Autobiographical career history

I have worked for 15 years as a local government official and 15 years experience in universities.

Born in Daishoji in the city of Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, I studied fisheries in the Aquaculture Program of the Faculty of Agriculture at Kochi University . While a university student, I experienced the life of a fisherman on a tuna fishing boat in Kochi Prefecture.

In 1983 I began the longest segment of my career, a 15-year stint working in the Fisheries Department of the Ishikawa Prefecture government . During this period, in 1990 I studied abroad in a graduate program in coastal zone management at James Cook University in Australia.

After returning to Japan, I earned a PhD from the Graduate School in the Division of Social Environmental Science and Technology of Kanazawa University.

In 1998 I resigned from Ishikawa Prefecture to take an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Environmental Systems Engineering of Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT) , and in 2002 I was appointed a full Professor in that university’s Department of Information Management. At KIT, an institution famous for its enthusiasm for education, I was responsible for development of the CLIP education system for evaluating overall ability , as assistant manager in the Academic Affairs Division.

I served as Chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Society for six years beginning in 2005. Wildlife is a vital part of ecotourism. Incidentally, I keep a dog and a cat as pets.

In April 2007 I moved to Hokkaido University to begin my present position as a Professor in the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies.

Since July 2012 I have been a Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies.
  In January, 2016 I joined JAIST(School of Knowledge Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) to  progress my knoledge science study in this area.

My areas of specialization are community management, community human-resources development, and community resource strategy (including ecotourism). My interests have included amateur radio (I hold a class-2 amateur radio operator’s license), astronomy, and hiking in the mountains, and currently I enjoy photography and playing with my grandchildren. My chief hobby right now is photography. I live at home with the cat and dog shown in these photographs.

Summary

I was born in 1960 in Daishoji, Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Daishoji High School, I entered the Aquaculture Program of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kochi University. After graduation, in 1983 I began working in the Fisheries Department of the Ishikawa Prefecture government. During this period I also attended a 14-month graduate program in coastal zone management at James Cook University in Australia on a Rotary Foundation scholarship, where I earned a Graduate Diploma of Science.

After returning to Japan I earned my PhD from the Graduate School in the Division of Social Environmental Science and Technology of Kanazawa University. My thesis was titled “Socioeconomic research on coastal zone management systems of the future.” In 1998 I resigned from Ishikawa Prefecture to take an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Environmental Systems Engineering of Kanazawa Institute of Technology, in 2002 I was appointed a full Professor, and in 2004 I was appointed a Professor in the Department of Information Management of the KIT Faculty of Information Frontier Science. In April 2007 I moved to Hokkaido University to start in my present position as a Professor in the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies, and since July 2012 I have been a Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies. n January, 2016 I joined JAIST(School of Knowledge Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) to  progress my knoledge science study in this area.

I served as Chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Society for six years beginning in 2005. In 2010 I was named a member of the Shiretoko World Natural Heritage Site Regional Liaison Committee (responsible for the Ecotourism Working Group). Other positions I have served in through now include membership on the Natural Environment Subcommittee of the Central Environment Council of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Chairman of the Hokkaido Government’s Hokkaido Tourism Leadership Development Program, and Chairman of the Hokkaido Outdoor Guide Certification Committee.

My areas of specialization are ecotourism and community management. My published works include the books Chiiki kara no ekotsurizumu (“Ecotourism from the community”) and Kanko no chiiki burandingu (“Community branding for tourism”) along with numerous research papers.

Synopsis

Asami Shikida: Professor, JAIST(School of Knowledge Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) .

I was born in 1960 in Daishoji, Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the Aquaculture Program of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kochi University, I worked in the Fisheries Department of the Ishikawa Prefecture government, and during that period I attended the graduate school of James Cook University in Australia and earned my PhD from the Graduate School in the Division of Social Environmental Science and Technology of Kanazawa University. In 1998 I resigned from Ishikawa Prefecture, and after serving as a Professor in the Department of Environmental Systems Engineering of Kanazawa Institute of Technology, in 2007 I started in my present position as a Professor in the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies of Hokkaido University. In 2012 I was appointed a Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies . I also have served as Chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Society (2005–2011). n January, 2016 I joined JAIST(School of Knowledge Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) to  progress my knoledge science study in this area.

My areas of specialization are ecotourism and community management. My published works include the books Chiiki kara no ekotsurizumu (“Ecotourism from the community”) and Kanko no chiiki burandingu (“Community branding for tourism”) along with numerous papers. I have served as a member of the Shiretoko World Natural Heritage Site Regional Liaison Committee and the Natural Environment Subcommittee of the Central Environment Council of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Chairman of the Hokkaido Government’s Hokkaido Tourism Leadership Development Program, and Chairman of the Hokkaido Outdoor Guide Certification Committee.

Achievements

See here for my research findings and other information.