Objectives
The aim of this network funded by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science is to bring Danish and Japanese researchers together to study transmedial travel imaginaries (both fictional and historical). More and more people choose travel destinations inspired by their media consumption, by for instance visiting a film location, a themed amusement park or taking part in nostalgic historical recreations. With a starting point in local transmedia imaginaries that connect storytelling (fictional and historical) to real places, our network explores questions of mediated place, audience participation and emotional entanglements.
Locations
It is important for our cross-cultural inquiry that our two countries and universities (University of Southern Denmark & University of Yokohama) become actual sites of encounter over a longer period of time. Therefore, the network activities are organised around a series of meetings, periodic workshops and research visits/stays for the two participants. Academically, there is a strong Japanese scholarly tradition on content tourism, while Danish scholars are well versed in the areas of transmediality, experience design, and cultural dissemination. We want to bring these traditions together.
Our three approaches
We hold project meetings focused on theoretical exchange, discussions of methodological approaches and joint conceptual work to engage in dialogic comparison of national/continental research traditions. The aim is to get to know each other ́s research, and to identify possible gaps and questions that could form the basis for future projects and collaborations.
We organise workshops that incorporate participants from each area, such as academics working in related fields, or representatives from cultural organizations and local travel industries. Workshops are organized as multi-disciplinary research roundtables, with a moderator and a series of topics that participants are invited to respond to and discuss about.
We undertake research stays aimed at providing the two network partners with the opportunity of engaging in exploratory field work activities themselves, with an ethnographic approach to transmedia imaginaries travel. They are centred around gathering new information and inspiration. Their own experiences, facilitated by the local network host, form a basis for learning, reflection and exchange. Japan and Denmark are ideal transmedial travel locations, since local storytelling across different media has fostered a series of recognisable “brands” that engage visitors imagination worldwide: Cool Japan (manga, anime and games), Danish Design (architecture, furniture and toys, including Lego), Danish Hygge (the values of cozy living), or Nordic Noir (crime television). As for history, there is a lot of transmedial storytelling inspired by Viking era or the Edo period. These topics are both recognisable labels amongst visitors and part of official branding strategies.