Bilingual Tour Guides Prepare For Post - Pandemic Era
Bilingual tour guides in Japan have had little work recently, as there have been few international visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But some guides who have recently qualified are now getting training for the post-pandemic era.
About 20 attended a recent training session at one of Tokyo's most popular sightseeing spots, Senso-ji temple in the historic Asakusa district.
An instructor told participants how to explain things in easy-to-understand English. She talked about the structure of the temple and its five-story pagoda, as well as the meaning of the fortune slips.
Government certification is available for guides fluent in foreign languages, such as English and French.
But the process is difficult. Fewer than 10 percent of applicants passed the exam for the current fiscal year.
Matsumoto Yoshie, president of Japan Federation of Certified Guides said, "I strongly believe inbound tourism will soon regain its position as a key driver of Japan's economy. We hope to once again be able to play a role in this."
An industry survey shows that roughly 80 percent of bilingual tour guides made little or no money in this line of work last year. The number of applicants for the national exam has also fallen sharply.