People who live in the English village of Kidlington—population: 14,000; claim to fame: none to speak of—report that busloads of Asian tourists have been pouring into their town on Thursdays, strolling the streets and snapping photos. Here's the weird part: nobody in Kidlington knows why. When locals have asked the visitors for an explanation, the language barrier has kept them from getting much useful information. One resident says that he was able to ascertain that the tourists are from China and speculates that they're marveling at the gardens and pretty houses. Others wonder whether Kidlington's use as a setting in several fictional works and as a filming location for the Harry Potter movies has something to do with the influx.
Last Thursday came a new twist: several journalists showed up in Kidlington, hoping to catch sight of the mysterious visitors. As it happened, no tourists showed up that day. That left some Kidlingtonians wondering whether the whole thing had been a prank played by local students.
