Abstract
The popularity of Japan’s idol culture is well represented through the Japanese media. Although in years past, idols were active mainly in Tokyo, more recently, idols have established themselves in specific geographic areas. These modern idols differ from their predecessors in that they personify ‘regional characteristics’ and ‘regional authenticity’ in the modern context. When we look at contemporary idols in Japanese social context and media, we notice how, starting from around 2010, there have been many so-called ‘regional idols’, with activities focused on a specific geographical area. This chapter addresses the television show Amachan and explores the relationship between media content in Japan and the residents of the community that serve as its stage, as well as the activities of Ama Club, which is the regional idol group born in its filming location Kuji-shi, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tohoku region. At the same time, by understanding the characteristics of regional idols using specific case studies as examples, this chapter discusses the potential of Japanese idol culture for contributing to contents tourism and regional revitalization.
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Notes
- 1.
Johnny & Associates is one of the leading entertainment production companies in Japan.
- 2.
This news was broadcast on BBC in England, and France 24 in France, and it was reported in the UK newspaper, The Guardian.
- 3.
Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese lyricist, TV writer and producer known for having produced Onyanko Club, an idol group of amateur high school girls during the mid-80s.
- 4.
Asadora is a morning serial drama, which has been broadcast on NHK since 1961. Judging from the series’ storylines and the time slot, most of the viewers are thought to be housewives.
- 5.
Some groups, such as AKB48, own their own exclusive theaters while others do not.
- 6.
As shown by the involvement of AKB in the development of plans to construct a ‘Cool Japan Mall’ in the Philippine capital, Manila, to promote ‘Japan appeal’ in 2017, idols are being considered symbols for promoting Japan overseas.
- 7.
Certainly, a number of general books have been published on idols, but research methods and theories of the majority of these are not clear, and they cannot definitively be included in the category of academic research.
- 8.
JapanKnowledge, http://japanknowledge.com 2016(2016年2月11日)
- 9.
According to Tamura (2014), attention paid to ‘locality’ is historically stronger in Japan than in other countries. The existence of various ranking tables in the Edo period may be given as evidence here.
- 10.
This is an event held for the “Competition for Deciding the No. 1 Regional Idol [Go-tōchi Aidoru No. 1 Kettei-sen]”, hosted every December since 2010 by HoriPro, a major talent production company. Finalist candidates are selected from regional idol entries from across Japan, ten groups of which advance to the final round based on YouTube video views, web voting, screenings and so forth; the event determines the ‘No. 1’ from amongst these groups. ‘U.M.U.’ is an abbreviation of ‘Under Major Unitidol’.
- 11.
Although rōkaru and go-tōchi are conceptually interrelated, the antonym of rōkaru in Japanese is gurōbaru (global); accordingly, there is the worry that the term rōkaru aidoru carries the implication of ‘idols representing Japan’, with the object of comparison being overseas, which the study deemed inappropriate. Additionally, the use of chihō (regional, i.e., outside of the capital) was avoided as it implies a Tokyo-centric hierarchy.
- 12.
The majority of participants indicated they had almost no involvement with public institutions for various reasons: Such involvement can lead to limits on the events that the group can participate in, extended working hours, impact on payment with regard to activities for which members may be paid, and so forth. In addition, participation in events hosted by public institutions and employment in roles such as educational characters fundamentally tend to be conducted in the form of competitions. However, it is sometimes the case that a group may be requested to participate in a national project, or may be funded by a local government; thus, it cannot necessarily be said that there are no ties involved. Meanwhile, there were also some comments that indicated doubts regarding the distance between the expectations of idol images and performances by public institutions and the actual performances given, even by groups with ties to public institutions.
- 13.
Concerning the interview results (handling of individual testimonies), in order to protect personal information, the members were made anonymous through the use of a method that didn’t specify their names.
- 14.
Leaf Walk Inazawa is a shopping mall that opened in 2009 as part of a redevelopment project orchestrated by Inazawa City and an urban redevelopment organization.
- 15.
The personal disaster experiences of members were reported by the mass media, such as by the Asahi Shimbun on January 1, 2016, in “Idols supporting recovery bring smiles” and by the Sankei News on February 6, 2016, in “Miyagi, Sendai—Michinoku Sendai Ori Princess Troupe [Hime Tai] have over 80 stylish costumes to brighten spirits of affected region.”
- 16.
Concerning the tree planting activities, an organizer described the activities as follows: “We are planting saplings that will serve as a defense for strong winds. We are donating to Sendai City’s Green Fund. The saplings were grown outside the prefecture, in Tottori Prefecture, I think. These trees grow nice and tall, I think they grow in Fukushima. They will start to get big in about 30 years. We are doing this activity together with Sendai City.”
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Tajima, Y. (2018). Japanese Idol Culture for ‘Contents Tourism’ and Regional Revitalization: A Case Study of Regional Idols. In: Beniwal, A., Jain, R., Spracklen, K. (eds) Global Leisure and the Struggle for a Better World. Leisure Studies in a Global Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70975-8_6
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