Japanese vacationers desire something new, something different. Their escapism can be artificial or even based on fictitious or fantastic sources, but it must provide some sense of novelty. The theme parks offer a domestic alternative that is not necessarily bound by day-to-day realities or Japanese tradition. Although America may not be the most attractive travel destination for Japanese vacationers, Americana and American popular culture exert a powerful appeal that is reflected in theme park development.

       Escaping Japan

For many Japanese, the consummate "American-style" fantasy is the Wild West show, such as the one at the Western Village in Nikko National Park.

Several times a day, blond-wigged cowboy clowns, "bad" guys, and an upstanding hero shoot it out in the street of a dusty and deliberately scruffy Wild West town. Pretty girls are dragged from the audience and held for ransom, children sit wide-eyed with hands in the air as commanded by the fearsome outlaws, and the lead villain's horse noses its way into shopping bags, purses, and unguarded picnic baskets. This is silly fun for families and is warmly received.

Nervous "good guys" make their way onto Main Street before a shoot-out at the Western Village.

When the show is over, visitors wander through the other exhibits. Main Street offers an Indian museum, a variety of stores, a post office, and a saloon. These establishments feature robots, or at least life-size animated models, of "western" luminaries such as John Wayne, Charles Bronson, and a bleached blonde saloon girl who is supposed to be a replica of Marilyn Monroe. Taped comments, in Japanese, add to the somewhat surreal experience.