Paris Syndrome strikes Japanese tourists

"Paris syndrome" is taking hold of about a dozen Japanese each year. And no, we don't mean Paris Hilton. Every year, an average of 12 Japanese tourists in Paris have to be repatriated due to severe culture shock. It seems that the polite and soft-natured Japanese are not able to cope with how the reality of the City of Lights doesn't meet the dream, not to mention the often snobby behavior of Parisians themselves. As the BBC describes,

Many of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Paris - the cobbled streets, as seen in the film Amelie, the beauty of French women or the high cultutre and art at the Louvre. The reality can come as a shock... the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much... This year alone, the Japanese embassy in Paris has had to repatriate four people with a doctor or nurse on board the plane to help them get over the shock.

C'est la vie!