Wednesday February 15, 2012

LostinNagoya's past comments

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    LostinNagoya

    here´s the link:

    ¨JAPAN: NO ROOM AT INN FOR FOREIGNERS¨

    ¨TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs says over 70 percent of Japanese inns and hotels that didn't have foreign guests last year don't want any in the future either.

    The ministry says that a survey of such businesses showed they feel unable to support foreign languages and that their facilities are not suited to foreigners.

    The survey released Thursday shows that over 60 percent of Japan's inns and hotels had foreign guests last year, but the majority of the rest don't want any.

    It was released as Japan continues its efforts to attract more foreign visitors. The country's "Visit Japan Campaign" aims to draw 10 million foreigners to the country for trips and business in the year 2010, up from 8.35 million last year.¨

    Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?

  • 0

    LostinNagoya

    I think all these differents views we have on xenophobia is very important, and we should go on with this debate because we somehow are all tourists here, only that linger longer than we needed. eheh.

    Well back to the arena full of lions. For those who are in denial about Japanese being not ready for open tourism, here´s a recent CNN punch:

    http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/09/japan.inn.room.foreigners.ap/index.html

    I think this put an end to this debacle.

    Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?

  • 0

    LostinNagoya

    @ Cleo: read my first post again, you didn´t understand what I wrote. Let´s do the ABC again. Of course, they say that to everybody who enters any shop. What you didn´t get is that there are different intonations, as my friend said. Well in my opinion, you are a Japanese! Or you became one!

    Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?

  • 0

    LostinNagoya

    Cleo: ¨I was told by a Japanese-American friend that the true meaning of this word is reserved to the Japanese customers, which is something like a soft voice ¨may we serve you?¨, but the entonation is completely different when a foreig is seen inside a shop and the voice changes to a hard and annoyed tone, meaning ¨let´s keep an eye on him! shoplifiting!¨

    Rubbish. They yell irashaimasse at everyone. The intonation is no different and it's so much of a set phrase that it means nothing. Your J-A pal is pushing your buttons.¨

    My friend JA friend is a a well informed person, who was educated in the Japanese way by his mother. And as for the ¨warning welcome¨, he and the rest of the staff he worked with, were trained by a senior staff of one of Tokyo´s most famous depato, as a daily routine by the way.

    Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?

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    LostinNagoya

    Let me tell you what I saw you this week:

    1. A Chinese tourist was trying to adjust her fare at Nagoya Meitetsu Train station and apparently was having a problem with the machine. What happened was that a Meitetsu staff came to her and behaved so arrogantly that people nearby stopped to see what was the commotion. What we saw was this: a customer of a paid service being mistreated in such a way that makes me wonder how can Japanese think they are ready to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

    2. A friend of mine went to a restaurant with some Germans where the chef came to every table to thank the clients for coming to his restaurant, BUT to his table. Of course, his table got in the spotlight and everybody was looking at their table. I have this restaurant on my agenda: never go there.

    Not to mention the oji-chan they put to follow foreing customers inside shops, because they´re afraid foreign customers will shoplift. Or the upsetting ¨irashaimasse!!¨ they yell everytime a foreign enters a shop (I was told by a Japanese-American friend that the true meaning of this word is reserved to the Japanese customers, which is something like a soft voice ¨may we serve you?¨, but the entonation is completely different when a foreig is seen inside a shop and the voice changes to a hard and annoyed tone, meaning ¨let´s keep an eye on him! shoplifiting!¨).

    Sad, but true. Most tourist may come here once, but I doubt they want to return a second time.

    Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?

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    LostinNagoya

    I think we should learn a little more about Tibet and its culture before saying anything about the Dalai Lama or what he stands for. For starters, our notion on ¨wealthiness¨ is completely different from theirs - just pay attention to what he says, it´s not what we have in our minds everyday. I suggest a book, one that made feel like changing my life: The Skull Mantra, by Eliot Pattison. It made me cry, it make feel worthless and complete at the same time. By the way, I am not Tibetan or Buddhist, but after reading it, I do wish I was born there.

    Posted in: Dalai Lama raps China over Tibet issue

  • 0

    LostinNagoya

    What, ptolemy, are you telling me they aren´t girls!?!!! Oh my misso!!!(fainting here);;;

    Posted in: KAT-TUN singer Jin Akanishi to make film debut

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