Japanese staff

Press, 7 May 1984, Page 12

Japanese staff

Sir,—l have been involved with the Japanese tourist industry for several years and my ability to assess the requirements of Japanese tourists is based on experience. Mr McLauchlan (May 4) missed the point of my letter of May 1, where I emphasised that it takes years of studying both the Japanese language and Japanese culture to attain anywhere near the level of skill required to be a tour guide. He claims to be familiar with Japanese people, so he would know that their culture is different. He would surely acknowledge that apart from learning the language, it takes, years to understand the way Japanese people handle situations, which is totally different from our way. These skills unfortunately cannot be learnt in a classroom. A person would need to Jive among Japanese in their coun-

try for some time to even attempt to understand them fully.—Yours, etc. MRS P. A. SEAY. May 4, 1984.

Sir, — We now have a number of very fluent speakers of Japanese in this country. These Japanesespeaking New Zealanders have had a very sound grounding in this language from our educational institutions, before spending considerable time living in Japan, gathering first-hand experience of both the language and customs. Any foreign language requires years of study. A new awareness of the importance of encouraging closer economic and cultural ties with Japan has led to an increase in the number of people prepared to devote the time, effort and money necessary to equip them with the desired skills. Furthermore, most Japanese tourists coming to New Zealand now are of the younger generation, who, unlike their elders, have come here to meet New Zealand people, as well as to enjoy our scenery. — Yours, etc., IRENE CROWE. May 3, 1984.