Instructor: Prof. Ugur Aytun Ozturk
Date: October 9 2017, October 17 2017
Venue.: Yokohama Port

During the Fall semester a group of FILA students had the opportunity to take part in a pilot study for a research project led by Professor U. Aytun Ozturk. The study is supported by a KAKENHI grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Students experienced first-hand how to collect data by interviewing passengers of two cruise liners calling on the port of Yokohama. The pilot study conducted allowed Professor Ozturk to further revise the questionnaire devised to test multiple hypotheses for a nationwide study. These types of out-of-class experiences allow students to be involved in research projects led by professors in FILA and provides them the opportunity to understand how data collection and analysis methods are used in practice. The students also took advantage of this opportunity to practice their English skills since most of the passengers interviewed are English speakers.
One of the students involved in the project, Takashi Fuchigami, is also a member of the Professor Ozturk’s seminar. When asked what he learned from this experience, Takashi mentioned that “It was an opportunity for me to connect what I learned in the classroom and how that knowledge can be applied in practice.” Takashi also shared that “It was easy for me to understand the Australians because I studied abroad to fulfill the course requirements of FILA.” When he was asked if he experienced anything he had not anticipated prior to helping out with this study, he stated that “I was surprised how willing the tourists were in sharing their experiences visiting Japan. I hope that they will have a good visit and this study helps improve that.”
The study professor Ozturk is leading will gather information on tourists visiting all over Japan and the data collection for the study is currently underway. Information will be collected over one year for the cruise ships visiting 15 different ports in Japan. The results of the study will not only be used to contribute to the tourism literature but also enable the port authorities to better understand those attributes that may contribute to these visitors returning to Japan or recommending it to others. Consequently, the information can be used to enhance the experiences of these visitors, attract more tourists to Japan and increase the impact of tourism on the local economies.