Volunteer Guides
Jan 31, 2018, 6:43 am
#1
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Volunteer Guides
Hi,
When planning my Japan trip I stumbled over the option to "hire" a volunteer guide. And once I dug deeper I noticed how many organizations there were. I only looked to Tokyo/Yokohama/Kamakura/Hakone/Kyoto/Nara but there were many willing volunteers to show us around. Their time is free but you have to pay for their expenses (entry fees if any/ meals/ transportation).
Beside the lower costs somehow I like that better than professional Guide as I will have the opportunity to see more of "real" Japan
Great idea Japan!
When planning my Japan trip I stumbled over the option to "hire" a volunteer guide. And once I dug deeper I noticed how many organizations there were. I only looked to Tokyo/Yokohama/Kamakura/Hakone/Kyoto/Nara but there were many willing volunteers to show us around. Their time is free but you have to pay for their expenses (entry fees if any/ meals/ transportation).
Beside the lower costs somehow I like that better than professional Guide as I will have the opportunity to see more of "real" Japan
Great idea Japan!
Jan 31, 2018, 7:55 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2013
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There are licenced guides (usually cost higher) and unlicensed volunteer guides. By law unlicensed guide cannot get paid for their service in Japan hence volunteer and you only pay transport expense, admittion fees, etc.
Many volunteer guide are well intended, some are college students want to practice English.
Common thing about volunteer guides which concerne local touist office is that today many volunteer guides get information from internet such as Wikipedia and often information volunteer guides have is not accurate.
I am not sure that you will be exposed to more "real" Japan by using volunteer guides compare with licensed guide. Again, what voluteer guide show you and tell you can be based on personal preference/taste of that particular guide and such may not represent majority of Japanese people's taste.
Many volunteer guide are well intended, some are college students want to practice English.
Common thing about volunteer guides which concerne local touist office is that today many volunteer guides get information from internet such as Wikipedia and often information volunteer guides have is not accurate.
I am not sure that you will be exposed to more "real" Japan by using volunteer guides compare with licensed guide. Again, what voluteer guide show you and tell you can be based on personal preference/taste of that particular guide and such may not represent majority of Japanese people's taste.
Last edited by AlwaysAisle; Jan 31, 2018 at 8:03 am
Jan 31, 2018, 8:17 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,398
Hi,
When planning my Japan trip I stumbled over the option to "hire" a volunteer guide. And once I dug deeper I noticed how many organizations there were. I only looked to Tokyo/Yokohama/Kamakura/Hakone/Kyoto/Nara but there were many willing volunteers to show us around. Their time is free but you have to pay for their expenses (entry fees if any/ meals/ transportation).
Beside the lower costs somehow I like that better than professional Guide as I will have the opportunity to see more of "real" Japan
Great idea Japan!
When planning my Japan trip I stumbled over the option to "hire" a volunteer guide. And once I dug deeper I noticed how many organizations there were. I only looked to Tokyo/Yokohama/Kamakura/Hakone/Kyoto/Nara but there were many willing volunteers to show us around. Their time is free but you have to pay for their expenses (entry fees if any/ meals/ transportation).
Beside the lower costs somehow I like that better than professional Guide as I will have the opportunity to see more of "real" Japan
Great idea Japan!
A daytrip to Kamakura, which was the shogun's capital in the early medieval period, would let you see the Great Buddha and more temples and historic sites. If you go on a weekend, you may be approached by a volunteer guide, a student of English who will show you around and will ask only that you pay for his/her admissions and lunch
I was approached by a volunteer guide in Meiji Mura once, she was very nice but I had to ditch her as quickly as I could because she knew less about the architecture and the park than I did - and I was pretty clueless.
My suggestion to make the most of a guide is to ask you to accompany you somewhere such as the Edo Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku and get that visit to coincide with a guided tour. It's nearly impossible to get a tour in English so your guide can help you understand what is actually going on. That way, you make the most of the guide's expertise - English and having the chance to practice - and you get to benefit from someone imparting real knowledge and insite on Tokyo History.
If you hit it off with your guide that's great. Not everybody will.
Jan 31, 2018, 8:39 am
#4
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ksandness introduced the concept of goodwill guides to you back in May, but you obviously didn't quite get it at the time:
Problem with the volunteer guides is that (as AlwaysAisle has also commented on) there's no guarantee that they'll know very much about their own city. Often, those who are most qualified to have a conversation with you are fluent precisely because their real interests are outside of Japan.
I was approached by a volunteer guide in Meiji Mura once, she was very nice but I had to ditch her as quickly as I could because she knew less about the architecture and the park than I did - and I was pretty clueless.
My suggestion to make the most of a guide is to ask you to accompany you somewhere such as the Edo Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku and get that visit to coincide with a guided tour. It's nearly impossible to get a tour in English so your guide can help you understand what is actually going on. That way, you make the most of the guide's expertise - English and having the chance to practice - and you get to benefit from someone imparting real knowledge and insite on Tokyo History.
If you hit it off with your guide that's great. Not everybody will.
And while are agree that there is a range that is not usual and not hidden. Some of the guides are licensed (but still a volunteer), some are students, some are middle aged and working other jobs, some are retired. And contrary to you I contacted guide organizations and are working with the guides on itineraries and they all were pretty knowledgeable (my guess is that everyone can stand at the park to offer guide services but an organization will have to do more vetting)
Jan 31, 2018, 8:43 am
#5
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
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Furthermore, Japan is quite easy to see without a guide. You wouldn't think so, but it's true. I have a shelf full of guidebooks, not only to Japan but to specific cities and regions, all in English. Many are now available as e-books. I recently discovered that Tuttle Publishing has an e-book atlas of Japan that is perfect for downloading to a tablet, which means that you don't need an internet connection to use it and that you can enlarge the maps by the usual means. Tourist information offices almost always have maps and pamphlets in English. Signs in many public places and tourist sites are bilingual or even (in recent years) quadrilingual--Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese. Unless you're arriving at some little remote rural train station, unlikely for a first-time trip, signs in train and subway stations are bilingual.
The larger cities are full of resident Westerners and Japanese people who have lived overseas and speak English well.
There's much more information available for self-guiding in Japan than there is in China, Taiwan, or Korea, in my experience.
The larger cities are full of resident Westerners and Japanese people who have lived overseas and speak English well.
There's much more information available for self-guiding in Japan than there is in China, Taiwan, or Korea, in my experience.
Jan 31, 2018, 8:50 am
#6
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There are so many non-profit organizations in Japan, often hear NPO on Japanese media. There are so many different level from top to bottom. How do you know the organization you contacted has very good reputation? How do you know that they are knowledgeable with accurate information? Because they say what you want to hear?
Jan 31, 2018, 9:31 am
#7
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There are so many non-profit organizations in Japan, often hear NPO on Japanese media. There are so many different level from top to bottom. How do you know the organization you contacted has very good reputation? How do you know that they are knowledgeable with accurate information? Because they say what you want to hear?
b) because I got the list from the National Tourist Organization
c) because I read reviews etc.
Nothing from the above guarantees that everything will be good. But on the other hand why worry?