ABSTRACT
In its simplest form the Japanese character 光 (hikari) means light. The character is also included in the compound 観光 (kanko), meaning tourism or more literally “to see the light”. In this chapter, we approach post-disaster Fukushima in search of new light. Situating human-environment relations at the centre of our analysis, our aim is to illuminate the creativity of people and communities whose care and compassion animates the ongoingness of life as they seek to reconnect with their lands and seas. Inspired by the ecohumanities, we offer an affirmative, creative and exploratory ethos/methodology for scholars and practitioners of socialising tourism to consider, drawing attention to the importance of this life-affirming approach for post-disaster tourism environments. To give texture to this discussion, we share stories of how Fukushima communities are rebuilding a sense of dwelling with the land and sea in two settings: the creative and artistic tourism undertaken in central Nakadori Region around Iitate Village and the post-disaster surf tourism developments at Kitaizumi Beach in Minamisoma City. We argue that in addition to situating people and communities at the centre of tourism decision-making, similar attention needs to be paid to the often invisible, fragile and yet foundational relations between people and their lands and seas if we hope to build more ecologically just tourism futures.
