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Ecotourism, which allows people to enjoy themselves in a natural setting while learning firsthand the importance of preserving the environment, has been attracting a lot of attention in Japan. While this trend is a direct outgrowth of people's expanding awareness of environmental issues and their increased inclination to interact with nature, the popularity of ecotourism has also been fueled by the growing number of people in search of a travel experience that departs from the typical Japanese vacation, which involves partaking of gourmet food or shopping for brand-name goods. Meanwhile, many regions that serve as ecotour destinations have come to view this trend as an opportunity to give travelers a taste of the local natural environment and cultural attractions, and in the process, to revitalize themselves.
The most accessible ecotours are dolphin- and whale-watching tours. Tsuji island in Kumamoto Prefecture (on the island of Kyushu) has a two-hour educational course in which people learn about the dolphin's ecology through museum exhibits and videos, then take a boat ride to view dolphins. The course has won fans among families and a wide variety of people. The organizers have many self-imposed rules; for example, people are not allowed to get closer to the dolphins than 300 meters, and must not touch the dolphins. In August, about 6,000 participants are expected--nearly 10 times the number who participated in August 1993, the first year of the tour.
Yakushima, an island off Kyushu that is part of Kagoshima Prefecture, is on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Since 1993, the island has offered tours that allow people to experience nature through activities such as canyoning, forest walks, and snorkeling. The tours are different from typical outdoor recreation. For example, the mountain walk is not an ordinary two-hour hike, but a five-hour course narrated by a guide who is well-versed in the ecology of virgin forests. These courses are very popular. Many people choose to stay on Yakushima for several days and participate in all of the courses, thus experiencing the full range of the island's natural environment--ocean, mountains, and rivers.
In 1996, citizens of Iriomote, an island at the westernmost end of Japan, established an ecotourism association. The citizens (who include inn owners, guides, and farmers) are pooling their knowledge to find ways of preserving natural and cultural resources while sharing them with other people. By forming an association, the citizens hope to change the orientation of the island's tourism from sightseeing to ecotourism. Guides are now leading island walks narrated by explanations of the island's history and its mangrove trees and other natural features. The tour organizers take very thorough measures to protect the island's environment. For example, everything that is brought in must be packed out, even leftover noodle soup (which is poured into bottles) and human waste.
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