There are youngsters who volunteer guides to help troubled foreign tourists in the Shibuya / center district with a placard called "How Can I Help You? (Something is OK?"). It is Shinta Omori who is also the representative of the volunteer guide group "Japan Local Buddy" that binds them. In December 2014, the group who started volunteering in the city of Shibuya with three friends extended the network nationwide, and at the present time (July 2018) the number of registrants of the volunteer guide exceeds 1,000 people . Currently, in addition to the volunteer guide, we are also in charge of the management work of "Tourist Information Center in Shibuya (Hachiko Prefectural Plaza · inside the Vehicle Vehicle)" and requests for customer support for foreigners in Shibuya shop, etc. Activities up to the inbound business area Expanded width. They began to be unofficial from the beginning, they reached a place to be recognized as an official of Shibuya. In a sense, it can be said to be one of Success Tory which Shibuya street born. In this key person interview, Mr. Omori who is continuing activities based on Shibuya is welcomed, I asked the real intention of what I am aiming to focus on inbound, such as volunteer guide and walking tour.

The school excursion that I went unwillingly woke up abroad.

_ Currently, Mr. Omori who is proficient in English, was originally not good at all at all, did he? When did you start to be interested in English?

I was always doing basketball with junior high school and high school, and I am not good at studying as well as English. Sometimes I was a captain, but as I was playing basketball all the morning on the test day, the time I was waking up was almost basking on basketball. The encounter with English is Australia which I went on a school trip of my second year high school student. Since I was doing basketball once, I was interested in the USA with NBA, but I am not interested in any other countries, "Why should I go to Australia?" Until the morning of departure I had a feeling that I do not want to go "I am somewhat unwell", but my parents were angry with me saying "I paid for it in full so I can not help it." After all, I went to hate it, but it was a lot of fun to go (laugh). In another world, there is a world that I do not know. Naturally I could not speak English at all, but I felt that overseas would be interesting, such as interacting with local people a bit. The first voice I told my parents after returning home was "I will live overseas in the future" (laugh).

_ It is easy to be sensitized. After returning home, have you started something for future overseas living?

I immediately bought English conversation collection, but I ended up as a shavedman 3 days ago. After all, I was sending the basketball days until the retirement of the summer of the high school, but fortunately I was trying hard at basketball, so the university was mostly determined by Kokugakuin University based on the recommendation of the designated school. But there is something left to say about the future ... .... At that time, I had a mind that enjoyed memories of that school trip had passed my mind and I longed to live overseas. My uncle is a reporter in New York and I am interviewing various celebrities, but since I was small I thought that it was an interesting work as I was watching that. As a result, the dream of becoming a journalist abroad like a uncle in the future began to expand.

The talk became suddenly bigger (laugh)

I immediately contact my uncle and say, "I would like to be a journalist ... ...", "I can not leave you because I have not studied, take your advice and learn it yourself!" Received advice. In a hurry, I declined to recommend recommendation, I studied again and decided to take a general exam. My school's teacher and parents seemed like "eh?" (Laugh).

After returning to school, I was polishing English at "Hub" in Shibuya (laugh).

_ I started studying for entrance exams from there, was not it quite difficult?

I took the first trial in the summer of my 3rd year high school, but I did not understand English at all. Marked appropriately 1, 2, 4, 2 ... ..., the result is scattered and the deviation value looks like 29. But I did not even know the deviation value, like what would be 29 (laugh). I began studying seriously from there, finally got a general exam and passed the Kokugakuin College. Since it was a university that was originally recommended, it may seem like it is going around at first sight, but studying for a year has led to my confidence now.

_ Did you keep studying English after you entered?

Using the university 's empty classroom, the trader opened an English conversation school for students, but I came to go there everyday. It was a lot of fun to be able to speak English little by little I was not good enough to go to college even on holidays to take the class. I also wanted to immediately try on what I had learned and dropped like a daily stop to Shibuya's "Hub" on the way back from school. When you buy sake, do not order hubs over the counter with cash on. At the moment when foreign guests who looked kind to next to me were lined up, I was trying out the phrase I remembered today (laugh).

At the time of study abroad in Canada with my colleagues at the language school and downtown.

After that, I worked part-time and save money, I studied in Toronto, Canada for the first time during the summer vacation of my college. I had a little confidence as I went to an English conversation school for nearly a year, but after all the native English is completely different, I do not know what the class is saying. At first it was pretty difficult, but if I had been doing it desperately for three weeks, I could catch it somehow. In spite of being unable to talk, I was sending voice to various people anyway, so I made friends with almost 200 people in almost all the language schools in my two months stay. I guess it was like I had a funny Japanese (laugh). Just as Facebook began to get popular, I used to communicate with friends all over the world like something like everyday after returning home. That may be the biggest factor in raising your English proficiency.

_ After experiencing study abroad, did anything change in Mr. Omori's mind?

