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Joy of Japan: 'Lost in Translation' spurs Tokyo travel boom

William Pesek

KYOTO, Japan -- Seven thousand miles away, in New York, Chris Alcazar heard Japan's siren song. The 36-year-old hastily booked a flight and visited the world's No. 2 economy for the first time.

Why? He saw "Lost in Translation," Sofia Coppola's award-winning film set here in Kyoto and Tokyo.

"After seeing the movie, Japan didn't seem too Foreign anymore," explained Alcazar, vice president at a Manhattan hospital, over a beer in Kyoto. "Many of us overseas have idealized notions of what Japan is like, but no real way of knowing how to operationalize those ideas. The movie succeeded in showing the different faces of Japan."

It's a common observation one hears chatting up tourists these days, and it's potentially good news for Japan's economy. Tourism has become big business in Asia and Japan gels relatively little of it. More visitors would boost Japan's service industry, creating jobs, increasing tax revenues and attracting more foreign investment.

With its multitude of temples, World Heritage sites, quirky cities and reputation for safety, Japan should he a people magnet. But in 2002 it ranked 33 on a list of tourist destinations, with about 5 million visitors, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and even tiny Singapore stamp more foreign passports.

The good news is that Japan is awakening to the economics of tourism. Watching much smaller economies such as Thailand thrive thanks to foreign arrivals has inspired a "Visit Japan Campaign." The push to double the number of tourists to 10 million by 2010 even features Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in television commercials.

While it'll take time for all this pay off, it's heartening to see Japanese officials finally realize the merits of tourism. It'll take more than advertising, though. Japan needs to change the perception that it's too expensive and, well, foreign for many travelers.

There's a kernel of truth in both of these views. Five years of consumer price deflation have done little to make Japan more affordable. One reason Japanese travel abroad so often is because it's cheaper than vacationing domestically. And for all its attempts to reach out to a curious world, Japan can be a daunting place to communicate and get around.

The benefits

Here, Bill Murray, who starred in "Lost in Translation," may have done more for Japan than is readily appreciated. "The film is certainly drawing attention to Japan," said David Leheny. a Japanese politics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In April, for example, six U.S.-based tour companies launched tours based on the movie's locations. Similar tours were created for Europeans, as well as consumers throughout Asia.

"Lost in Translation Tours" are simply spreading the globe. Coppola's film, which won her an Oscar for best original screenplay, may have important, if un-quantifiable, effects on Japan's economy. Its lushly filmed scenes of Tokyo and Kyoto presented two of the world's more cacophonous cities in a highly attractive light--and captivated the imaginations of many. At a time when Japan wants to build a profitable tourism industry, it offered some unexpected yet powerful publicity.

"I can't say I ever thought I'd be in Japan, but here we are," said Graham Houton, a 48-year-old construction company executive from London, motioning to his wile Ellen, 44. "Bill Murray's character made me look at Japan differently than I had before. After seeing the movie, I said to Ellen 'we have to go there.' And here we are in Kyoto."

Many Japanese didn't much care for "Lost in Translation" and how at times it used stereotypes for cheap laughs. Its jokes about the difficulty Japanese have pronouncing the letters L and R were about as fresh as the plot of a Hollywood slasher flick. Critics here also charge it depicted Japanese as cartoon-like.

Still, the economic potential here shouldn't be dismissed. The "Lord of the Rings" films, for example, have done wonders for New Zealand, where they were filmed. Tourists continue to flock there to see where J.R.R. Tolkien's books were brought to life for moviegoers the world over.

Japan could have even more to gain when considering efforts here to increase the export of culture. With gross domestic product being such a yawner in recent years, entrepreneurs and even government officials have been promoting Japan's "gross national cool" instead.

Amid China's rise, Japan is realizing that its future lies beyond the manufacturing industries that fueled its post-World War II miracle. The increasing ubiquity of Japanese culture--sushi is now served at U.S. sporting events; Hello Kitty, Pokemon or films such as "Spirited Away" are taking the globe by storm--suggests Japan's future may lie in the export of music, film design, etc.

Movies are part of the buzz. Recent releases like "The Last Samurai," "Lost in Translation," "Kill Bill" and "Japanese Story" are boosting interest in a nation that until now didn't view tourism as a lucrative enterprise.

William Pesek is a columnist for Bloomberg News.

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