Meeting Another Foreigner in the Japanese Countryside

You don't often meet other foreigners while hiking in the Japanese countryside. Though when you do it's nice to say hello. Carol is a fellow American and long-time resident of Japan. She loves wandering in the hills and I often see her while walking in the farmlands surrounding the community where we both live.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Japan
• Japanese
• countryside
• hiking
• walking
• hello
• lylesbrother

[crazyboyfromjapan]

I also had two encounters two days ago on the way to a job interview. First, I translated between an Aussie gentleman and a staion clerk who had some difficulties communicating at Tokyo Station. And, then, I guided a foreign men who were lost at Nagoya Station, then I got lost myself, haha.

I thought, "Hmm, it might be a perfect job for me."

Or, maybe not since I got lost...

See you later!

[LylesBrother]

@crazyboyfromjapan Thank you for sharing your experience. I think that you would make a great guide and translator based on my conversations with you. Thanks again for adding to the information here and helping to give the perspective of someone within the culture of Japan who is also intimately familiar with Western culture. -Kurt :-)

[BusanKevin]

I suppose where I am in Kobe, foreigners are so common that I take them for granted.

In 2002 when I first moved to a small city outside of Seoul, I would pretty much run across the road to tackle another foreigner....they were so rare and refreshing to meet! hehe

[LylesBrother]

@BusanKevin I hear what you're saying Kevin as I experienced the same thing when I lived in Osaka. It was a lot like living in LA where you take foreign faces as just a part of the city's wonderful composition. Out here though it's pretty much just Carol and me and we'd really never have a chance to speak with another native English speaker if it were not for our periodic meet-ups in the hills. -Kurt :-)

[crazyboyfromjapan]

Hi, Kurt! There are some dormitory complexes designated for the international students at Shizuoka University close to my house in Ando area, far from the campus. So, I sometimes see some foreign students. I wanted to volunteer for them, but I was told each student already had a tutor. Too bad because I'm a perfect person to understand their situations for I was like them in the US.

When I took TOEIC, I talked to some of them who were also the examinees. It was nice talking to em.