“Little Japan”: The Impact of The Karafuto Era Legacy on the Tourist Image of Yuzhnosakhalinsk

Abstract

This study presents an investigation of the tourist image of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, focusing on the associative image of “Little Japan”. An original comprehensive methodology for researching the tourist-geographical characteristics of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk territory has been developed, based on qualitative research methods: traditional document analysis, in-depth interviews, and mental mapping, including imaginative geographical mapping. Based on an extensive database, a network construction of nodal objects has been compiled — a tourist imaginative geographical map of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It demonstrates the typology of tourist images of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: “Pristine Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk,” “Asian Melting Pot,” including the image of “Little Japan,” and "Typical Russia." The exceptional impact of the “Little Japan” tourist image on shaping the perception of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk as a spatially connecting element of the city has been revealed. The presence of Karafuto objects, which are in demand by tourists, leads to the emergence of modern infrastructure objects in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, representing “Japanese identity” in the city, thus creating a basis for forming and consolidating the image of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk as “Little Japan.” This image possesses great potential for the city’s development as a “new” recognizable brand and attractive tourist destination.