. Yosakoi Matsuri is the festival held every year in Kochi, Japan, from August 9 to 12, and Yosakoi Soran Matsuri is the festival held in Sapporo, Japan, in June. Finally, I will point out that tourism makes local identities fluidized mobile ones without the aura.