Weird Japan?: Country Is Still Viewed as a Disney-Like Fantasy Land – Bloomberg – Bloomberg
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Americas+1 212 318 2000
EMEA+44 20 7330 7500
Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000
A flurry of media reports on a niche Japanese service show the country is still viewed as a Disney-like fantasy land.
The hottest thing to hit Japan since the 2016 viral sensation Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen is the “smile coach,” a service locals have been flocking to as they struggle to ditch their masks in a post-Covid world.
At least, that’s the impression you’d have from reading the dozens of English-language stories on the supposed phenomenon over the past few weeks. From the New York Times to the Hindustan Times, it has been difficult to avoid the articles about how Japanese are en masse engaging such services, having seemingly “forgotten how to smile” in a country that has only recently ditched masking guidance.
