The Relationship Between the Worldview of the Anime “Natsume's Book of Friends” and the Tourism Promotion at the Model Site from the Perspective of Yokai Culture

This case study of the anime "Natsume's Book of Friends" (hereinafter "Natsume") and its main model site, the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region, identified the worldview of "Natsume" and investigated the perceptions of tourism stakeholders in the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region to analyze the region's actual tourism situation and its relationship with "Natsume" tourism.The results confirmed that while the worldview of the anime differs from the region's traditional Yokai culture, it shares aspects of the region's traditional perception of nature.The study further found that stakeholders have managed "Natsume" tourism with consideration for the feelings of both residents and "Natsume" fans.In addition, the study examined the environmental conservation potential of anime tourism, suggesting that depicting the natural environment of the model site could help promote a balance between tourism and environmental conservation.