From the 17th to 26th May 2011, ten students from the Department of Japanese Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS), attended a field trip to the island of Kyushu with the purpose of researching the complex relationships between tourism and the environment. Visiting sites at the forefront of green tourism in two prefectures, namely Nagasaki and Kumamoto, the students learned from local entrepreneurs and officials who are addressing contemporary environmental concerns through tourism. Sharing with the audience their valuable findings garnered during this trip to Japan, it is hoped that the event will be informative and relevant, especially amid growing awareness to the relation between development and the preservation of the natural environment.

Read more of the field trip on Professor McMorran’s blog.