I wrote a post last year about Japanese tourists who suffer from an ailment called the “Paris Syndrome“. What it boils down to is many Japanese tourists who visit the City of Lights suffer from shock and disappointment when they’re actually confronted with the harsh realities of Paris!
A few years ago many of these Japanese tourists sought out psychological treatment after visiting and finding that the city did not meet their expectations or dreams that so many of them had anticipated! What did they expect? I don’t know! (Did they imagine finding thousands of Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet look alikes smiling at them from sidewalk cafés? Did they think that the streets would be as perfectly orchestrated as a Hollywood musical stage set?)
After returning to Japan a number of those who suffered from this malady continued to have relapses. The majority of them being women who perhaps had more romantic expectations than the Japanese men. (?!) In any case, I haven’t heard of too many Japanese tourists having this problem this year as in the past. Either the word has spread through the Japanese grapevine as to what one can expect, or the data has not yet come in for this year’s tourist season!
Maya Muses: Perhaps Louis Vuitton should have shuttle buses that take visitors from Japan directly from the airport to their store on the Champs-Elysées and back!
Photo Credits: Flickr
6 responses so far ↓
1 Patrick // Sep 5, 2008 at 5:54 am
I’m sure it’s not only the Japanese who are sometimes disappointed with Paris, but are they the only ones who come down with this ailment?
2 Lynn // Sep 5, 2008 at 5:11 pm
So far I think it’s only struck Japanese tourists, although there have been strains of the “disease” (lol) relating to New York City and other metropolises. Could it be that there is just too much of a wide spectrum from expectations to reality?
3 Tina // Oct 15, 2008 at 12:44 am
my first trip to Paris was quite memorable… I arrived at midnight and couldn’t find my hotel.. Imagine my shock when I realized it was a red light district…
serves me right for booking a hotel online without checking out the area..
4 Lynn // Oct 15, 2008 at 7:00 am
LOL!!! That happened to me the first time I arrived in Amsterdam! It was even more shocking because the “ladies” were all sitting in the windows like merchandise, that at first I wasn’t sure if I was seeing what I was seeing or if I was in Mayaland, the land of illusions!
I at least arrived in Amsterdam in the early evening unlike you around midnight! I suppose Pigalle can be a bit impressive when you’re lost!
5 Tina // Oct 16, 2008 at 11:31 pm
At least I met 1 nice American guy who helped me find my hotel…
he spoke perfect French…. Hmmm Maybe I should buy that book “Learn a language in 7 days” it give good advice..
6 Lynn // Oct 17, 2008 at 3:34 am
Yeah, like don’t arrive in a foreign city at midnight when you don’t know the language or where you’re going! Lol.
I should talk, I got off a ship about 23h in Tangiers! I didn’t have a hotel or anything and all the men were wearing djellabas where all you saw were their eyes. It was a little scary!
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