Paris traumatises the Japanese

[Banquo's Ghost]

Apparently Louis has been teasing the tourists again.

It appears that some Japanese visitors, used to a relatively high standard of quiet politeness at home, suffer traumatic stress disorders when finding themselves abused by waiters in their dream capital.

Reminds me of one of my most cherished memories. Some years ago, I had to go on a team-building conference to Euro-Disney Paris. Apart from the deep psychological scars inflicted on me during the "It's a Small, Small World" prison ship, my faith in humanity was restored by the sight of bitter Parisian employees snarling "have a nice day" at bemused tourists in every corner of the Temple of Saccharine.

It was even funnier to listen to the underbreath French insults that followed most transactions. When they suspected the tourist spoke no French, the commentary was not even sotto voce.

Happy days.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

'Paris Syndrome' strikes Japanese
By Caroline Wyatt
BBC News, Paris

A dozen or so Japanese tourists a year have to be repatriated from the French capital, after falling prey to what's become known as "Paris syndrome".

That is what some polite Japanese tourists suffer when they discover that Parisians can be rude or the city does not meet their expectations.

The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.

Around a million Japanese travel to France every year.

Many of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Paris - the cobbled streets, as seen in the film Amelie, the beauty of French women or the high culture and art at the Louvre.

The reality can come as a shock.

An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent French, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures.

But for the Japanese - used to a more polite and helpful society in which voices are rarely raised in anger - the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much.

This year alone, the Japanese embassy in Paris has had to repatriate four people with a doctor or nurse on board the plane to help them get over the shock.

They were suffering from "Paris syndrome".

It was a Japanese psychiatrist working in France, Professor Hiroaki Ota, who first identified the syndrome some 20 years ago.

On average, up to 12 Japanese tourists a year fall victim to it, mainly women in their 30s with high expectations of what may be their first trip abroad.

The Japanese embassy has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and can help find hospital treatment for anyone in need.

However, the only permanent cure is to go back to Japan - never to return to Paris.

[Peasant Phill]

I'm in doubt whetter I should find this funny or sad. Are we westerners rude or are Japanese just living in an unhealthy (repressing frustration can't be good) polite enviroment?

[caravel]

Yes they have their share of wacky syndromes in Japan.

[BDC]

I'm in doubt whetter I should fine this funny or sad. Are we westerners rude or are Japanese just living in an unhealthy (repressing frustration can't be good) polite enviroment?

Both.

Things like this are always funny. The world would be a dull place without cultural interacts going wrong.

[Ronin]

priceless!!!

[macsen rufus]

Well, it's true Parisians are the rudest, most unpleasant, bunch of arrogant s you'll ever find gathered together in one city (the only city I know where policemen will deliberately give false directions to visitors, the only place I've ever been robbed etc etc) ... but even so "Paris Syndrome" says more about the Japanese than the Parisians, I think.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Well, it's true Parisians are the rudest, most unpleasant, bunch of arrogant s you'll ever find gathered together in one city (the only city I know where policemen will deliberately give false directions to visitors, the only place I've ever been robbed etc etc) ... but even so "Paris Syndrome" says more about the Japanese than the Parisians, I think.

There are also some of the most erudite, fascinating, brilliant, stylish and stimulating people in one of the most culturally extraordinary cities of the world.

I love Paris!

(I love Japan too - outside their big cities which are utterly awful).

[Mooks]

My friend Drew went on a trip with some other people around europe. He spoke french. He said that Paris was great, but theres one thing that was bad, asian tourists. Said they crowd the sidewalk in groups and have the worst possible accent you can imagine.

[English assassin]

Heh, they should send the tourists who find Paris too much to London to recover. We are famously friendly and helpful....

[Fragony]

There are also some of the most erudite, fascinating, brilliant, stylish and stimulating people in one of the most culturally extraordinary cities of the world.

I love Paris!

Hell yes, best city on the planet, or, more like the greatest collection of small little villages. I have no idea how the parisians got the image of being rude slapped on them, must have been rude people themselves. Speak a little french, and remember that you first greet back and then place your order.

