I read an article called “Japan Revises Tourist Guide Cautioning Against Belching, Breaking Wind, Stealing Cutlery” This article appeared in Telegraph.co.uk/news/2016. How could you not read an article with that title and put it down. The Japanese has had a huge problem in the past with Chinese tourists acting inappropriately while they travel in Japan. The Hokkaido Tourism Authority decided to make a guide for Chinese citizens called “Common Sense When Travelling in Hokkaido” This booklet was published in Chinese and English. It asked Chinese guests to not make too much noise or leave their rooms dirty. Additionally, it asked tourists “to flush toilet paper down the lavatory rather than placing it in the rubbish bin, a common custom in China, and not to open the packaging of items on store shelves before buying them.” They were also cautioned against stealing silverware from restaurants, being late for appointments, and farting or burping in public. The guide had cartoons showing inappropriate behavior with a big red cross through them.
Of course a CHinese resident of Japan took offense to this. He felt his fellow Chinese people had a little more common sense than implied. The office of tourism backed down and renamed their booklet “The Traveller’s Etiquette Guide to Hokkaido.” The big red crosses are gone, and more friendly wording has appeared. 85,000 guides have been published and distributed.
edited by cgao on 5/9/2016
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