One interesting aspect of Japan is that they’re the only country in the world that cares what foreigners think about them. The other day I caught a TV show called “YOU wa Nani Shini Nihon e?” (“Why did you come to Japan?”), hosted by Bobby Ologun, a popular “talent” from Nigeria who’s a fixture on Japanese TV these days. In the show, a camera crew walks around Narita Airport and interviews interesting foreigners who have just arrived, exploring what motivated them to come to Japan. There was quite a range: a student arriving in Japan to study martial arts, two girls from Germany who had arrived to attend a Dir en Grey rock concert, and a cyclist whose dream was to tour the Sea of Japan side of the country on his bicycle. The Japanese are also fascinated by foreigners who sing in their language, and there’s a TV show called Nodo Jiman The World featuring contestants from countries like the U.S., Britain., Canada, Spain, and Sweden singing famous Japanese songs on stage as they compete for prize money.
The Japanese are fascinated by foreigners who love Japan.