Shame about the outragious prices, and disneyland.

A disneyland in Paris

[Don Corleone]

Oops, double post.

[Don Corleone]

Make that a triple post. Sorry.

[Don Corleone]

I may be mistaken, but I believe relations between France and the USA have soured so badly, there's a State Department Travel Advisory issued for Americans in any French territory, but especially Paris.

It would appear that our normal cover, of pretending to be Canadian, no longer works either. Those crafty French are well aware that Canada has two official languages and immediately will launch into an exploratory conversation, in Quebecois French. So wave the Maple Leaf all you want, you're just going to hasten your trip to the guillotine.

I believe emergency protocol, should one happen to be in France and approached by the crowd is as follows:

1) Immediately repudiate Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney and all American foreign policy of the past 50 years.

2) Explain that you are a devotee of Audrey Tautou and are in Paris on a pilgrimage.

3) If 1 & 2 don't work don't panic! Hand them your passport and claim that you're seeking assylum.


For the humor-challenged, this would be a joke.

[Fragony]

Got you the shakes even posting about ze french huh, how else did you manage to tripplepost

[SwordsMaster]

It's amusing yet kinda sad. Not for the lack of manners of the parisiens, which of course is there, but the sight of a grown-up person so unprepared for the world outside their bubble. If you are not ready for a shake-up why go travelling?

I have always believed that the whole point of travelling was to expose yourself to cultural shock. Maybe they should read less Danielle Steele...

[Don Corleone]

Got you the shakes even posting about ze french huh, how else did you manage to tripplepost

C'est vrai! The very sound 'oui', makes me go 'wee wee', in my trousers.

[Samurai Waki]

I'd rather visit Tokyo again any day rather than Paris again. Once you get out of Paris the rest of the country seems rather placid and quite accomodating. Paris... was horrendous.

[Spino]

I'd rather visit Tokyo again any day rather than Paris again. Once you get out of Paris the rest of the country seems rather placid and quite accomodating. Paris... was horrendous.

I have it on good authority from a French acquaintance of mine that Parisian women are worse than their peers who hail from New York City. Even more of an excuse to steer clear of the 'City of Love'.

[Fragony]

If you are into brunettes, then Paris is heaven on earth. New Yorkers are a particular breed of americans though, must be the dutch genes

wait the english, how on earth

[Louis VI the Fat]

Oh my, this story is both funny and sad. Those poor Japanese...
What a triple whammy for them: the large cultural differences between Japan and the West, the rudeness of Parisians, and the discrepancy between that weird 'Hollywood' version of France and the often nasty reality of it.

The culture shock must be immense for an unsuspecting Japanese tourist. It all sounds like a mirrored image of 'Lost in Translation', that great movie about the cultural estrangement of two Americans who are stuck in Tokyo. Japanese society is build upon trust, politeness and congeniality, it's a crying shame that this should be the source of ridicule and exploitation when they travel abroad.
The downsides of a big, fast-paced western metropolis are off-putting enough for westerners itself - tourists and residents alike - never mind for Japanese. What do they know about crime, skipping lines, pavements doubling as dog toilets, loud and abrasive manners? Japan is a beacon of civilization in this respect.

Next they seem to suffer from an extreme version of 'fairy-tale France' syndrome. They come here nurtured by dreams of sophisticated manners, physical elegance, exquisite food, and lots of Louis Vuitton handbags. Only to find out that the height of physical elegance and sophistication for many Frenchmen is not getting their shoes whet when pissing drunk against the Louvre. Which is also as close as most will ever come to it.

Thirdly, yes, Parisians simply are rude, stuck-up twits. It bitters and angers even the residents, but it's 2006 and it's a big city eh? It's like that.
I didn't receive any heartwarming treatment in New York City either and frankly, wasn't expecting any.
If you want to chill, you go to the provinces, they're full of relaxed and kind people. For excitement, vibrant culture and a stimulating intellectual environment you go to the city. And then you just deal with all the nastier aspects of it.
Surely this concept must be known to the Japanese too?

