The trouble with ‘Yokoso Japan’
“Yokoso Japan” is the Japanese government’s fun idea for promoting foreign tourism to Japan. Oddly, more than 80% of the ad budget is spent in Japan. And of course, the slogan of the campaign, “Yokoso Japan” is Japanese—foreigners are left to guess that yokoso means welcome.
In a great example of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is up to, the Japanese Ministry of Justice’s Immigration Bureau has also started this new program to corral, brand and ear-tag all aliens visiting Japan (even me).
Watch the entire official landing video from the Japanese Immigration Bureau—soon to be nominated for Best Documentary Film at the 2008 Academy Awards, hee, hee.
Watch the fun!
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July 17th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
I get it, it’s a new security measure. But since when was Japan ever a foreign terrorist threat? I agree with you on the ads too. I haven’t seen one Yokoso ad since the last time I was in Japan. I remember seeing the ads all over Tokyo, which seems a little counterproductive. The worst part is that they probably won’t notify anyone of this new procedure. Not until you are landing in Japan. It’s just painfully obvious they still don’t want foreigners there.
Instead of Yokoso, they should put up ads saying “we’re scared of you and don’t want you here, we hate tourism but welcome anyway”.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:05 am
hardcore. i’m sure this is just the first country with many to follow with the same procedures. travel is getting tedious. soon we won’t leave our own homes.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:00 am
this is very very troubling… i very much doubt the japanese government came to the conclusion by themselves that these procedures are necessary. as if it doesnt take long enough to get through narita… and then what if you have already visited there, they already have your details, and want it again the next time you visit??? come on!! i intend living in japan in the near future, and its nonsensical that any of us should be forced to be treated like criminals before entering any country, especially one with probably one of the lowest likelihoods of terrorist attack similar to those in the west. yes north korea is something to worry about, but how will these measures stop the missiles they fire off?
i really hope this is something temporary, like flared trousers…
- i agree, soon no one will want to travel with all the fuss.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:19 am
I’ve just got the feel that the Yokoso campaign is not geared towards attracting tourists. It is more along the lines “we need something to show the boss to tackle these conflicting problems (i.e. to increase the stream of tourists to Japan and a general dislike of foreigners by some in the government). It’s just a feeling I have. Haven’t seen it outside of Japan except when I visited the Japanese Embassy.
And believing that such measures prevent terrorism is also silly. It has to be to instill belief in the government or something, but this is more troublesome to the tourists than it is to the terrorists. If they’d like to stop hijackers as the ones in the 9/11 attack then they’d need to check their fingerprints BEFORE they board the aircraft, not after. Silly people.
July 19th, 2007 at 2:16 am
Somehow I don’t think has much to do with “terror.” These measures don’t effect the only terrorists that Japan has…Japanese ones. Japan has had plenty of terrorist attacks by Japanese terrorists in Aum, Red Brigade Army, et al.