Beatrix Potter Film To Spark Japanese Invasion

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Independent: Japanese pilgrims flock to the home of Beatrix Potter
...Kimitaka Fujino, Japan's Tourism Minister, hosted a delegation from Cumbria in Tokyo yesterday to discuss a film which seems destined to bring Japanese tourists flocking to north-west England. Miss Potter, a Beatrix Potter biopic, stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor...A hint of the Japanese riches the film might bring came four years ago when bookings to Britain tripled for the 100th anniversary of Peter Rabbit...The reasons for Japan's fascination with Potter are complex but they stem from the important part her books play in Japanese schoolrooms... As a result, Cumbria receives 11,000 visits a year from Japanese tourists, who contribute 5 per cent of its tourist income...Hoteliers are also being introduced to the culture behind the Japanese art of bowing...The Japanese delight in o-mayage [sic], the giving and receiving of gifts, is being handled more effectively, too. The Japanese tend to buy about 12 T-shirts and 20 fridge magnets each and want each one in a separate trust bag so they can be given as individual gifts...But Richard Foster, the general manager of the World of Beatrix Potter, has warned against overdoing the enthusiasm. "We have to be careful not to make a rather bizarre version of Tokyo in the Lake District," he said. "You can get hamstrung on how many bows to do when handing over a cup of tea. They are quite happy with a smile and a 'Hello'"...more...