I'd imagine if you're trying to get around* it would be infuriating to see some dickheads in silly costumes driving karts in traffic
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
WSj: Japan Wants Tourists, Except Those in Mario Costumes Driving Go-Karts
- Thread starter Tripon
- Start date
I'd imagine if you're trying to get around* it would be infuriating to see some dickheads in silly costumes driving karts in traffic
*buhwuhabouhzm
chrominance
Member
See, I don't even drive or ride a motorcycle, but I'd be at least a little miffed if some douchenozzle on a go-kart threw a foreign object in the path of my vehicle.
Armitage Shanks
Member
They're a bit of an annoyance but they're in no way as bad as the right-winger vans blocking streets and shouting racism over loudhailers, to be honest.
I see everyone wearing these costumes...one can only imagine how grotty and disgusting they are in this sweltering Tokyo wet heat. Ew.
I see everyone wearing these costumes...one can only imagine how grotty and disgusting they are in this sweltering Tokyo wet heat. Ew.
TheBryanJZX90
Member
So foreign tourists behaving badly in Japan is actually something I had to deal with here and there in a previous life. 10 years ago the Japanese government was just warming up to the idea of increasing the country's profile and helping the economy by jump-starting foreign tourism, and part of that was explicitly using the otaku sub culture. They rather blindly called the campaign "Cool Japan." After all of that time Mario and Maids really seem to be the most enduring aspects of the government's efforts.
Anyway back to the topic of foreigners behaving badly, the linked article (which actually gets into more examples than just the go-karts, for example don't climb on the cherry blossom trees!) reminded me of my most wtf moment in a prior job. I was translating a guide aimed at foreigners who wanted to stay at a kind of hot springs inn called a ryokan (if you're going to Japan btw you should ABSOLUTELY do this!) And one of the warnings was "please do not wash your clothes in the hot springs." And I was just dumbfounded that the ryokan owners would be so paranoid as to think that this was something they needed to include in this guide book, and also that I bet it actually did happen once somewhere like 30 years ago, and ever since everyone had been worrying that it would happen again.
Anyway back to the topic of foreigners behaving badly, the linked article (which actually gets into more examples than just the go-karts, for example don't climb on the cherry blossom trees!) reminded me of my most wtf moment in a prior job. I was translating a guide aimed at foreigners who wanted to stay at a kind of hot springs inn called a ryokan (if you're going to Japan btw you should ABSOLUTELY do this!) And one of the warnings was "please do not wash your clothes in the hot springs." And I was just dumbfounded that the ryokan owners would be so paranoid as to think that this was something they needed to include in this guide book, and also that I bet it actually did happen once somewhere like 30 years ago, and ever since everyone had been worrying that it would happen again.
I almost caught a horrible accident on a go-pro when I went.
Person in front of me wanted to stay with the group and went through a red light, almost got hit.
When I talked to him at a traffic light, told him it's better to be safe than sorry,
he was stopping when he had to after that.
eyeball_kid
Member
I'm wondering if the tacit "agreement" they had with Nintendo is no longer so agreeable to Nintendo now that they're making their own theme park and will probably have some sort of Mario Kart ride.
boiled goose
good with gravy
I can see Nintendo not wanting to associate with this ..
As someone who is incredibly charismatic, made cafes are definitely cringey. Unless you consider questionably aged girls acting like cute cartoon babies while 40+ year old men creepily watch not cringey.
As someone who is incredibly charismatic, made cafes are definitely cringey. Unless you consider questionably aged girls acting like cute cartoon babies while 40+ year old men creepily watch not cringey.
DarkLegion
Member
Looks like it could be a batsu episode from Downtown Gaki No Tsukai. Sorry don't know the exact episode or skit
FingerBang
Member
Also, I don't get why you would come to Japan to do something that only foreigners do. You want to experience Japan? Eat sushi and ramen, have a sexless marriage and hate your life working 12 hours a day. THEN you can go home and brag.
+1
Same goes for girls bars and alike.
+1
Same goes for girls bars and alike.
TheBryanJZX90
Member
Bahahaha so harsh so true
ranmafan
Member
Thankfully I'm one of the lucky ones where Japan hasn't been like that for me. Well I did deal with the bad work life for a while but not anymore thank god. Things are very good for me here, better than anywhere else.
