In Japan the terms internationalization and globalization were originally mainly perceived as indicating outbound movement.
Individual experiences in foreign countries have led to an increase in intercultural contacts. This tendency is about to change. Inbound tourism has drastically increased, creating chances for domestic intercultural encounters. In this session, we will focus on intercultural contacts and the coping with cultural diversity as currently occurring in Japan. By employing and examining various perspectives, we will attempt to clarify the emerging concept of “internal diversity.”