Open Talk: Beyond the Travel Guide: Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s Portrayal of “Kyoto” and “Tourism”
The Yanai Initiative welcomes Dr. Shimizu Satoshi, An Assistant Professor at Waseda University, who will explore how Tanizaki Jun’ichirō portrayed “Kyoto” and “Tourism”.
While Tanizaki Jun’ichirō is known as a writer who explored masochism and fetishism, he was also one of the writers who loved Kyoto. He actually lived in the Hanshin region, including Kyoto, and works such as *The Makioka Sisters* and *The Floating Bridge of Dreams* depict this aspect of his life. However, Tanizaki did not simply love Kyoto; he also openly expressed his aversion to tourism. Living in Kyoto, a city that has long flourished as a tourist destination, yet viewing tourism critically, what kind of Kyoto did Tanizaki seek, and what did he portray in his works?
In this open talk, we will explore the relationship between Tanizaki and Kyoto and attempt to read his works through the lens of tourism.
- Date & Time: June 8th, 2026 (Monday), 14:00-15:00
- Venue: The Waseda International House of Literature, B1F
- Language: Japanese
- Participation: Free
- Admission: Open to Students, Faculty and Public
- Presented by the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities, with support from the Waseda International House of Literature
Lecturer
SHIMIZU Satoshi
Assistant Professor at the School of Culture, Media and Society, Waseda University. He received his Ph.D. from Waseda University. He was a JSPS Postdoctoral (PD) Research Fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto from 2023 to 2025. His field of research is modern and contemporary Japanese literature, and he focuses in particular on the relationship between literature and tourism, with a special emphasis on the works of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. His major publications include “Foregrounding the Materiality of Paper : Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s ‘Yoshino-Kuzu’ and Tourism in Modern Japan” (Nihon Bungaku, August 2020) and “Searching for Fireflies : Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s ‘Sasameyuki’ and Wartime Sightseeing” (Modern Japanese Literary Studies, November 2025).
Facilitator
Yanai Initiative Committee Member: OHKI Erika
Contact
Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities: [email protected]
