Where to apply to become a tour guide in Japan?

June 11, 2008 11:10 AM

Getting a job as a tour guide in Japan?

For reasons not worth going into here, I'm looking for information (i.e. companies to contact, for example) on becoming a tour guide in Japan for English-speaking groups. Preferably in Kansai or Chubu regions, though I'm mostly just looking for a step in the right direction and then hopefully working from there.

Assume for the purposes of this question that a work visa is a nonissue, although places that could be applied for from within the United States would probably be preferable. Japanese language skill is sufficient for this sort of thing.

posted by DoctorFedora to work & money (4 comments total)

Oh, right, also: as a white American, rather than as someone who looks even a little Asian.
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:13 AM on June 11

I took a tour of Japan with GAP Adventures and our guide made it seem like they could always use more tour guides over there. She was a non-Asian American. I don't think you have much flexibility in which tours you get to lead, though.
posted by wsquared at 12:15 PM on June 11

As someone who works in the travel industry, I can say that a company who would hire you would expect the following:

* You are able to speak Japanese (and various dialects) fluently. Having "sufficient" language skills is probably not acceptable.

* You have lived in the area you are guiding for a minimum of six months or more. Preferably a year.

* You know every nook and cranny of the area you are guiding in.

* You have excellent experience with dealing in client emergencies (lost luggage, illness, last-minute change in reservations, delays, "unacceptable" insert item here - meals, hotel room, air conditioning in bus / hotel room, etc.

* You have excellent contacts at hotels and airlines to deal with above client emergencies quickly and discreetly. You also know the best restaurants, best shops, best tailors, best massage therapist, best jeweler, etc.

* You are able to put up with a 24-hour exposure to cranky, jet-lagged folks who are unable to deal with major culture shock ("I want a hot dog, and I want a hot dog NOW");

* You are able to tell when your 15-minute discourse on ancient Japanese history has put the majority of your clients to sleep and 1) you don't take offense and 2) will change your topic immediately to something that will engage and excite them

* Be prepared to be an ombudsman for everything - just off the top of my head, I'll give you examples of things you will have to deal with: people who bring the wrong electrical converter; people who think the flight time is the check in time so they miss their flight; people who can't stand the food that is served to them; people who refuse to understand they are in a foreign country and repeatedly say, "In America / Australia / England, we do this..."; people who hate their roommates because they snore / fart / never wash and want to change rooms but not pay the single supplement hotel charge; people who don't understand the local currency and keep asking why things are so expensive; people who are perpetually late; blah blah blah.

* Typically guides prefer to have American groups because they tip the most (the industry standard is $5-10 per person per day, sometimes more and often less if you have European or Asian groups). That means if you have 12 people for 5 days, you could make $300 - $600 in tips, but you'll be working from the minute you wake up (because you have to be with the group from the time they finish breakfast) to dropping them off at the hotel 10 hours later - and that's if you don't have to deal with any problems, which could hold you up for another two or three hours.

* You may work for 37 days straight, non stop, and then not get another gig for another 3 months.

If you have experience in the above, mention this in your resume. I would not bother applying for a position if you don't any of the above attributes. You won't get hired.

If you are lucky, you meet the most amazing travelers in the world - eager, curious, open to new experiences. But be prepared to deal with the worst travelers in the world as well.

I can't help with companies who would hire you, but MeMail me if you have any other questions.
posted by HeyAllie at 5:04 PM on June 11

Apply with Bespoke Tokyo or TAS, either of those companies are a match for what you are looking for and have at least one non-Japanese tour guide. Send me a mail and I can pass your info to the Bespoke folks directly.
posted by ejoey at 7:15 PM on June 11