HSI Report: Animal-Induced
Iyashi and Wellbeing inTourism, Recreation andHospitality
University News | August 21, 2023
The course Animal-Induced Iyashi and Wellbeing in Tourism,
Recreation and Hospitality was held between July 3, 2023 and July16, 2023, as part of the Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI). Groundedin the field of Tourism Studies, the course aimed to introduce
participants to forms of tourism, recreation and hospitality that use
non-human animals as the basis for iyashi (癒し: healing, soothing)
and wellbeing, exploring the connections between Japanese andglobal wellness industries and examining the ethics ofcommodification of animals.

Émilie Crossley speaking about animals in human wellbeing. (Photo: Sohail KeeganPinto)

The course was coordinated by Professor Johan R. Edelheim,
Research Faculty of Media and Communication, Hokkaido
University, and was primarily instructed by Dr. Émilie Crossley,
Researcher, Center for Advanced Tourism Studies, Hokkaido
University in close collaboration with Dr. Cecilia de Bernardi,
lecturer, Uppsala University, Sweden. Professor Edelheim also
instructed the course, and Mia Tillonen, Fuji Women’s University,
gave a guest lecture. The course was offered to graduate students.
This is the second year that this course was offered. Conceived as asister course to Feline Tourism—which targets undergraduate
students—this course offers a deeper and wider examination ofanimals in tourism. The course explored three main topics: theconnection between iyashi, wellbeing and non-human animals; nonanthropocentric approaches to researching non-human animals; and,managerial features for animal-induced iyashi and wellbeing
encounters. The duration of the course was doubled from last year toallow the participants to explore these topics in greater detail.

The participants in a group discussion. (Photo: Sohail Keegan Pinto)

The course first set out definitions of the concepts that would beaddressed and then explored the ideas of iyashi and wellbeing. Afteracknowledging the increasing popularity of wellness and wellbeing
tourism across the globe, the course dealt with its core theme: therole of animals in iyashi and wellbeing. A unique feature of thecourse was that it was grounded in the concept of non-humananimals, acknowledging that humans are not innately special
compared to other animals, and that animal welfare is paramount in
human-animal interactions.

Observing prairie dogs at Maruyama Zoo. (Photo: Sohail Keegan Pinto)

The course covered a wide range of topics within its theme, includingcommodification of animal cuteness; encounters with live animals,domesticated and tamed; the relationship of iyashi and wellbeing tohospitality, tourism and recreation; iyashi and spiritualism; and,how iyashi can be interpreted as the animals doing work. Matias
Laukkanen, a student from University of Turku, Finland, greatlyappreciated the course. “The interactive nature of the courseencouraged engagement through participation and observation. It
was a very meaningful experience, and the small class size was very

conducive to communication with the coordinators and otherparticipants.”

Observing Japanese macaques at Maruyama Zoo (Photo: Sohail Keegan Pinto)

Participant engagement was greatly emphasized. Participant
discussions were held in every session. The field trip took theparticipants to Sapporo’s Maruyama Zoo and to two cat cafés; inaddition to enjoying the trip, participants were required to criticallyanalyze their experience at each location using what they had earned
during the course. As a capstone, each participant presented a stepby-step visual guide to a proposed animal-induced iyashi orwellbeing concept.

Instructors and participants in the Animal-Induced Iyashi and Wellbeing in Tourism,
Recreation and Hospitality course on their return from Maruyama Zoo. (Photo: SohailKeegan Pinto)

The course was also unique in that it was used for ethnographic
research into the teaching process. Krischanda Bemister-Bourret, adoctoral candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada,
observed the teaching and learning practices during the course andconducted a questionnaire for her research.

Course instructors and researchers: (from left) Émilie Crossley, Mia Tillonen,
Krischanda Bemister-Bourret, Cecilia de Bernardi and Johan R. Edelheim. (Photo:Sohail Keegan Pinto)

“We expanded this year’s course to ensure that the participants hadenough time to engage with and reflect on the topics,” said Crossley.
“Last year, we covered many of these topics in the field trip, but wefelt that a stronger theoretical background would benefit theparticipants. The additional classes allowed us to address the topics
in greater depth and to cover a broader range of case studies,providing participants with a more detailed understanding of thecourse.”
HSI 2023 is currently underway, and will continue until October
2023. Animal-Induced Iyashi and Wellbeing in Tourism, Recreationand Hospitality is planned to be offered in future installments ofHSI.
To learn more, visit the HSI
website: https://hokkaidosummerinstitute.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/

Interacting with cats at one of the cat cafés. (Photo: Sohail Keegan Pinto)

Written by Sohail Keegan Pinto