On April 10, 1996, the main exhibition hall ofMakuhari Messe-East
Asia's largest convention and exhibition complex-was packed with
sarariiman (salarymen), housewives, and "office ladies," all anxious to view
the latest tourist attractions. Golden Week-a national vacation (April
28-May 6) for company employees-was imminent, and it was time to
decide where to go. Around 150 exhibitors awaited visitors to this T abi
(Travel) Fair sponsored by the Japan National Tourist Organization.
Prefectural tourist associations, acclaimed hotels (like the Okura hotel
chain), and ryokan Qapanese traditional inns) catered to the enthusiasm
of tourists for the upcoming Golden Week. One booth, however, stood
out. Equipped with a life~size traffic light and a children's~size converti~
ble, painted in pastel colors and staffed with guides in checkered suits to
match, Booth F~212 boasted a big English sign proclaiming: "T oon Town
is open!" Tokyo Disneyland's booth proudly presented its "new land"
amid the traditional "lands" of Kyoto and Osaka prefectures and the
islands ofHokkaido and Kyushii.
Tabi Fair 'g6 vividly captured the extent to which Tokyo Disneyland
(TDL for short) has been assimilated into the Japanese leisure market.
Taking advantage of the nostalgic yearning for the "home country"
(kuni), many booths displayed traditional crafts, costumes, housing. and
foods