The “Bento Bogan”
Australia’s tourism boom in Japan has produced a new stereotype of the Australian tourist in Japan.
Some Australian commentary has started jokingly referring to this phenomenon as the boganisation of Japan.
The background is real: Australian arrivals to Japan surged after the pandemic, helped by Australia’s proximity to Japan, favourable exchange rates and Japan’s enormous appeal as a destination.
One 2025 report noted that Australian visitors to Japan reached 637,300 between January and September 2024, up 42% on the equivalent record period in 2019.
And some Australians have begun joking about a new breed:
The Bento Bogan
A person who has somehow transported from Bali to Japan the cultural package of:
- beer;
- loudness;
- thongs;
- tattoos;
- footy;
- excessive confidence;
- “she’ll be right”;
- and questionable public behaviour
