Let’s travel with foreigners for the purpose of rediscovering the fascination of Japan.

Tourism is ace in the hole for Japan to be international and vitalized locally.Let’s travel with foreigners for the purpose of rediscovering the fascination of Japan.

1. What’s the importance of tourism?

To vitalize Japan, especially stimulate local industry, “tourism” is very important key, I think. Until recently, there had been big outbound tourism (Japanese people’s going abroad) and small inbound tourism (accepting foreign tourists in Japan) in Japan. Accepting foreign tourists in Japan is effective for Japan to be international. Tourists from various countries vitalize local areas and causes us to be proud of our own hometown again.

Tourism provides a spark for industries to vitalize. Shops and accommodations for tourists will be established and new souvenirs will be invented.


2. What do you think impresses us most about Japan?

There are a wide variety of characters according to regions ranging from Hokkaido to Okinawa in this small country. The nature and contrasts of all four seasons and local specialties are great, and we have many kinds of characteristic hot springs. Hospitality peculiar to Japanese, if Japanese understand foreigners more and are proud of their own region, will become a big tourist resource.

3. What do you think is most necessary for Japan to be a tourism nation?

We need to try to find a lot to be proud of in Japan with foreigners. Things that are commonplace for us can be very attractive for foreigners.
Public organizations and major companies in the tourism industry need to provide opportunities for foreigners to perform as leader. We need to make efforts to make students from overseas and foreigners who will stay long think it’s comfortable to live in Japan.
If they will say that they like Japan when they come back to their home countries, it will be excellent PR.


4. Would you give messages for students who are interested in the tourism industry?

I want you to strive to be professionals of tourism. In my laboratory, a student from China strived to qualify as a professional of tourism and joined a major travel agency.

In his third year with the agency, he made an important role in the Beijing Olympics on the ground, because foreigners can care for many things that can not be done by Japanese.

I want you to gain enough experience and aim to be a manager in a Japanese company.
In the future, opportunities to demonstrate your abilities will increase without doubt, and you strive to be a leader then.


5. What’s your motto?

Seeing is believing. I think it’s important for us to experience anything with our body as well as with our mind. When you want to do something, try it first.

Professor Masaru Suzuki ProfileGraduated from School of Commerce, Waseda University in 1967 and joined JTBAfter work at the Kyoto branch, 5 years in Sydney and 4 years in Beijing as responsible officialAfter manager of Oceania in JTB World and manager of Asia of directors, 8 years ago, he started to give lectures such as “Vitalization of international tourism” to university students as a professor who had carried through his own businessman life. Now he is making efforts to forge “a tourism nation, Japan” where expanding equilibrium of two-way tourism, inbound and outbound is established.

Japanese singer popular among Japanese-Brazilian community which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of immigration

Yumi Inoue, who have been making performance at Japanese community for ten years

1:What brings you to sing songs in Brazil?


I watched Japanese Brazilian sing Japanese songs with full respect in singing contest in Sao Paulo by NHK on TV.
Then I asked my manager to give me an opportunity to “sing Japanese songs for Japanese Brazilian in Brazil”.
Various people including my manager helped me make performance in Brazil, though I didn’t have any acquaintances and didn’t have any human relationships in South America.
First performance was successful, and I was asked to “make another performance there the following year”.
This is the 10th year I have performed at Japanese community in South America including Brazil.
I was anxious lest I should make myself understood by people in South America who have different language and culture from me, but I found that if we “enjoyed songs”, it didn’t matter what race they were, and what nationality they had.

2:This is the 100th year people have immigrated into Brazil, what do you think about that?


First-generation and second-generation Japanese immigrants have established Japanese community of today with considerable difficulty.
This year we will have many memorial events both in Japan and Brazil, but next year, the 101st year is more important, I suppose.
I’d like to continue to sing “Obrigado, Kasatomaru”, a song for “Japanese immigrants” to prevent these events from resulting in a boom, hoping that “everyone keeps in mind that there are many people who had difficulties in living a foreign country as immigrants”.

Interview with Naoki Segi, the director of the film “KIZUKI”

Expressing gratitude to natureInterview with Naoki Segi, the director of the film “KIZUKI”Environmental issues without borders!!

Q:What inspired you to direct a film?


