All the regions have been top Japanese tourist destinations. It's going to be Korea, or possibly Tennessee, because I've seen some Japs in Tennessee lately, and Masuda can add the Peabody hotel from Memphis, TN and shill his favorite Pokemon. Tennessee would be a good region because every city has a distinct flavour, and there's lots of great eyesore attractions spread out over a large area, and great geographic diversity. You can do BBQ in either Korea or Tennessee and clearly BBQ is the next food gimmick.
>Nissan. Toshiba. Bridgestone. Sharp. Matsushita. Tabuchi. In these parts, the names of Japanese manufacturers are getting to be as familiar as Jack Daniel's and the Grand Ole Opry.
>The State of Tennessee has done remarkably well in attracting Japanese ventures. The latest announcement that Tennessee had snared another big Japanese company came earlier this month. Komatsu Ltd., the world's second-largest maker of earthmoving equipment, after Caterpillar, is negotiating to buy an existing factory in Chattanooga for its first manufacturing venture in this country.
>So what does Tennessee offer that the Japanese like so much? Some say it is a nonunion atmosphere, although unions do exist in Tennessee. (Even the Nashville Symphony went on strike this month.) Others say it is Tennessee's climate. Still others, rising to the topic, point to such historical similarities between Japan and the South as the fact that both were defeated in war.
>Whatever the explanation, Tennessee is making a name as a growing base of Japanese manufacturing. States such as California, with its traditional Pacific ties, and Georgia, with its Atlanta international gateway, have long been the most successful attracters of Japanese business, in financial services and distribution as well as manufacturing. Texas has done well, also.
The Japanese love the South!!
