Taiga dramas and tourism: historical contents as sustainable tourist resources

Taiga dramas are one of the flagship events of the Japanese television year. These historical drama series, broadcast on NHK General over the course of a year in Sunday evening prime time, have induced large-scale tourism to sites related to the events depicted in the dramas. This article investigates the scopes and natures of the tourism booms induced by two dramas set in the Bakumatsu (1853-1868) period: Shinsengumi ! in 2004 and Ryoma-den in 2010. Analysis of the impacts these dramas had in Hakodate, Kochi, Hino and Kyoto reveals the complex dynamics of heritage tourism generated by NHK's dramas. In addition to the narrative qualities of the drama, the scale and nature of the tourism boom are determined by factors such as prevailing economic conditions and the infrastructure capabilities of regions/locations to cash in on the influx of tourists. The predictable, annual tourism boom induced by NHK's dramas makes the series an important case study within the broader field of film-induced tourism.