Inscrutable Japan might be the 'most Americanized' of all the Asian nations
Toolbox
By ANNE CHALFANT Knight Ridder Newspapers - Published: January 12, 2006
Japan can be a swirl of confusion to the traveler.
But services of free guides can give you an entree to this intriguing, yet difficult to visit, nation.
Goodwill Guides in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan are English-speaking volunteers who show off their nation with irrepressible enthusiasm.
Our guides arrived promptly at predetermined meeting spots — in our hotel or in train stations — and we were off and running to get an intimate and comprehensive look. The only cost to us was the guides' lunch and transportation fees.
Our hosts included a housewife who had learned her excellent English watching English TV, a retired university professor, a banker and two young women in training to be professional guides.
Their enthusiasm was remarkable. The university professor, Mr. Takeshi Iijima, even went so far as to prepare a pamphlet — complete with his own digital photos — of the buildings my architect son wanted to see.
Japan does not get the numbers of American tourists that it would like to — China is siphoning off many. And yet Japan is, as a friend of mine put it, "our twin separated at birth." They are so Americanized, wearing classic Western dark suits and putting up both Halloween and Christmas decorations in October. And they welcome Americans like no other nation — people literally approached us and gave us gifts or wanted to talk with my son and me.
And yet, Japan also thoroughly embraces its own traditions — seafood in every size, shape and form, and mannerly protocol that is difficult for Westerners to figure out.
The best way to visit Japan is in the company of Japanese.
You may be able to sign up for your own personal guide, depending on availability. Our guide in Kamakura, Mr. Takehiko Ito, a retired banker, said regretfully he gets only one guiding opportunity a year. "Tell them to come," he said. "I am free," he emphasized.
36