"Little Australia: Unpacking Cosmopolitanism in Niseko Japan"

It outlines the history of the resort and highlights how Niseko is an anomaly in an increasingly urbanised country in which rural communities are struggling due to increasing numbers of people migrating from rural areas to the cities. This case study invites students to explore and reflect on the tension between the economic gains from tourism development in rural areas and the impacts of tourism on the lives of tourism hosts.

Narrative data are presented in the form of three micro-stories which incorporate both participant and researcher perspectives to offer insight into the experiences of real tourism business owners who live in Niseko and offers potential pathways to address the points of friction between the hosts and visitors. The sociological concept of cosmopolitanism is introduced, and students are invited to reflect on various ways that cosmopolitanism can be used to understand both tourism hosts and tourism spaces.</p>