HERITAGE AUTHENTICITY AND DOMESTIC TOURISM IN JAPAN

The issue of touristic authenticity is examined in terms of domestic tourism and the conservation of rural heritage architecture in Japan. The analysis involves a conservation typology which ranges from heritage houses still occupied by their owners to collections of such houses exhibited in outdoor museums. Conceptualized as dimensions of authenticity, the typological criteria are shown to be social constructs that render the relative authenticity of a given heritage house a function of the criteria applied. The analysis then shows that heritage houses were status symbols of local elites and as such constitute authentic symbols of an agrarian ideology. The conclusion links touristic authenticity to ideology formation and social stratification.