Visitor Maps, Wayfinding, Place Meaning: Daisetsuzan National Park of Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

Daisetsuzan National Park of Hokkaido, Japan, is the largest national park in Japan and has unique biodiversity. Upon entry, visitors must understand wayfinding information, and the park wants to ensure visitors receive environmental interpretations. A visitor map helps accomplish that. However, the park's various stakeholders, including tourists, mapmakers, and the original inhabitants of the area, the Aynu, inscribe different meanings to the landscape, which has implications for communication practices and visitor experiences. Therefore, this case study investigated how Daisetsuzan National Park utilizes maps as a medium for communicating the meaning of place in a national park setting. The four map themes analyzed were: alpine flowers, conservation, Kamuy Mintar (Aynu given name) place meaning, and simple route-finding map without interpretive material. Results indicate that visitor maps are a complementary tool in wayfinding while hiking to on-trail signage. The alpine flower-themed map emphasizes numerous natural features' physical locations; this encourages hikers to navigate the trail by the flora's locations. The study also found that first-time visitors were more likely to associate the place's meaning – the site's significance – with the map's interpretive theme. This was especially evident when first-time visitors learned the name of the place, Kamui Mintar. Additionally, a detailed interpretive map such as the conservation-themed map can encourage visitors to associate place meaning with conservation and the natural sciences.