It has been revealed that anime columnist Koarai Ryo has earned a PhD in Tourism Studies from Hokkaido University Graduate School.
Koarai is an anime columnist who has been watching over 100 anime shows every week (including reruns and streaming) and posting his thoughts on all of them on his blog for the past 10 years. He also studies and researches anime from an academic perspective, teaches at universities and vocational schools, and participates in program production as a program commentator and anime information supervisor.
The title of his doctoral thesis is "A Study on Border-Crossing, Media-Crossing, and Dimension-Transcending Movements by Pop Culture Fans: Using the Practice of King & Prince Fans Participating in Cheering Screenings as an Example." He analyzed the activities of fans participating in cheering screenings of the anime series "King of Prism" from the perspectives of tourism and fan studies. His supervisor was Professor Takayoshi Yamamura, known as a leading researcher in content tourism, including "pilgrimages" to sacred sites for anime and manga.
Koarai has also been working as a researcher at the university's Center for Advanced Tourism Studies since April. He plans to put more effort into research and educational activities at the university in the future.