A:I was born in Yokkaichi, Mie, which was notorious for pollution. When I went on a family trip to Nagano, I was so fascinated by prodigality of nature that I was eager to live surrounded by nature.
Also at the fourth grade of elementary school, the picture of Minamata disease in a school textbook, which showed the miseries pollution caused, has convinced me to break into broadcast journalism.
However, I failed to pass examination of major newspaper company and joined the filmmaker where I had been working as a part-timer when I was in college.
Only two and half years after I joined it, thanks to excellent staff, I became a director, though it usually takes 10 years at least to do.
It took very little time for me to become director, so I was at a loss about what I wanted to be like. At age 26, I quit the job to travel all over the world. I have been asking myself whether I really loved films or not for seven months there.
I saw myself objectively in an environment where I had trouble in communicating.
I paused to realize that film, which contained 24 exposures in a second, could deliver more messages than photos. Then I came back to Japan to start all over again from assistant director.
I really love films now.

Q:Do you develop a special feeling for “KIZUKI”?　


A:I emphasized contradictory behavior and inner conflict people have.
This film is not documentary one.
It is a human drama depicting social problems hiding behind.
We make something and consume resources for our survival.
We have to consume resources to make something.
This is human contradictory behavior.
This film is composed of four stories and each story has a main character of its own. Each character has his or her contradiction and conflict. You can check stories from your own experience.

Q:What do you think about environmental issues in China?　


A:There is a scene where people pick up trash washed ashore on Ishigaki Island in the film.
80 to 90 percentage of it is from abroad, especially China and Korea.
What I want to say is it’s not only China and Korea that is to blame and we have environmental issues without borders.I want this understood.
It is essential that people from all over the world should take some actions all the more for environmental issues without borders.

Q:Can　I　have　the　message for foreign students　？


A:Unfortunately, it’s the case that sometimes trash is not sorted out in the proper way in a district where many foreign students live.
Though they have respective environment, culture, and lifestyle habit, I want them to think again about what they should do to solve environmental issues without borders. .

Q:What　is　your　Motto？　


A:It’s “gratitude”. I don’t forget to express gratitude to nature, people around me, and my family.

Naoki Segi
Born in 1963, in Mie
Working as a freelance after having worked for
a production after graduation from college
He continually shoots films which are set on nature
and community of region. His previous film
“Watch with me”,
which was about how terminal care should be,
got best customer satisfaction in the film,
drama magazine “Pia” in last June.
He is now attracting attention as a social director
in the field of education and of town development
as well as in the film industry.

Break down the barriers that people feel toward speaking English

MR　Patrick Harlan　Comedian, entertainer,
actor Cohosts Eigo de Shabera Night
on NHK television

Q: What made you want to be a Comedian? And ｗhy in Japan?

A: Well I wanted to be an actor. I have been acting since I was 6, singing and performing in general. I came out to Tokyo in 1996 to be an actor. I watched Japanese TV and they had American personalities (talent) but not good American actors so I figured that they needed a good one and that was me! After a year on the scene, it turned out that this country didn’t really need me. I didn’t get any big jobs and hadn’t really made a name for myself as an actor. So I had to improve my skills. Then I met my partner, Makoto Yoshida. He wanted to be a comedian. I said, “Gosh. If I want to be an actor, I should know how to be funny in Japanese. So I figured “Use him and lose him”.
I thought “Practice with him for awhile and when I get famous, I’ll go back to acting”. But apparently, I’m not going back to acting anytime soon. I picked Japan to act in and I picked a career as a comedian to improve my acting skills.

Q: What was your first impression of Japan?

A: I was amazed that it was similar to America. I thought it would be much more different. Japan has American clothes, fairly big houses, regular cars and better food! This is a great country to get along with!


Q: How did you overcome the barrier of language as a foreigner from a non-kanji country?

A: Kanji cards! I just carried them around with me everywhere, when I was on the bus, when I was supposed to be working. I focused on reading (rather than writing).
I made 2000 cards in 2 years. Once you know kanji, it makes a huge difference.

Q: What is the key for Japanese to improve their English?

A: Go away! Living in a foreign country would be the fastest.
There is no secret. Just study. It’s no different from learning how to play tennis. No one learns how to be a good tennis player in an hour or a week. It’s just the same thing. Practice makes it perfect.

Q: What was the “culture shock” for you in Japan?

A: Maybe my attitude or behavior as an American. By Japanese standards, it was too unrefined. For example, arms on a table, crossing my legs, or sitting next to an important person and saying, “Hey, how is it going?” I had no idea. So the expectation of politeness was a bit stricter. I also hit my head a lot.

Mr Patrick Harlan
Comedian, entertainer, actor. Raised in Colorado.. Earned a B.A. in the Study of Religion from Harvard University in 1993 and arrived in Japan the same year. Formed the comic duo Pack'n Mack'n with Yoshida Makoto in 1997. Cohosts Eigo de Shabera Night on NHK television, hosts Jam the World (J-Wave Radio) on Fridays, and appears regularly on other TV and radio shows. Coauthor of Bakusho Mondai, Pakkun Eigo Genron.

