LAUSR

Abstract Niseko, a small agricultural community in northern Japan has, since the early 2000s, transformed into a ski destination through the development of international tourism. Many Australians have settled in the Niseko area and established tourism-based businesses and holiday homes, transforming local streetscapes. Despite substantial social-cultural change, little is known about the impact on the people who live there. In alignment with the research focus of understanding experiences of living in a tourism space, the study drew upon a narrative method of inquiry and was premised by the idea of stories being windows to understanding subjective human experience. Framed by a social constructivist perspective, the research was specifically designed to illuminate the voices of seventeen Japanese and Australian tourism business owners. The findings revealed Niseko is functioning as a liminal tourism space, shaped by cosmopolitan tourism business owners who relocate there to pursue their ‘second life’ after experiences of living abroad. This paper builds on the emerging research area which explores the link between tourism, leisure, and lifestyle migration and offers new insight into how participation in tourism businesses can facilitate lifestyle migration. It reveals how experiences of living overseas can influence individuals to establish alternative lifestyles in tourism spaces, underpinned by the desire to live in a way that is more congruent with their sense of self. This research contributes to understanding how highly mobile, cosmopolitan individuals in tourism spaces relate to place and are influenced by it.