THE OUTCOMES AND EFFECTS OF THE OKINAWA SHŪGAKURYOKŌ?: AN ANALYSIS THROUGH THE TOURIST GAZE AND SECOND GAZE

Abstract

Established as a “special activity” under “school events” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the shūgakuryokō has been an integral part of the Japanese education system for the students to travel abroad or domestically for fun and educational purposes. Among the many places that teachers can choose for their students’ shūgakuryokō, Okinawa has been one of the top destinations for high schools The most common reason for this choice is the Okinawa heiwa gakushū, which many scholars have picked out to analyse Okinawa. However, shūgakuryokō is not merely heiwa gakushū, and there is a lack of studies analysing the other activities within the scope of shūgakuryokō. To analyse the outcomes of the shūgakuryokō on students, it is then pertinent to consider the effects of these other activities too. It is thus appropriate to use the tourist gaze and second gaze to analyse the students’ responses to shūgakuryokō activities. In my paper, I argue that students use the second gaze during the heiwa gakushū, desiring to learn beyond what is shown to them, in turn satisfying the educational aspect of the shūgakuryokō. However, the extent of it could be undermined by the peace guides’ narratives. On the other hand, interactions with locals prove to have been similarly impactful on them, encouraging them to learn and have fun. The experiences from shūgakuryokō are thus instrumental in memory creating, motivating students to return to Okinawa to as a repeat visitor. I then compare Okinawa shūgakuryokō it to Kyoto shūgakuryokō, which shows that the former is more emotionally impactful. As for heiwa gakushū and holocaust educational tours, students respond similarly, but overwhelming information in the latter has produced some counter effects in the students’ responses.