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estebanana -> RE: Flamenco defined by law to keep Andalusia in step with history (Apr. 18 2023 14:42:34)
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ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
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I hate to be ‘that guy’ and be right all the time. ( actually I like being that guy and being correct)
In Japan the government gave reasonable assistance to businesses in the tourism industry and to small organizations that supported cultural activities. The tourism industry rather than being damaged, emerged in pretty good health because the government helped those in tourism to upgrade and remodel facilities while there was tourist down time. Tourists are back and Japan is a hot ticket.
There was minimal damage to the industry and in some ways vast improvements. Japan’s problems are linguistic, not tourist flow and use infrastructure, or loss of places to show cultural heritage.
The Spanish government probably could have done more and done better.
I needn't remind you that there is a big difference between Japan and Spain that goes way beyond distance. It is hard to think of two countries and societies that are more different in terms of culture, work ethic, corruption, nepotism, and other elements that, depending on their presence or absence, affect how a society advances or not in certain areas. I don't think what works in Japan necessarily will work in Spain. I'm not saying it wouldn't work, but I don't think Japan's achievement in governmental assistance is a template for expectation of the same result in Spain.
Bill
Bill,
Japan is probably more corrupt than you see from the outside, it suffers from heavy cronyism in politics at the local level. I could go into it. The fabled Yakusa is also very real and active. The main problem with Japan is the misogynistic attitudes of old men who are in the majority Conservative Party called the Jimento, that everyone who has a brain hates with a passion. The LDG - liberal Democratic Party is like the non insane part of the US Republicans, but more misogynistic in that they push women out of the national government. Margaret Thatcher would have been too uppity for them. Oddly enough Japan has something to protect women that’s similar to the ERA amendment in the US, but its operating principles are obtuse. Abortion remains illegal, but there are lots of exceptions to the law, which make it a shameful but attainable procedure.
The Jimento based themselves on the Tories in the UK and their one saving attribute is that they won’t dismantle national healthcare. Other than that they move pretty slowly. They recognize the need for tourism dollars too, and did a better than average job of keeping the tourism from disappearing. They are still out of step with the public who are under 40 50 years old
At the local level these guys are the implacable force of nature that Conrad cited when he described the jungles of the Belgian Congo. Thankfully these old shochu gulping geezers are being challenged, incrementally.
But in the maintenance of the tourism industry Spain normally sees three times the tourism of Japan-
2019 figured out Spain at 83 million tourists and Japan at 32 million, so far this year since Japan been open it’s been a whopping 3.6 million and it’s just ramping up.
And I’d agree with your points on how different the cultures are, and in ways painfully different for me. I often call Japan the world’s most boring country. Japan is an introvert and Spain is an extrovert if they were individual humans. But along with the insularity comes a certain kind of security both mental and physical. Although both Spaniards and Japanese think the American NRA is completely inhumane and insane. Which it is.
All considered in the context of tourism that supports Flamenco, Kabuki, famous churches and Buddhist temples, parks, resort towns, cultural patrimony, Spain could do better.
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