Backpack now or tick the box later

Photo by Dai Sugwa (Ramen Expert) via personal collection with permission

Japan wants to be more tourist friendly it seems, but will their pursuit of the tourist dollar be to the detriment of it’s ‘Lost in Translation’ appeal.

Coinciding with the opening of a fourth international runway at Haneda airport, near Tokyo, the Japanese government this week has announced they will offer travel allowances to around 100 foreigners in exchange for feedback on their stay in key tourist destinations.

It seems a lack of information and understanding of Japanese cultural practices is keeping the tourists away, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

"What we hear is that there really isn't enough information on things like how to buy train tickets, or how to use the baths in traditional Japanese inns," an official from the Japan Tourism Agency said (Reuters, 2010 19).

So fellow backpackers the writing maybe on the wall for us travelers who find that the struggle to buy train tickets and unfamiliar bathing rituals, are what make the journey more memorable when traveling in a foreign country like Japan.

My advice is, go now or forever be traveling in ‘Tourist Land Japan’.

Now before anyone asks, I'm all for Japan tourism, especially if their plans mean more flights, better facilities for travelers, and the possibility of a Japanese government-funded holiday (I have already forwarded my interest). What I worry about is that a push to become more tourist-friendly may result in not only the forfeiture of Japan’s ‘Lost in Translation’ charm, but in the creation of ‘mini Tokyos’ all over Japan, after all when the Japanese do something they don’t do it in halves.

It's easy to understand why the Japanese tourism ministry is keen to get a bigger slice of the competitive tourism market, especially when there is growing diplomatic unease between Japan and China, one of its biggest visitor markets. Spilling onto the streets of Beijing last weekend, Chinese nationals protested under anti-Japanese slogans, generating further bad publicity for Japan in China which may result in many of the 1.5 million Chinese tourists expected to visit Japan in 2010 to change their travel arrangements.

The good news is that even if Japan adopts a ‘tick a box’ attitude towards tourism, they cant mess with a good Ramen broth. So I stand by my claim, if you want a true experience of Japan, get in front of a steaming hot bowl of Ramen.