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Theme Parks: A simpler theme category is "Theme Restaurants." In the US there are restaurants like "57th Squadron" and "94th Squadron" which are restaurants on country airport runways with a "WWII fighter squadron" theme. On the outside patio you look at personal jets landing and taking off. Inside you can admire all the antique black and white framed pictures of framed WWII pilots--many of them killed in the war. I love that place, and the THEME allows your spirits to float above the actual past realities of say . . . 20 year-old airmen being shot down and burning to death before crashing into the ocean. "Themes" can strip out the unpleasant, grittier parts.

"Cruises" like "Princess Cruises" also promote "Theme Life." A week on a cruise ship is like a week "Within A Theme" . . . a week of Food, Drink, Sea, Air, Light Entertainment, Maybe Sex. The Reality of the Support System--the army of workers living "below deck" and enduring a semi-slave work schedule at low wages is hidden from you.

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Thanks Robert, that's a great point

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Matthew Perry and his fleet were americans.

I love this japanese infatuation with historical european esthetics. I don't really consume japanese media but I noticed that many japanese anime, games and even rock bands feature european castles, palaces and historical fashion while western media is much more likely to deconstruct, denigrate, falsify and uglify Europe's enchanting past with Cleopatra from Netflix being just the latest example (technically Middle East history but you get the point).

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Yes. I'd like to travel to Ise and then to spend my time at Shima Spain.

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Have you ever read Donald Richie? He wrote a fantastic essay on this topic.

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Will have to check it out

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I find this totally fascinating. The Dutch themepark looks way more perfect than the actual Netherlands looks, but I admire how well they've done it. I actually saw this Dutch themepark on a Netflix show called "Run for the Money". Paris itself can be mesmorising but I say that as a Londoner, who is used to many similar issues that someone could complain about same as Paris!

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Agree, Japan made it impossibly real! Will have to check out the Netflix show!

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