The three most disappointing sightseeing spots, according to Japanese

2020年 02月26日


As you may have already understood, in Japan we love to make rankings! It is made for everything, the three great Buddhas, the three best hotspring waters, the three most important castles, etc… But one of the funniest is the one that ranks the three most disappointing tourist spots. The truth is that there are two of them, one for world tourist sites and one for Japanese tourist sites. Without further ado, here they are:


The World's Three Most Disappointing Sightseeing Spots :

  • Manneken Pis (Brussels)

The size of the fountain seems to be the main cause of disappointment for the Japanese persons who go to Brussels. However, what seems to delight many tourists is the extended wardrobe of the sculpture! Indeed, it seems that the statue is regularly dressed in various costumes.

  • The Little Mermaid (Copenhagen)

Apparently the size of the sculpture, the fact that it is quite far from the city center and does not really have the attributes of a mermaid has disappointed many tourists. Indeed, her legs may seem to turn into fins, but some would have preferred that she really had a mermaid’s tail.

  • The Merlion (Singapor)

The statue of the Merlion of Singapore should certainly soon be out of this top 3 since it entered there mainly because of its former location. In fact, until 2002, it was placed at the end of a park, right in front of the sea and the visitors who came for it could on see its back! Some also say that it is nothing more than a simple concrete sculpture, with no artistic qualities, but we will leave it to the personal judgment of each one!

 

In Japan :

  • Harimaya Bridge, Kochi Prefecture

The bridge, on top of being very small (20 meters), is actually a reconstruction dating from 1998, the old one having been destroyed, and surrounded only by modern buildings. In addition, the river that it was crossing was dried up because of pollution and it is an artificial current that now flows under the bridge. It is therefore unable to convey travellers the feeling of another time, which is disappointing to many tourists. But its ranking in the top 3 of the most disappointing places has actually made it only more famous!

  • Tokeidai Clock Tower in Sapporo

If the building is not lacking in charm, its surrounding is. In fact, the site which dates from 1878, when the Americans pushed the development of Sapporo, is one of the rare examples of the ancient western architecture of the city, and thus an important historical testimony. However, it is located in the middle of recent and unattractive buildings, just by the road. Not necessarily the ideal place for deep meditation on the country’s history…

  • Oranda-saka in Nagasaki

The name Oranda-saka means “the Dutch slope”, and it thus refers to the imagery of the old Western shopping districts, which are found in Kobe (Ijingai) and Yokohama, and which are really charming. But in the case of this Nagasaki Street, well… it’s just a paved street, nothing else really to see. It's a nice walk though! And if the site is seen as disappointing, it may be because of competition from the dramatically huge Dutch village Huis Ten Bosch not far from there.