But yeah I always wondered why this and things like it are so popular. My only guess other than "hey it's Japan and its nintendos home. Let's do something Nintendo like." Is that
lots of people that come here want to experience the "wacky japan" they always hear of. The japan where Japanese game shows and anime fill the airways 24/7. Where maid cafes, samurai, and ninjas are everywhere. Where every toilet thanks you for the service. Where gamings greats are treated like gods. And where everything is just weird in their eyes and that's cool. But in reality most of it isn't true or just as exaggerated. Japan is less weird than people realize. There are hardy any real Japanese game shows these days, gaming greats aren't treated like gods. Half of the toilets are just like the ones you'll find in every other country. The maid cafe craze has kinda collapsed over the years and is a waste of money in so many peoples eyes. And so on and so on. Japan is a fantastic place to be, but it's so far more than the "craziness" people long for in the west of it. There is so much more to explore yet many pass up on truely amazing experiences just so they can do the weird things. I think that's why just as many people go home dissapointed as those that are amazed, especially if all they long for is the weird stuff.
Japan is cool and there's so many good reasons to be here. I'm so happy I live here. But things like dangerous Mario kart driving on the real roads attractions really aren't the best way to experience the country, and are just annoying and can hurt those that do live here.
Gaijin doing inappropriate things that annoy Japanese locals. Water still wet. News at 10.
Having grown up in Japan, this makes me laugh way too hard.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Having grown up in Japan, this makes me laugh way too hard.
I agree wholeheartedly.
What happens next?
White male sits in koban for 72 hours wondering what he did wrong.
TheBryanJZX90
Member
I think you're going too far in the other direction if you think wacky Japan isn't worth experiencing at all, or if you think people who go to marikart don't experience any other aspects of Japan. In moderation it's fine.
On the other hand, Japan as a country really is leaning hard on selling itself to tourists as the land of Mario and Maids.
I'm not sure that this is true. I follow practically every Japan Tourism site on Facebook (especially Australia-based ones), and none of them peddle the wacky shit. It's all about experiencing rural and coastal japan, and digging deeper into its Shintoist and feudalist roots. There is so much geographical diversity across the different regions that colourful anime characters do not feature whatsoever in promotional material.
Singling out elements of culture and trying to use them to represent the entire nation is a bit disingenuous, no?
TheBryanJZX90
Member
On the other hand, the ​prime minister of Japan was broadcasted worldwide in Mario cosplay. It's been awhile so things have probably changed a lot, but I sat in on meetings with people from JNTO and the Japan Tourism Agency back in 2009 after the Lehman shock when Japan started on its current quest to beef up tourism, and anime and games and wacky Japan was definitely something they were interested in pursuing. Like I said, that was a while ago, but I mean cmon you can't get much more direct evidence of how Japan wants to sell itself to the world than their Olympic presentation.
TheBryanJZX90
Member
Absolutely wrong! Go go go! Really hospitality in Japan is amazing and in general you will be treated great if you are a guest in the country. If anything the article goes to show just how lenient they are with tourists.
D.Lo
Member
There was almost certainly no 'agreement' - it's a dodgy little IP infringement business. They got a bit of fame and when Nintendo heard about them they tried to stop it.
IMO it is 100% understandable that Nintendo would want to stop this irrespective of any plans. Several people in this thread alone have anecdotal examples of very risky behaviour of the business.
Vanguard771
Member
I wouldn't mind giving this a try but I would prefer to not be doing it in traffic. Especially if it means causing traffic hazards.
There have been many accidents with these go karts, but nothing has been done about it yet except enforcing stricter safety guidelines :/.
Not too long ago I saw another picture of a minor collision on twitter:
I don't think anyone has been hurt so far, but it's more a matter of when than if by now :/.
Not too long ago I saw another picture of a minor collision on twitter:
I don't think anyone has been hurt so far, but it's more a matter of when than if by now :/.
Saucestin_Roast
Member
So is a maid cafe worse than something like Hooters? Cause it seems like it's honestly better than Hooters. Granted, I know very little about maid cafes.
This is true, though some places do capitalize on that.
One of the things I miss the most are the little bars and the fact I could walk at night without any worries.
The other half are holes in the ground which lead to plenty of funny situations in the group I was travelling with =P
Visiting temples and other historical sites is amazing, but seeing each season festivities is probably what I liked the most. Summer has a different matsuri everyday. We stumbled upon a lot of those and we had no idea previously of it.
