PEOPLE
World Heritage Consultant
■“Appropriate interpretation facilities" and "diverse ways of showing it" are being developed in various places
――You came to Japan this time with a different perspective and purpose than the last time, did you not?
Ms. Brazil:That is right. The purpose of the previous inspection was to inspect ICOMOS, but this time it was to develop an interpretation strategy for the post-world heritage inscription. In what ways does each component part property currently showcase its historical value? I looked around again, focusing on the methods of interpretation and the likes. However, I am nor here to judge how to do it or whether it succeeds or fails.
From what I have seen, it is clear that each of the properties has taken on the significance of being a World Heritage Site and is making good use of it. And each component part was doing a better job of interpreting than the previous one, and that was an outcome in the form of an increase in the number of visitors. The most important theme is whether or not one has the most appropriate and fitting presentation for each component part. Such appropriateness is one of the fundamental principles of the International Charter on the interpretation of the ICOMOS.
――In that sense, it was felt that both of the component parts adequately achieved the levels expected by the ICOMOS and UNESCO then?
Ms. Brazil:As a matter of fact, there are still considerable differences in the implementation and stage of the interpretation for each component part. Yawata Steel Works, for example, is an active, operating property owned by a private company, but my impression is that they have created a very appropriate interpretation facility. Although modest in comparison to the Hagi Meirin Gakusha (historical school building), it is a good example of a facility that, despite not being a specialist in the tourism business, explains the value and significance of its operational heritage in a very understandable manner. In addition, the fact that the company has managed its component parts, that are not open to the public, from this perspective is remarkable.
Like Yawata, I think the partnership between the public and private sectors is working well at the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. “The Archives” offers a shuttle bus service from the nearest station, which is another good example of proper interpretation.
――What did you think of the current state of Gunkanjima, which was pointed out as being in a very poor state of conservation during the 2014 ICOMOS visit?
Ms. Brazil:This time, I was able to spend some time inspecting all of the component parts, although I was not able to take a good look at them due to time constraints last time. On my tour of Gunkanjima, one can not only land on the island but also learn in three museums: The Nagasaki City Gunkanjima Museum, Takashima Coal Museum, and the Gunkanjima Digital Museum. For example, visitors can learn more about the history of Gunkanjima at the “Nagasaki City Gunkanjima Museum,” and from a nearby observation platform on a small hill, they can see the entire island from an unusual angle. I thought this was very good. The “Gunkanjima Digital Museum” is where one can experience something of a completely different kind from that of the past. This is a good example of how a privately owned facility and World Heritage Sites can also provide business opportunities.
In that sense, Gunkanjima in Nagasaki is a very good example of how one can experience a story from various angles in one place. Visitors are free to choose how they see, learn, and feel. There is no such thing as which method is the best, they are just different.
Former General Manager, Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Chairman, Fujisankei Group
Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Television Network, Inc.
Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Media Holdings, Inc.
Advisor, Federation of Japan Port and Airport Construction Association
(Ex. Chairman of Specialists Center of Port and Airport Engineering)
Mayor of Nagasaki City
Former Director of the Sano Tsunetami Memorial Museum (currently known as Sano Tsunetami and the Mietsu Naval Dock History Museum)
Director of NPO Association for Thinking about Satoyama
Director of National Congress of the Industrial Heritage
Honorary Chief Priest Toshinari Ueda
Former Mayor of Omuta City
Archaeologist and Heritage Conservation Specialist
A fellow of the Japan Federation of Engineering Societies
Team Member of the Industrial Project Team Office for the Promotion of World Heritage Listing under Cabinet Secretariat
Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture
Mayor of Hagi City
Mayor of Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture
The Former Employee of Nippon Steel Corporation
An Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Iwate University
Chairman of the Tourist Guide Association of Misumi West Port
President of Kuraya Narusawa Co., Ltd.
Chairman of Izunokuni City Tourism Association
Director and General Manager of Gunkanjima Concierge
Producer of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum
Owner at Tōge Chaya
Chairman: Mr. Hidenori Date
President: Mr. Masahiro Date
Proprietor, Houraikan Inn
Representative Director of Egawa Bunko non-profit incorporated foundation
The 42nd head of the Egawa Family
Democratic Party for the People (DPP) Representative for Nagasaki Prefecture
President of the NPO, Way to World Heritage Gunkanjima
Representative Director
MI Consulting Group
President of Watanabe Production Group and Honorary Chair of Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd.
Member of the House of Councillors
Governor
Kagoshima Prefecture
World Heritage Consultant
Director and Dean, The Kyushu-Asia Institute of Leadership
Representative Director, SUMIDA, Inc.
Journalist, founder of the Shimomura Mitsuko Ikikata Juku School
Representative, Rally Nippon
Chairman, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution World Heritage Route Promotion Council Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Representative Director, General Incorporated Foundation National Congress of Industrial Heritage (Advisor, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Capital Markets Research Institute)
Mayor of Nagasaki City
Policy Director at Heritage Montreal
World Heritage Consultant
Executive Director of Kogakuin University
Heritage Architect and International Consultant
Head of Data Acquisition at The Glasgow School of Art’s School of Simulation and Visualisation
Head of Industrial Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh
Scottish Ten Project Manager, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh
Mayor of Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Pro-Provost and Chairman of Council of the Royal College of Art. Heritage advisor of Canal & River Trust for England and Wales.
Dean of Tokyo Rissho Junior College
Professor emeritus of Keio University
Mayor of Kitakyushu City
At the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee convened in Bonn, Germany, from June 28 to July 8, 2015, the decision was approved to inscribe the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution on the World Heritage list.
At a celebratory party held to mark the occasion, some of the primary promoters of the project spoke of their joy in achieving their goal and of the trials and tribulations to getting there.
Director and Managing Executive Officer, Hanshin Expressway Company Limited
Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Vice-Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture
Mayor of Hagi City
Chairman, Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
Mayor of Omuta City
Deputy Director-General, Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau, MEXT
Former Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat
Mayor of Kamaishi City
Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage Counselor, Shimadzu Limited
Chairman of the Consortium for the World Heritage Inscription of Modern Industrial Heritage (Kyushu-Yamaguchi) and governor of Kagoshima Prefecture (as of 2015)