Department of International Tourism

Lively,
Interdisciplinary,
Bordersless,
Department of International Tourism :

Department Head, Dr.Yukiyoshi Tabuchi

As the world continues on its path of globalization, the movement of people and goods continues to increase. With the blood- and dirt-stained history of World War II merely two generations behind us, the world has indeed become smaller to the point that, in this era, our concept of ‘going abroad’ may extend as far as the international space station. That is to say, the age of the global citizen who transcends national borders may be dawning before our very eyes.

NIU’s Department of International Tourism was established to provide interdisciplinary learning and research at the forefront of this new era. By making connections between fields that have not traditionally been grouped together, our faculty are innovating research areas for the coming century.

The Department of International Tourism consists of four specializations: Tourism Business, Regional Design, Language and Culture, and Sports Tourism. These four specializations engage with some of the key issues of our age: the importance of life and quest for happiness. Courses address these larger issues from the perspective of culture as it relates to the contexts of food, clothing, shelter, movement, and leisure.

The Interdisciplinary nature of the research conducted in international tourism makes it the ideal field of study for understanding, explaining, and working with the multitude of realities that exist in the 21st century.

International Tourism will allow you to go where your interests lie because it is a field of study that knows no borders.

As the world's global language, English is an indispensible skill.
At NIU we focus on improving students' ability to communicate in English. Furthermore, through the use of our modern computing facilities students are able to apply IT skills to a wide range of subjects including economics, business, history, culture, and the environment as part of their tourism studies.

Our Department consists of 30 faculty members (a 6.3:1 faculty to student ratio). This allows us to create an ideal learning environment for our students. Moreover, our faculty members boast a rich background in both practical and research experience in a wide range of tourism related areas. This represents a wealth of knowledge from which students may draw on when pursuing their own fields of interest.

Our Department develops students' potential to work in the field by balancing work in the classroom with practical educational experiences at real tourism locations around Japan and the world. We also offer courses that prepare students to obtain several industry certifications such as the National Tourism Certification and the TOEIC.

The Tourism Business program studies the key industries related to 21st century tourism, particularly the travel, hotel, airline, rail and restaurant industries. After gaining a greater understanding of the history and management of these industries, the program makes a special point of developing student capabilities through practical application of marketing strategies.

This program promotes students' ability to contribute to regional development and aims to produce concrete and fresh ideas and policies in this field. The program first focuses on how best to sustain the resources of precious natural environments and traditional industries. Next, the program looks at the relationship between development, the local resources it consumes, and its impact on local communities

At the heart of the Language and Culture program is a curriculum geared towards life in a multicultural society. Proficiency in English, Chinese or Korean is one goal of the program. Also, study will be based on topics essential to international exchange, including Japanese and other countries' folklore, art and culture both old and new.

In addition to studying sports and recreation development within society, the economics of sports and recreation, administration of sports facilities and management of sports equipment businesses students will also study the field of pro sports as it relates to global business. Moreover, through practical experience, students can acquire the qualifications to manage sporting facilities or become coaches.