[Fragony]

The only place where I was treated less then friendly was actually the Louvre, the guy must be tired of stupid questions, and it wasn't really that unfriendly, just a bit cold and uninterested. Have nothing but great experiences from Paris, never visit it in the tourist season though. Now if you want to see what rude is, go to Copenhagen, the danes are the most unfriendly people I have ever met, with the french speaking belgium's as a close second.

[doc_bean]

the danes are the most unfriendly people I have ever met, with the french speaking belgium's as a close second.

Never had a problem with either, actually

[Fragony]

Never had a problem with either, actually

Well the flemish come third. You may be friendly to eachother, but you guys sure as hell aren't friendly for us dutchies when we come over to watch you in your natural habitat

Doesn't apply for flemish orgers of course

[Crazed Rabbit]

Those crafty French are well aware that Canada has two official languages and immediately will launch into an exploratory conversation, in Quebecois French. So wave the Maple Leaf all you want, you're just going to hasten your trip to the guillotine.

Ha! I doubt they can tell the difference between a Seattle and Vancouver BC accent, and the west coast is largely devoid of Frenchies. Toss in a few 'eh's and I'll be fine. That is, should I wish to go to paris, which I don't (never had a thing for big cities). The countryside of France doesn't sound bad though.

CR

[Rameusb5]

This reminds me of the saying: "If it's tourist season, why can't we hunt them?"

Personally, I think the French get a bad name because people go to Paris and judge the entire French culture based on how people treat them at the local tourist attactions.

If you were going to base your ideas of the culture of the US based soley on your experiences at the Statue of Liberty (Ironically a French gift) and New York Restauraut Waiters, I would assume your country would soon be declaring war on us.

My personal experiences in France were nothing but good, even in Paris. The most rude people I ran into were the tourists complaining that nobody spoke their language.

My worst experience in any city was Chicago. For a mid-western city, that town sure is full of bad experiences! (appologies to any bad experience who may be reading this). I haven't been to NYC yet, and would love to go, but I haven't got there yet.


Oh, and the anti-French bias in this country is due to the fact that the US wanted to run the show after WWII (UN and Nato), and the French quickly began to insist on being independant and not just be a client country (vassal) for them. So now we're mad at them because we wave the "we saved your butts in WWII" flag and yet forget that the French actually gave us our Indepenance from Britain when our country was founded.

There are a lot of people in America who have the attitude that "If you don't agree with me, I hate you!" I'd prefer a live and let live philosophy, but our country gets off on war bigtime, so that won't work over here.

[Goofball]

The only place where I was treated less then friendly was actually the Louvre, the guy must be tired of stupid questions, and it wasn't really that unfriendly, just a bit cold and uninterested. Have nothing but great experiences from Paris, never visit it in the tourist season though. Now if you want to see what rude is, go to Copenhagen, the danes are the most unfriendly people I have ever met, with the french speaking belgium's as a close second.

I'm with you on this one Frag.

I've been to Paris many times, and always been treated very well. My secret? I have an extensive knowledge of the French language. For example, I have mastered such intricate and delicate terms/phrases as:

1) Bonjour
2) Merci
3) S'il vous plaît
4) Au revoir

Although it required years of study and practice, I feel that the effort was worth it.

[Prince of the Poodles]

Are the things they say about french hygiene and bathing habits true as well?

[Louis VI the Fat]

*fends off flies hovering around head*

I dunno Prince. What do they say about French hygiene?

*chases away fleas from keyboard*

[Prince of the Poodles]

Heh, Ive never been to france but they say that the French are a bit more... lax... when it comes to personal cleanliness.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Heh, Ive never been to france but they say that the French are a bit more... lax... when it comes to personal cleanliness.

It's about as true as the rumour that all americans are three hundred pound imbeciles with all the cultural sophistication of a prawn cocktail.

Travel is a wonderful thing. Stereotypes are not so great.