This book deals with tourism, popular culture and everyday life in Japan. It offers some interesting statistics about Japanese life and society, discusses popular kinds of tours in Japan, considers images of Japan found in guidebooks about the country, and discusses the pleasures people get from travel in Japan. The book interprets various aspects of Japanese culture and provides an analysis of popular visitor destinations. It is written in an accessible style and thus will be of interest to tourists considering visiting Japan, Japanophiles, social scientists and humanities scholars with interests in Japan, and students taking courses in tourism, Japanese culture, cultural studies and consumer culture.

Arthur Asa Berger is Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University, where he taught for 38 years. He is the author of numerous books and articles on tourism, media, popular culture and everyday life. Among his books on tourism are Vietnam Tourism, Thailand Tourism, The Golden Triangle, Deconstructing Travel and Bali Tourism. He has lectured in more than a dozen countries and his books have been translated into nine languages.

PART ONE Japan as a Tourist Destination
Chapter 1: Japan as a Tourist Destination
Chapter 2: Japan and the Tourism Industry
Chapter 3: Japan on the Internet
PART TWO Semiotic Japan
Chapter 4: Semiotic Japan
Chapter 5: Tourism and Cultural Change in Japan
Chapter 6: Coda: A Return to Japan