Another reason to visit Japan...I guess.

Every now and then, I'll see something coming out of Japan I don't quite know how to react to. I'll usually go through a variety of facial expressions (first, the raising of the brow with the mouth slightly open; then the furrowing of the brow-the mouth is closed at this point-and finally, the blank stare) then shrug it off and go on to tell whoever is around to listen.

This of course, is one of those times.

I was on GaijinPot and found out about the latest tourist trap in Japan:

The people at Triumph Japan (yes, that Triumph, the people who make bras) have come up with a concept that's supposed to bring in more tourists into Japan. Basically, once you get off the plane in Japan, you'll be greeted by a girl in a navy bustier. But it's not just any girl in a bustier, this being Japan, there typically has to be some sort of creative technical innovation. You'll be greeted by a girl in a bustier that has buttons that say “Welcome to Japan!” in English, Chinese and Korean. There is also a picture of a popular tourist location on the midsection of the bustier-not that you'd notice that anyway.

It gets better (read: more awkward): the skirt that the model will be wearing also is designed to be lifted, and has a nifty little map with velcro landmarks to show you cities in Japan to visit, and what they're known for (+5 points for educational value).

The entire point of this concept is to bring in more tourists to Japan. I don't know what kind of tourists they're trying to attract, but I'm not sure they're really the type that the Japanese (or any country for that matter) Ministry of Tourism is pushing for.

As a commenter on GaijinPot said, this had to be thought up by a sexually repressed, middle aged salary man. Hopefully, this idea, if it actually goes through, won't backfire.

I will however, give these guys credit; the restaurants in the airport will probably have an increase in the sales for bowls of rice. (laughs)

The original article:

http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/2010/11/11/japanese-girl-in-bra-welcomes-you-to-japan/