Chinese authorities step in to ‘correct’ Japanese-themed street in Guangdong popular with tourists
- Japanese-themed Ichiban Street in Guangdong closed to visitors as it needs to be ‘corrected and renamed’, guard at site says
- Local business owners have speculated copyright complaints and patriotism could be behind the closure
A popular Japanese-themed shopping street in China’s Guangdong province has been closed since the beginning of the “golden week” holiday, disappointing tourists and stoking speculation copyright complaints and patriotism could be behind the change.
Two large signboards displayed with the word Ichibangai – a term used to describe large shopping streets in Japan – have been covered with grey cloth and banners written in Japanese have been removed.
Visitors are now greeted with a sign saying the street is temporarily closed for renovation and its leasing office has also been closed.
On a recent visit, several guards could be seen patrolling the street, stopping visitors who tried to take photographs or videos with professional cameras.
“We don’t know when the street will be open to the public … and the street needs to be corrected and renamed without ‘Ichibangai’,” one guard said.
02:47
Tourists in China feed international travel bug at Japan-themed street in Guangdong province
The street became a hit with young people who travelled from nearby cities like Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Zhuhai to gawk at the lanterns and neon signs written in Japanese. Many of them referred to Japanese anime characters such as Astro Boy, Inuyasha and Sailor Moon, which are popular in China.