Okayama Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Sam

What Is a Private Okayama Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report on Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle

The guests were from Europe: the group included a student. One of the guests spoke warmly on the phone during the tour. It was unfortunately a rainy day, but thankfully it was not a heavy downpour. Overseas guests often do not use umbrellas, but the guests had lovely umbrellas, and when I asked where they had bought them, the answer was a convenience store. They were surprisingly nice umbrellas for a convenience store. At Korakuen Garden, we purchased a combined ticket with Okayama Castle, and the student was admitted free upon presenting a student ID. They had been told to present it at Okayama Castle as well to be admitted free, but when we actually went to Okayama Castle, we were told that the free admission was "limited to high schools within Okayama Prefecture," and I found the difference in handling puzzling. It is true that Korakuen Garden is under the jurisdiction of Okayama Prefecture, while Okayama Castle is under the jurisdiction of Okayama City, but I felt they should adopt a unified standard. Initially, one of the guests had wished to also visit the Okayama Prefectural Museum located across from Korakuen Garden, but perhaps partly because of this, it was excluded from the destinations. At Korakuen Garden, the pond was being cleaned, so we were able to see a rare sight. It was also truly heartwarming to see them happily buying fu (wheat gluten) feed for the carp and feeding them. In addition, they bought several incense holders at the Korakuen Garden shop that they had missed buying in Kyoto, which put me at ease as well. Moreover, at Okayama Castle they were able to sit on a model horse, and looked very pleased. I heard that, like dancing, horseback riding was one of their hobbies. Finally, we strolled through Nishigawa Green Belt Park with its vivid fresh greenery before heading back. What surprised me was that one of the guests was gifted in languages, speaking not only Slovene and English but also, remarkably, Korean, Chinese, and a little Japanese. I was amazed when they explained the Hangul lettering of a Korean restaurant in town. This time, multiple guides handled the same guests, and their "coordination" paid off — for example, enabling the purchase of the incense holders — and I thought this new system was wonderful.

Click here for more details: Okayama Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide

Tour Report by Sam

My name is Susumu Hiramatsu. I am a national government licensed guide interpreter. I became a guide interpreter in 1992. My educational background started with a BA in law, then an MA in English language education, and completed a doctoral course without a degree in English language teaching. My occupational career began with a bank officer, then shifted to a translation and interpretation company, finally became a freelance translator, interpreter, and college teacher. I handle conference interpretation, namely simultaneous interpretation. As for the guide interpreter, my interest covers wide areas including politics and business, but I deem cultural aspects to be fundamental. I am always encouraging myself to be filled with Japanese hospitality.