Evangelia Papoutsaki MA Leeds, PhD Cardiff, MRSNZ

While exploring Ainu culture and Indigenous tourism, I was fortunate to meet remarkable people and gain access to communities and projects that demonstrated how the power of one can spark meaningful change.

...I traveled north to the Shiretoko UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and National Park, where I entered an enchanted realm of lakes. The name "Shiretoko" comes from the Ainu words “sir etok”, meaning “the end of the earth.”

Lake Akan is more than a scenic place on the tourist trail —it’s a place where the past is remembered, and where healing, both personal and collective, is unfolding. There’s still much work to be done before true justice is achieved, but this is a start. Imperfect, yet necessary.

When I stepped out of Kushiro Station—the gateway to my Lake Akan trip—I felt underwhelmed. Hmm, I thought, how am I going to spend four...

The Amami Islands, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site since 2021, face complex challenges in reconciling economic development with...