What causes "Paris Syndrome" in some Japanese tourists?

Question

What causes "Paris Syndrome" in some Japanese tourists?

Answer 1

Hallucinogenic drugs.

Answer 2

They had talked about it in the French news years ago. It strikes mostly young women from rich families who have been over-protected and are not prepared to face a big western city. It is usually their first trip abroad.

It is aggravated by the fact that the Japanese, especially these young Japanese girls, have an extremely idealized vision of Paris. They imagine it the way it looks on perfume ads: all women dressed in Dior and Givenchy dresses, all buildings being perfectly white and shiny, etc. Then they arrive and see that it is a big city, which means there is a lot of stress, there is traffic noise and pollution, there is also poverty and not only luxury. Social rules are different. France having a strong latin influence, it can seem far less orderly than Japan. There is also the language barrier of course and the fact that a lot of sites are overcrowded, which is overwhelming.

I think it comes from the contrast between completely unrealistic expectations (France is the most admired foreign country in Japan) of rich daddy's girls and the reality of what a bustling western city is, which is not all glamorous. But it happens to a very small minority, most are fine. I used to know a Japanese girl when I lived in Paris and she was happy and well-adjusted.