An imaginary traveller has responded to Japan’s tourism acclaim by booking a trip to enjoy its peaceful atmosphere alongside several million people who have received precisely the same recommendation.
His itinerary promises hidden streets, undiscovered restaurants and a famous quiet spot currently appearing in nine thousand videos about escaping the crowds. He has saved them all to a folder called Authentic.
A fictional travel consultant explained that rankings help visitors make informed decisions about where everyone else should go. Once everyone has gone there, the consultant can sell a second itinerary explaining how to avoid them.
The traveller intends to be respectful. He has watched extensive guidance on etiquette, learned several useful phrases and arranged a dawn photograph that will require forty other respectful travellers to leave the frame.
His most anticipated experience is a small establishment with limited seating and no online booking. After discussing its unspoilt charm, he plans to publish a detailed guide ensuring nobody else misses out. The guide will express concern that places like this are becoming too popular.
On returning home, he will explain that the secret is to go before everyone discovers it. Asked when that was, he will identify the exact week he happened to be there.
