July meeting (2026/07/26)

Jul 27
2 min read

The theme is,

"Learning from Field Experience: Guiding Foreign Tourists and Global Manners to Please Them" - To Share Japanese Hospitality with the World -

We asked Kaori Kobayashi, an inbound tour guide who is currently very active in Hakodate, to be our instructor.

When Ms. Kobayashi was studying in the United States, she initially struggled with differences in language, customs, and culture, but she gradually came to realize that "Difference is not wrong."

Through such experiences, Ms. Kobayashi believes that global manners are: 1. Know your guest. 2. Respect differences. 3. Doing so leads to heartfelt hospitality. Ultimately, she says that hospitality is not about what we want to give, but about making the other person feel comfortable.

This training session was packed with essential information for us to keep in mind when guiding tourists from abroad. Ms. Kobayashi dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the preparation stage, and on the day of the session, her PowerPoint presentation, time management, and interactive communication were so impressive that it felt like attending a TED Talk—it was truly a masterful presentation. Thank you so much, Kaori Kobayashi.

Everyone was very enthusiastic during the role-playing presentations, and what impressed me most was how much fun they seemed to be having. This truly embodies the core principle of our organization: "enjoying the activities ourselves."

Finally, here is a message from Kaori Kobayashi.

"Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule today."

Speaking in such a warm and welcoming atmosphere allowed me to learn a great deal myself.

I am still learning, and this training has given me many areas for improvement and challenges to address. I will continue to gain experience and strive to provide even better service in the future.

I hope that foreign tourists visiting Hakodate will think, "I'm glad I came to Hakodate," and "I want to come back again." I want to learn and work hard together with all of you to achieve this.

I hope this training will be of some help to you in your daily communications. Thank you for your continued support. Kaori Kobayashi

Article by: Secretariat, Hiroyuki Koshida