'Perfect Japan' posts spark Gen Z social media backlash

That's the "Japan effect": a Gen Z social media trend satirising the often-romanticised image of the Asian country, which welcomed a record number of visitors last year. Residents of Kyoto and other tourist hotspots have expressed exasperation with selfie-taking crowds, and now an online backlash against Japan fever is growing. The short video posts on platforms like TikTok show how even just the words "Tokyo, Japan" with a cherry blossom emoji can make an otherwise banal street scene more appealing for some users.