"Korean Youths Rely on Convenience Store Lunchboxes During Trips... Can't Understand Why Japanese Visit"

A notorious Japanese far-right figure known for his ‘anti-Korean remarks’ has sparked controversy by making absurd complaints about Korean tourists visiting Japan.

Japanese far-right figure Murotani Katsumi (74) contributed an article titled “Convenience Store Lunch Boxes for a 1-Night 2-Day Trip to Japan? The Eccentric Behavior of Korean Youth from a ‘High-Wage Country’... ‘Japan Trips’ to Avoid the Shame of ‘No Overseas Travel Experience’” to the Sankei Shimbun-affiliated tabloid Yukan Fuji on the 21st.

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Murotani claimed, “It seems that the number of Koreans visiting Japan is rapidly increasing,” and added, “There are many ‘Japan travelogues’ written by the younger generation on Korean internet sites, and reading them makes me feel very strange about why they come to Japan.”

He pointed out, “Most internet posts by young Koreans who have been to Japan include photos, not only of bustling downtown areas, famous spots, and historic sites, but also a considerable number of pictures of the food they ate,” and noted that “(in these photos) there are cheap izakaya’s crude assorted sashimi, conveyor belt sushi, fast food, and convenience store lunch boxes.”

He then questioned, “Is my idea too old-fashioned that when you travel, you should eat the local specialty dishes at somewhat upscale restaurants?” and criticized, “Most Korean youths’ trips are 1-night 2-day schedules, and I cannot understand the mindset of solving one meal with fast food or convenience store lunch boxes that are found anywhere in the world.”

He also mocked, “Many (Korean tourists) stay at guesthouses or capsule hotels. Some even save accommodation costs by sleeping at 24-hour saunas or bathhouses,” and sarcastically asked, “Is this the image of young people from a country whose wage level has surpassed Japan?”

Travelers lined up in February at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, preparing to depart for Nagoya, Japan. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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He also introduced a remark from a local guide during his trip to Taiwan: “Chinese tourists are noisy but at least talk about the exhibits. (In contrast) Korean tourists don’t even glance at the exhibits and talk about completely unrelated things before leaving in a flash. Yet when they return to their country, they boast, ‘I even went to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.’”

Murotani concluded by attributing the travel style of Korean tourists to “Having no overseas travel experience is considered ‘shameful’ in Korea. The cheap and easy way to escape that ‘shame’ is to go to Japan.”

In response, Korean netizens expressed reactions such as “Westerners backpacking on a budget wearing only one set of clothes would be horrified,” “I don’t understand why young people saving money to travel should be criticized,” and “Absurd sophistry.”

Meanwhile, in February, he also criticized in the same media outlet that “Korean youths eat cup noodles for dinner while taking photos to show off fake ‘Rolex’ wristwatches in front of empty ‘Herm?s’ boxes,” calling Korea “a country of ‘foreign currency in, domestic shame’ both in the past and now.”

Murotani, a former Seoul correspondent for the Japanese Jiji Press, has continuously engaged in hateful propaganda targeting Korea with theories such as ‘evil Korea theory,’ ‘collapsed Korea theory,’ ‘foolish Korea theory,’ and ‘Korea betrays.’

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