Simon Richmond, author of The Rough Guide to Tokyo, The Rough Guide to Japan (Penguin UK), veteran tourist, and onetime Tokyo resident, has a pretty interesting op-ed in Japan Today.

I think that the Japanese government and the Japanese people as a whole are not really fully invested in the idea of having more tourists in Japan. Japan’s the second strongest economy in the world. Being the 33rd most popular tourist destination means that Japan’s economy is not reliant on tourism. That’s both good and bad.

I think Yokoso! Japan is a tatemae issue.

…as a one-time resident and frequent traveler in Japan over the last 14 years, I’m not holding my breath on lasting benefits from the [Yokoso! Japan] campaign. I know that Japan’s international tourism problem cannot be fully solved by extra foreign-language signs or snazzy electronic gizmos. Larger issues need to be tackled, among them communication and coordination of policy between various government and private bodies.

…

In addition to thinking of ways to tempt foreign visitors here, the Japanese government should be encouraging more of its own citizens to travel overseas, improve their language skills, and get used to interacting with foreigners. Only then will Japan be able to extend a sincere and meaningful Yokoso to overseas visitors.

The trouble with ‘Yokoso’ [Japantoday.com]

Michiko Kakutani savages Peter Carey’s new book on his travels through Japan with his son.

“Wrong About Japan” does not give the reader a tactile appreciation of manga or anime or any other aspect of Japan’s pop culture. It does not probe, save in the most superficial manner, the dynamic between East and West that informs much of that youth culture. And while it provides a couple of touching glimpses of Mr. Carey and his son, it does not delve into their relationship or their feelings about their joint trip. Instead, “Wrong About Japan” turns out to be a thoroughly cursory travelogue that feels as though it had been written on a tight deadline for an airline magazine.

A Father-and-Son Adventure to the Heart of ‘Japanese Cool’ [nytimes.com]

Ouch!

A review like this (Carey is a Booker Prize winner, no less) is depressing for a few reasons. It is yet another person who merely added to the noise and did not work to help to bridge the cultures. It seems to reinforce stereotypes about the “other”-ness of Japan. Nippon Goro Goro says

“This is probably one of the worst non-fiction books ever written about Japan in the post WWII era.”