The Star of International Education, Kazuko Hirota, Ph.D.

Q: You have experienced guiding many students. What do you think is the best way to decide the order of priority?

A: I don’t decide the order of priority on things. For me, intuition is really important.
When I think about things seriously, the most important thing would naturally come up and I try to act honestly to it.


Q: What do you recommend to foreigners in Japan for enjoying their life here?

A: The important thing is never forget the purpose of coming to Japan.
Of course there are both bad things and good things happened. But the way you accept it would change them to a part of your meaningful experience.
We have also been sending many students to abroad, and there　are people who regret for not having gone abroad, but not for having gone.
I guess they all had a big dream when arrived Japan, so I would like them to keep it and have a positive life in Japan.
Even if you got some problem, it will surely help you as an experience, so accept it and keep challenging anything you want.

Q: It has been 8 years since I came to Japan. What do you think is the thing international students should know about when studying Japanese?

A: Japan has spiritual culture that is “understand each other without expressions”.
So we avoid direct expressions and have a lot of ways of expressions to “read between the lines”. Understanding the culture peculiar to Japan will direct you to the improvement of Japanese language.
When I see Tea ceremony and Japanese food, I find many delicate manners and nonverbal ways of expression. I can say it is also really important to understand about it.

melody.: A brave, young television host and singer

Q: What do you think is the most distinct difference between J-MELO and other music shows in Japan?

A: One obvious difference would be that we do everything in English, including interviews. Another difference is that most music shows in Japan are directed toward a Japanese audience but we make J- MELO for foreigners or people who don’t know much about Japanese culture and may be interested in J-Pop or Japanese music. We don’t only feature J-Pop, but classical music, jazz music and even traditional music. People who watch the show can get a good sense of what Japan really is. It’s our job to let people around the world know about Japan. I can see all the traditional things from a foreigner’s point of view because I wasn’t raised in Japan, but in Hawaii, so I feel like I’m learning something. It’s easy to explain things in a simple, easy to understand way.

Q : You’ve collaborated with a lot of artists on the show J-MELO. Do you have any special memories from these experiences?
A: The most special memory that comes to me right away is the collaboration I did in Okinawa with Isamu Shimoji and Yukito Ara. My mother is originally from Okinawa so I used to visit every summer to see my relatives. Their traditional music and their culture is something that I’ve always experienced. I’ve never had a chance to perform in Okinawa before so because of this collaboration I was able to perform in front of my relatives and grandmother, which was the happiest thing for me. Also, those two Okinawan musicians were so soulful. In Okinawa everything is so laid back. To them, music is something really fun, not work, like it can not be in Tokyo, so that was kind of new for me.

GUNZA FIVE is kind to foreigners

GINZA FIVE, where you can go directly from the exit C of Ginza station on Tokyo Metro, they are promoting their shopping mall which is kind to foreigners by issuing multilingual brochures and opening a homepage not only for Japanese but for English, Chinese, and Korean speakers which was completed by the 5th of November.

The numbers of visitors, who are foreign residents of Japan and tourists, have been increasing these days. That gives them the need of more information about Ginza including maps and lines, not only in English, but in Chinese and Korean, also. The most notable feature of the brochure is it is written in ‘foreigners’ point of view’. American, Taiwanese, and Korean actually went interviewing. While conventional brochures were written in owners’ view, this time they had a shift-change to focus on foreigners, which means, their customers’ point of view. When you stop by Ginza, we highly recommend you to get one of the multilingual brochures and have a little language lesson or even a fun reading time!!

Challenges in Japan

and his lessons for the ‘game of life’

1) Would you mind sharing with us what made you want to
become a basketball player?

I used to play baseball when I was a kid but since I was tall,
I was asked to play basketball instead. Also, I was able to
get a scholarship into a university and that was probably
the most important thing. In reality, it is difficult for parents
to spend that money to go to college.

2) Speaking of names, I’m aware that your son Kobe was
named after the Kobe beef. How far back have you had an
interest in Japan?

It’s a true story. My wife and I went to a restaurant and had a
steak named Kobe. The restaurant was also named after the
steak so we found that very interesting. When we asked what
it meant, they said it meant tender beef and also the name of
the city.We wanted to name our child after interesting names
which weren’t like Joe, Tom… We wanted it to be a little bit
different.

3) What attracted you to Japan? Is there a favorite part of the Japanese culture that you
are interested in?

