Wanderlust - nibbles of foreign culture

Travelling is not just abt enjoying different the sights and sounds of different places, but going through the trouble of reaching those places as well. The Japanese seem to have found a solution to the latter - bring the world to Japan, at least via a set of theme-parks. Anyone who has visited Las Vegas (the city, not some theme park) comes back with the feeling that the city itself is a collection of theme-parks. Each hotel is designed with a theme in mind - middle-ages England, Africa, Egypt, New York, etc. Notwithstanding, there is glitz in everything. The Japanese have gone one better in re-creating everything including climatic conditions, the shopping experience, landscape, etc. To the time-starved people of the country, this would replace those hectic trips that cover 8 European cities in 5 days! Obviously not the same as the real thing, but certainly enjoyable.

One question though - almost all of the themes mentioned in the article are European / Western. Does this show the continued fascination of the public with things European / American? In his book Pacific Rift, Michael Lewis of Liar's Poker fame wrote abt how one Japanese commanded another's respect - by buying a piece of American real estate! One can witness similar fascination with visiting the important tourist spots in Europe / US!

Even if the article does not interest you, take time to view the slideshow.