Is "Nature" Natural? : Reading Japan's Recent "Running Boom"(<Special Issue>Nature and Economic Geography)

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  • 「自然」は自然なものか? : 近年のランニング・ブームに関する一考察(大会報告論文,<特集>経済地理学と自然)
  • 「自然」は自然なものか? : 近年のランニング・ブームに関する一考察
  • 「 シゼン 」 ワ シゼン ナ モノ カ? : キンネン ノ ランニング ・ ブーム ニ カンスル イチ コウサツ

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The question "Is nature natural?" is one of the principal ones in the study of geographies of nature. For example, Noel Castree's recent book Making Sense of Nature takes the same perspective and discusses this question exhaustively. In this research field, studies should consider how we make sense of "nature," instead of seeking to present an objective definition of "nature." In other words, scholars must investigate the ways through which we categorize concepts as natural, and simultaneously, the ways through which we understand the world within complicated social, economic, and political relations. Hence, this study analyzes the recent conditions around running as sport and entertainment in Japan, especially running for non-atheletes, by focusing on nature and the human body. It also critically interrogates the representational politics implicated in the production of geographies of nature under the "running boom." At present, Japanese society is engaged in a fad of running. For example, 302,442 people, more than 10 times as much as the fixed number, have applied for the Tokyo Marathon in 2014, which is considered to drive the "running boom" in Japan further. The increasing number of runners is not the only example that proves the existence of a "running boom." The social trends beyond the sport must be examined to encompass current discourses on running, which have received wide media attention, as well as the commercial aspect of running and the regional development facilitated by running events. Running as a sport for citizens can be considered within a wider social context. In this paper, I focus on the increasing number of female runners and consider women's experiences of running by analyzing articles in Japanese women's magazines related to fashion, health and beauty, travel, culture, and entertainment. Through this analysis, I answer the following question: How are female runners and their bodies represented connected to the natural? I also discuss the ways in which magazine articles on running, as well as ads for running and related goods, produce a discourse of naturalness and beauty.

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