Understanding Travel Behavior by Focusing on the Traveler’s Attributes: A Case of Analyzing Travel Writings from Musashi to Kyoto

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the differences in itineraries and factors regarding how travelers to Kyoto in the 17th to 19th centuries chose noted places to visit by analyzing their places of departure and occupations. A total of 42 pieces of travel writing were studied, 13 of which were written by travelers from Edo, the remaining by travelers from the Edo environs. The study analyzes the duration of their trip to Kyoto, where they visited, and the route traveled. The results show that travelers from Edo went sightseeing longer and visited more places than travelers from the environs of Edo. In addition, there were also differences in their routes: while travelers from the Edo environs took a fixed route, those from Edo took a wider variety of routes and visited more places. Finally, travelers from Edo also visited nearby places, because some of them were intellectuals who had more time as well as knowledge of the noted places.