I am definitely interested in the culture. As I get older, I want to travel and experience
different cultures. I had a chance to live in Europe for 8years and when the opportunity
came along to come to Asia, it was a ‘no brainer’ and I accepted the challenge.
I think the food is good. Ｔhere are some sushi I ate. I also like the professionalism and
the services here. I think one of the hardest things for me here is walking through the
subway. At some of the stations, I keep bumping my head.

Tokyo Apache's head coach and former NBA player. Also is father of Kobe Bryant who is the NBA superstar.
Tokyo Apache's coach extremely popular to children
always!
1954.10.19 H:207cm W: 112kg

“The Community ”

★Mr. Aoki, the head of Nakano Broadway Promotion Association
★Ms. Suzuki, the council of Nakano City Government, who provides support from Broadway’s perspective
★Jeremy,who works at “Mangadarake” where fans of comics (manga) and anime from all over the world gather together
★Bastian, who helped us in the production of the multilingual guide and claims himself as the No.1 “Otaku” in France
★Ms. Miyuki Ichino who spreads the attractiveness of Nakano Broadway to Chinese females
★We also asked Mr. Tsukasaki who creates a network for SCN, a student group that facilitates exchanges between Japanese and foreign students,
and other foreigners who attended the international event “Bonds” to say a few words .

★The words from Mr. Aoki, the head of Nakano Broadway Promotion Association
What’s attractive about Nakano Broadway?
The charm of Nakano Broadway is that the hobby shops and the traditional shops blend together naturally not by design but by chance while keeping its unique atmosphere. Although a lot of people from all over the world come here due to anime and comics, limited effort has been made to make it a tourist site. Local people still buy dishes for dinner here and so on. It’s very full of local color.
Also, since there are a lot of shops, you can always discover something new no matter how many times you’ve been here.
About the future of Nakano Broadway
In the future, we hope to incorporate new things so that we can bring positive effects to other shopping streets. We aim to create an environment where foreigners, along with the young generation, can enhance the future of Nakano Broadway. On July 16th, foreigners gathered by Senseup, attended the international exchange event, “Bonds”. This event incorporated the participation of foreigners and the Hachijojima taiko performance. We hope that we can receive foreigners’ assistance in enhancing the future of Nakano Broadway. We also received strong support from Nakano City Government not only financially but also in PR. We hope that Nakano Broadway remains a shopping street that receives everyone’s support and a shopping street that is always loved by everyone.

★Ms. Suzuki, the council of Nakano municipal government, who provides support from Broadway’s perspective

About Nakano Broadway’s promotions targeting foreigners
About the involvement of city government
Shopping streets play an important role in creating the charm of the region.
It is an important thing for Nakano Broadway which is known as the face of Nakano to provide original values. I heard that Nakano Broadway is becoming more internationalized. To create an environment that accommodates this kind of diversity, we should not only sell goods but also increase our attractiveness as a community with heart-warming hospitality.
The government will actively support such positive efforts of Nakano Broadway.

★The thoughts of Jeremy who works at “Mangadarake” where fans of comics (manga) and anime from all over the world gather together:

I heard that Japanese animations and comics are popular in France, but people in France in a way look at them as arts.
I’m in charge of overseas mail orders, and the most popular items are original drawings of manga and the cellulite pictures of anime. Drawings with scarcity value can cost several hundred thousand yen.
Many French frame those drawings in the way you do to paintings.
Maybe that’s because they have been exposed to Japanese anime since they were kids.
In fact, there’s an event in Paris called JAPANEXPO which introduces Japanese subcultures. This year more than 80,000 people (a historical high) attended the event.
Since Japanese anime and manga have broad bases, more and more people will probably come to Japan, or rather, Nakano Broadway.

It is important to respect one's country and culture when interacting with someone.

An interview with Mr. Hiranowho created a staffing company that has expanded its annual business to 90 billion Yen within 15 years and owns a baseball stadium.

【Interview】
Zhao: At a staffing company, dealing with people is thought to be important. Is there such a thing as the technique that facilitates smooth relationships with others?

Mr. Hirano: I would say thinking about the other person's feelings is the key. That is, be considerate of the other person's feelings whether at work or in your personal life. In order to smoothen the relationship, opening one's heart to each other is important.

Zhao: How do we build relationships with others and relationships of mutual trust especially when we come from different national origins?

Mr. Hirano: I think a relationship of mutual trust is something which is built upon ideas such as keeping promises, for example, that are common in all countries. Being punctual and so on are really basic things. The more different the culture is, the more you should try to find and praise good things about the differences instead of looking disapprovingly at bad things.

Zhao: You mentioned that improving humanity is an important thing. To be more concrete, how can we do so?

