Of Mice and Elephants

A previous prime minister of Canada once quipped that being the country next door to the United States was a bit like being a mouse sleeping with an elephant. All is well unless the elephant decides to turn over in its sleep. Or, even worse, if the elephant decides it doesn't much like mice.

Which is to say that a small economy that exists in close proximity to a large economy is prone to either being ignored or dominated.

In 2010, Japan relaxed its visa restrictions on some of its Asian neighbours, resulting in a boom of tourism, especially from China and Korea. Signage is in both languarges, and there are restaurants catering to both, particularly in a tourist town like Beppu, and large popular places, like Kyoto. We've noticed a lot of large travel groups moving around in coaches and following guides, and smaller groups too and while we don't know for sure which are Chinese and which are Korean just by looking or listening to them, it's clear by their behaviour that they are definitely not Japanese. 

So perhaps, at this one point of history at least, Japan is to China as Canada is to the United States, as New Zealand is to Australia, as Scotland is to England, as Norway is to Sweden, and no doubt there are other examples known to those who live in them. Human nature is a fascinating animal!