"PARIS SYNDROME" LEAVES TOURISTS IN SHOCK

PARIS October 23, 2006 (Reuters) - Around a dozen** Japanese tourists a year need psychological treatment after visiting Paris as the reality of unfriendly locals and scruffy streets clashes with their expectations, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

... "Fragile travellers can lose their bearings. When the idea they have of the country meets the reality of what they discover it can provoke a crisis," psychologist Herve Benhamou told the paper.

The phenomenon, which the newspaper dubbed "Paris Syndrome", was first detailed in the psychiatric journal Nervure in 2004.

Bernard Delage of Jeunes Japon, an association that helps Japanese families settle in France, said:

"In Japanese shops, the customer is king, whereas here assistants hardly look at them ... People using public transport all look stern, and handbag snatchers increase the ill feeling."

A Japanese woman, Aimi, told the paper:

"For us, Paris is a dream city. All the French are beautiful and elegant ... And then, when they arrive, the Japanese find the French character is the complete opposite of their own."

[Hat tip: ¡No Pasarán!]

It appears M. Delage has undergone sensitivity training since we first posted on this.

* It's about time I should be leaving.

** A better than 88% drop-off in reported cases from our first post even as the number of Japanese visitors has increased. Or perhaps it is just a drop-off in the reporting of the reported cases.

PFFT (What is this?): Not so dreamy 3½ | Rayonnement français 0