Mr. Hirano: Through experiencing. You should try to see and do different things, go to various countries, and meet different people. Humans can only think within the horizon of what they have experienced in their life. I also think according to the accumulation of experiences from meeting different people, things, and places. Therefore, the more experiences you have, the broader your vision becomes.

Saito: I just entered university this year. I understand that gaining experience is an important thing, but I don't know where to start.
What should I do?

Mr. Hirano: There are many forms of experience. In any case, I think no matter what form it is in, it is crucial for coping with the difficulties we face in the battlefield of life. When talking about battlefield, you would probably associate it with life and death, but that's not what I mean. What I mean by battlefield is the situations in daily life such as the relationship with friends, at work or when you're studying, where you have to think and make judgments and decisions. Being the leader of a seminar or the executive of a club is also an example. You have to think about things such as how much to charge, where it should be held, how to let everyone know about it, and so on. Being under that kind of pressure and accumulating such experiences are important. I think it is crucial that you try to encounter situations where you have to think, make judgments, and lead people.

Saito: I am thinking about getting a part-time job this year. All of my friends are working at chain stores, but an acquaintance of mine said that there isn't anything you can learn from those jobs.

Mr. Hirano: Even at McDonalds or Mos Burger, for example, you can develop your skills. There is no job that does not allow you to gain any experience. Even if you work as a waitress, you get the opportunity to think about how to satisfy all the customers that come into the store from various backgrounds. By doing so, you can gain experience beyond your wage. People who think "if I work for 1 hour I can get 1000 Yen" do not learn anything because they think they are just selling their time and the easier the job and the higher the wage, the better it is. The important thing is to think "what should I do so I can gain how much" not "how much for 1 hour".

Zhao: What should international students pay attention to when they participate in recruiting activities?

Mr. Hirano: First of all, as humans, we do not differentiate between Japanese and foreigners. Besides the procedures required by laws and so on, the underlying idea is "We are all Asian and people that live on earth". But if I were to give advice on the basis of that, I would say be proud of your country when you look for a job and try to convey that. There are things that you can do because you are an international student. Try to convey the advantages of being an international student such as your ability to bridge the language and cultural gaps between your culture and the Japanese culture. I think as an executive, he/she will want to hire whoever can turn that into a positive thing.

Zhao: It is said that Japanese people work too much. You just mentioned that keeping one's body in shape is also important. How can we find a balance?

Mr. Hirano: In my case, my hobby is to play sports so it's not such a difficult thing (laugh). But don't you think people who can do everything with 100% of their energy are great? It seems like there used to be a saying "Dedicate 100% of your energy to work!". But whoever puts 100% of his/her energy into work also dedicate 100% of his/her energy when playing. People who work smartly also play smartly. If you look at how they use their time, you can understand that right away. You cannot say which one is good or which one is bad. People like that are really good at managing.

Zhao: What's the goal of your company?

Mr. Hirano: Our goal is to create a company that is loved the most in the world. I hope Fullcast can become a company in which the employees feel good about working here. For instance, when asked by other friends "Which staffing company is good?", they can say "Fullcast" with confidence. I hope Fullcast can become a company that cares about people's feelings and a company where the employees can shine.

Zhao: Mr. Hirano, what's your motto?

Mr. Hirano: It is "You shall not forget your first intent". The initial feelings and ambitions are gradually forgotten as time goes by and as changes take place. I think it is important to always remember the feelings that you had when you first started the business or the job.

【Impressions】
Zhao: I was so nervous!

Saito: Me too. But it was such a good opportunity to be able to talk to such a great person right after entering university. I will try my best to actively play a responsible role through part-time jobs and so on as Mr. Hirano pointed out.

Zhao: I have been participating in recruiting activities recently, and the advice was really helpful. I think it is definitely true that "The basis of communication is to be considerate of the other person". After all, job hunting is also about communicating with the companies.

Saito: That's true. I have no clue about that, but it really is a difficult thing to convey yourself to someone else. I was worried about making friends as I just entered university, but I'm more comfortable now.

Zhao: I see. Through this interview, we were also able to get to know each other. It has become a cherished memory. Thank you so much!

【Profile】Mr. Takehito HiranoCEO of Fullcast GroupBorn in 1961 in Kanagawa prefectureAfter graduating from Kanagawa University Faculty of Economics, he started working at a financial company. In 1987, he established a tutor-dispatching company. In 1990, he started outsourcing business in the area of light work. In 2005, he got the right to name prefecture-owned Miyagi Stadium and he named it "Fullcast Stadium Miyagi". Fullcast is now a big company that holds 17 companies.