ABSTRACT
After the end of the Second World War, Japan faced occupation by Allied forces and there are still US bases in the country. This chapter will examine the development of tourism in Japan since 1945, within the context of the ongoing relationship between Japan and the United States. It argues that the influence of this relationship has been both direct, in relation to memorials of the Second World War (‘dark tourism’), and also indirect, through the impact of the American military and American culture on Japanese society during and after the Allied Occupation (‘neon tourism’). The chapter draws on examples from throughout the country, and in particular Okinawa where there is both a large tourism industry and a continuing American presence, leading to continued controversy and conflict. The conclusion is that in the case of East Asia, war tourism has tended to keep national and cultural barriers in place, whereas neon tourism has generally led to their erosion.
