This. All day, every day, this. This is exactly how I describe it when I talk about these issues with tourists in Japan, and with folks (friends mostly) in america. It's not an amusement park, it's a country. Where people live. That maiko in gion is not walking around for your entertainment. Have some respect.

And no, it's certainly not just americans. Foreigners from all over the world do this. But most non-asian foreigners probably don't realise that many of the "japanese" people they see in the really popular tourist spots aren't actually japanese. >.>

I think the pamphlet is great. I don't think it'll help a lot, but one can always hope. *le sigh*