Local Heritage Groups and Support of Cultural Heritage from Fan Tourism
Objective:
This fieldwork was undertaken with two objectives:
1) To conduct a planned interview with Setouchi City Government regarding their revitalizationand tourism plan aimed at fan tourists, postponed from January 2021, and2) To conduct interviews with local community groups and event participants at a series of fanoriented events in Okayama Prefecture over the days of the 20th-23rd October, 2021.
The aim of these interviews was to gain data related to my PhD research, involving the ways in which
communities and visitors are connected in supporting local heritage through the lens of fan and contents
tourism.

Results:
The results of this fieldwork were as follows:
1) Interviews conducted with Setouchi City Government were able to confirm previously assumed
motives behind their formation of the ‘山鳥毛里帰り・里づくりプロジェクト’. These motives
included particular interest in attracting fan tourists and supporters to Setouchi City, basedaround the purchase and promotion of the sword ‘Sanchomo’.
In particular, it was confirmed that the purchase of Sanchomo was made possible due toparticular interest and attention from female fans of the multimedia franchise ‘Touken Ranbu’, inwhich ‘Sanchomo’ appears as a character. This was confirmed by project organisers, whorelayed to me their surprise at the sudden support, and own ability to trace this support back to
Touken Ranbu.
In addition, this interview allowed for deeper explanation into the formation of thepurchase/revitalisation project in general, such as long-term plans, inclusion of multimedia
promotion and production technologies, and how this plan is intended to incorporate multiple
aspects of Setouchi City. From these interviews, I was able to deeply understand the approachtaken by the government actors in their plan to manage cultural resources alongside identified
interest from fan tourists.
2) Interviews with local community groups were able to further expand upon the information
gained by interviews with government actors. These interviews took place at event sites and with
event organisers, and revealed the depth of the grassroots aspect to the support of local heritageby actors attracting fan tourists.
One interview was conducted with the Marugame branch of ‘ニッカリ青江友の会’, a group
aimed at supporting activities around the sword ‘Nikkari Aoe’ for the support of Marugame’slocal heritage and development. This interview took place at Aoe Shrine, located in Okayama
Prefecture, and revealed how these community groups interact with others outside of theirdesignated local areas in the support of wider regional heritage. In this interview, further
information was gathered regarding the activities non-fans take towards fan tourists, and how
such events can bridge the divide between local and tourist actors.
A second interview was conducted with the Kurashiki branch of ‘ニッカリ青江友の会’. Here,further evidence was gathered in the cross-prefectural operations of grassroots community
groups, and further information was gained as to the recruitment of local businesses in theirevent and promotional activities. At this interview site, I was also able to speak with fan tourists,and observe their interactions with the event organisers and purchases made in support ofMarugame and Kurashiki.
A final interview was conducted with members of ‘大笑い一座’ and ‘山鳥毛応援団’, twocommunity groups of Setouchi City, held at the Bizen-Osafune Sword Museum. Thesecommunity groups spoke of how they mobilized local community members in supporting thepurchase of the sword ‘Sanchomo’, recognizing its tourism and economic potential; in contrast tothe official actors of Setouchi Government, I was able to grasp the grassroots and person-facing
elements of this project, as these members described their own efforts in promotion andconnection with visiting fan tourists. At this meeting, the member of the Kurashiki branch of ‘ニ
ッカリ青江友の会’ was also present, further revealing the interconnected nature of community
groups involved in the preservation of local heritage.

Conclusion:From this fieldwork, I was able to not only experience the events that attract and are supported by fantourists, but also able to understand more deeply the processes by which such events occur, and thereasons their organizers put them together. I was able to see two sides to the organizational aspects ofthis phenomenon of local heritage preservation through fan tourism: that of the long-term, institutionalactivities of government actors, and the in-the-moment, grassroots activities of local community groups.
Within the allocation of budget and funds, as well as the larger organizational reach and capabilities ofgovernment actors, there remains an acknowledgement of and a support of local community actors
outside of the government organization. The activities of all community groups had been acknowledged
by government actors, and in the case of Setouchi City, had been monetarily supported and events
arranged to coincide with official government tourism activities. Here, the interaction of official andgrassroots actors for a common goal becomes clear in the success of such events.
However, the efforts of grassroots organizers were also clearly on display. At the events I attended, these
local community groups outlined their legwork in organizing for the inclusion of local manufacturers,
and in the case of Aoe Shrine, making them aware of and supporting their promotion to fan tourists, towhom they otherwise would not have known existed. These community groups are significant in theactivities of this form of cultural heritage preservation and promotion, as they are more directly situatedin an interactive capacity with fan and contents tourists, and have the ability to form their events aroundthe knowledge of fan tourist activities gained from this face-to-face interaction. In turn, fan tourists
appreciate the effort of these events, and heavily support them through their own community promotion
and purchase of locally made merchandise.
The activities observed, and the interviews conducted, in this fieldwork was able to confirm the motives
and actions only theorized until this point by the researcher. In addition, I was able to make further
connections with local actors, and plans for deeper on-site investigation should the opportunity arise withthe current situation of COVID-19.