Winter I went for the Yuki Matsuri in Sapporo. Absolutely amazing. It was kind of sad that other cities didn't had other festivities while in this season.
Absolutely go. Just study some basic things such as asking for directions and food since japanese aren't fluent in english. They are a really helpful bunch so they will try to help you with anything you might need.
The only cases I hear that they aren't hospitable is if you are a descendant and don't know the language. Their first reaction is to think that you are a native that didn't go to school which is pretty badly seen there.
I mean random foreigners dressed up as maids going around the city would be alot more cringy though
ranmafan
Member
Oh trust me I'm not saying don't ever do that stuff. I do it all the time and recommend it. I've spent quite a lot of time over my eleven years here experiencing the full gambit of wacky Japan to its fullest, and I always help others who come here and want to enjoy it. But I also always highly recommend to people don't just do that only. Like you said moderation is key. There is just so much more that japan has to offer that it would be dissapointing not to see all sides of it. I always hope people do like Scarlett Johansson's character in Lost In Translation does when they come to Japan. Walk around explore the small things. The lessor known things. Not just what we are fed by the media. There's a whole real world to explore that can change your life here.
You are right though in how Japan does like to advertise its wackiness to the west, and it's no surprise as it's a big selling point for the country considering its position right now. But I really am a little tired of always hearing the "oh Japan is so wacky and weird" line all the time. It's certainly a different and magical place, with its quirks and uniqueness, but it's really no weirder than other countries. But it's all perspective of course.
But yeah I say go have fun, go to maid cafes and mt fuji. Enjoy your akihabara and your asakusa.theres plenty to enjoy here and I recommend almost all of it. And so on and so forth. But keep it safe for everyone, especially kart drivers.
Can't win no matter what you do if you ask me.
Even something that plenty of Japanese people do, like crossing a zebra crossing when the light is red, will have some Japanese people thinking it's a foreigner thing.
Nothing like a good Japan is wacky/Japanese are racists thread.
ranmafan
Member
Please visit Japan! Let me tell you, people here love foreigners visiting here and they do want more people to come. And you can do anything you want too. Japan is an amazing place that almost everyone would love to visit. The thing is just things like this kart story, may cause some problems, and not just the foreigners doing it but the Japanese running it. But these things are the rare exception to the reality. Come to Japan, visit have a great time, and the people here will be more than happy to see you here 99.9% of the time.
Thanks for the responses guys me and my friend were considering Japan as a vacation spot for next year glad to know it's still cool lol.
Given my red hair I doubt I could be mistaken for a native lol
veloxStrix
Banned
Explains why I never had issues with traffic there. Oh. Wait.
I actually really hate discussions about Japan since 99.9% of the time people seem to think when you touch down in Narita you look out the window of your plane and the whole world is animated outside. It's the same as any other country, it just has unique exports.
Tip: Check the seasonal events when you decide to go. Summer there's plenty of festivals. Winter has fewer festivals but I find them more amusing with all the ice sculptures and shows. I never went there in Spring or Autumn, but I image Spring is beautiful to see some places such as castles and parks.
Is this how they make babies in Japan?
Valkerionseven
Member
It probably won't last much longer so I'd be prepared to not be able to do it. It's famous and a lot of people say "Its a good way to see Tokyo" but the Nintendo character copywrite infringement and quite illegal nature of the carts on public roads, this thing is getting shut down soon. It's on TV weekly talking about it. Most foreigners don't know its illegal to ride these on the street so they do it anyway, the business that started it is making bank. The other issue is the recklessness of the riders, jumping out at traffic stops/landmarks to take selfies, riding with camera and phones out, basically all the other bad driving shit people do.
Thankfully Japanese cops and laws are so slow to act, that even though its been pointed out that its technically illegal over a year ago... they still have not simply shut it down lol. -shrug-
As for the show, its from a comedy show. The cast members visited a tsundre maid cafe, to see how bad the service could be (thats the theme of the cafe). Basically they just pretend to be mean to customers, throw food down on the table instead of placing it nicely, give a drink without a straw then when you ask they just throw down like 50 straws lol. Stuff like that. Was a pretty funny bit.
Ban Puncher
Member
This is why there are no babies in Japan.