[NautiNurse]

Has there been any estimate for the number of Japanese tourists through this?

[bwteim]

Off current thread purpose as to providing news for all on impact and recover,

but this just in from WWL:

" But not all responses were positive. Islamic extremists are rejoicing. Internet chatter referred to the storm as "Private" Katrina, and said it had joined the global holy war against the U.S."

[AmericanInTokyo]

No estimate on Japanese tourists there. The Japan embassy in D.C. would know. It is not particularly a Japanese tourist season, as schools and workers are mostly in place in Japan. I would not imagine any. However, any Japanese tourists stuck in that Superdome would have had a nervous breakdown by now.

Unfortunately, for most Japanese, although they know "rooizianna" (Lousiana) for jazz and Cajun cooking, they also have a strong image of it as being unsafe--fairly or unfairly--for the name "Yoshihiro Hattori" rings in their ears since 1992. It would be safe to say that many Japanese are not surprised of reports of looters firing back at aid workers...and total social breakdown. For many of them, that city and state has been and will be very 'kowai'.

I've come across no shortage of people in Japan who have said, "why do you Americans go to all these foreign countries to restore order when you have such dangerous places still within your own country that are not peaceful and orderly". It has always been a tough question as a represenative of America to them, unofficially and whether I like it or not, to answer.