While I was studying abroad, I had a problem at a homestay place to experience the dangers of my life, but at that time the schools and teachers did not help me at all. If it says why, there would have been concern that the reputation of the school would be worse when the situation came to light. After all, it was my friends and acquaintances who extended my hand to me. I once again realized the importance of private connections. Perhaps, I thought that international students coming to Japan had similar experiences and started organizing and organizing the "International Exchange Circle" that they can support themselves. Including Kokugakuin and other students from other universities including blue school students gradually join us and gradually expanded the circle scale. By the way, even after we graduated, our juniors are still continuing that circle.

I would like to expand international exchange with foreigners through tour guide of the city.

_ Please tell me the chance to start a volunteer guide in the city of Shibuya.

After graduating from university, I traveled abroad, such as Canada and Europe, for about 2 years without finding a job. When I came back to Japan, I saw the streets of Shibuya for a long time and found that there are so many foreigners. I myself have been doing a lot of very wonderful experiences through exchange with local people abroad, so it would be fun if people coming to Japan from all over the world got to have a lot of exchange with Japanese people in the same way When. So I started a web service matching foreigners and Japanese volunteers to get to know the charm of Japan. Nonetheless, creating a website does not mean people gather easily. At that time, I had time to spare time, so first I thought, "Let's help foreigners in Shibuya," I told my best friend. That is December 2014. Initially I put a handwritten sign saying "Do you need help?" Overhead and started doing it around the entrance of the center street.

The first foreigner was a couple from Singapore and I was looking for a shop near the entrance to the center street. When I looked at the guide book they had, I was able to see the letters " SHIBUYA MARKCITY ", but I did not have that shop in Mark City. I tried it well and it seems that there was a few years ago in a place just in front of the center city, but it was already closed. Originally it was a story that ended in one minute, but I was sorry that we did something pretty sorry at our early point. However, as they walked together for a long time, including lost things, they also said "I was very happy to talk with you guys." While having a feeling of being sorry, I could have had a very good time inside.

_ Currently, the number of registered members of the volunteer guide seems to exceed 1,000 people, please tell me the chance to expand members.

In addition to the three initial members, when I invited the juniors belonging to the "International Exchange Circle" I made in my school days, I thought that "seniors are doing something interesting" You joined us. As I was raising a volunteer guide in Shibuya to SNS, inquiries such as "I want to do it too, I want to do" as well, have been increasing from people I do not know, even though it started up early. It seems that the atmosphere that somehow seems to be enjoying is transmitted. Also, in Japan there are few opportunities to use English, so many people would like to improve their English skills through volunteer guides. However, initially I did not feel like entering an ordinary person who I do not know at all. Because I am doing it as a hobby, I do not want to have a sense of responsibility. I will definitely have to do it if you say that you do. But, there was a tremendous reaction, we also changed the policy on the way to get involved more and more people around the belly and became a community of around 200 people in half a year. After that, we introduced our activities at Nippon Television 's news program "NEWS ZERO", but the registration of the volunteer guide increased from the broadcast only one week to around 500 people at a stretch. There was also a "my generation" corner that Mimi Kiritani's model was in charge of, but the response was terribly terribly high.

_ Introduction in the media became a promise.

Just as I decided to attend the Tokyo Olympics, I think that it was a time when attention was gathered in inbound. Following Shibuya, Osaka joined a friend of the foreign student era "Do you want to do it together?", And network also expanded to Harajuku, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya and so on, with 1,500 registered persons in one year, About 5000 in the second year. Even though the existence of a volunteer guide has come to be recognized by the public, the number of registrants is increasing at around 300 people per month even though we do not call it specially. Currently the number of registrants is over 1000, because the site has been renewed in the volunteer guide again, so the number of current registrants is stronger, but women and men are 60% women and the rest are men. Of course there are individual differences, but girls are more active in international studying abroad and international exchange, and am willing to volunteer is high. The age group is 90% under 30's. I do not mind having as many age as you can, but when I'm exposed to the media, young people are centering on young people by many because "young people in Shibuya ..." are often bound.

Volunteers who bring placards near the entrance of "Center Town" and conduct guides. The picture was taken with a foreign tourist taking a commemorative photo.

I'm looking forward to seeing something like making acquaintances around the world, reunion abroad.

_ When doing guides in Shibuya, which country people are often asking about the street etc?

I think that I have English signboards and also have national character, but overwhelmingly there are many English speaking people such as Americans and Australians. Westerners come to Shibuya without going through in advance, so we'll come to the guide for the time being. On the other hand, Chinese and Korean people come through after checking down firmly, so I will not often ask the guide for directions. This is the same not only in the city but also in the tourist information office which we are doing inside "(Hachiko Plaza) Aoga (Tokyu 5000 series)" that we are entrusted by the Shibuya Ward Tourism Association. Almost no Chinese or Korean people come. However, among Asia, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia are so many, I think that it depends on places rather than nationalities. If you ask the Osaka volunteer guide, there are many Koreans and Chinese overwhelmingly, and in Kyoto there are many Westerners, so it is quite different depending on the area. So, Osaka members' billboards are available in addition to 'English', 'Chinese' 'Korean' version.

_ What kind of things are often asked?

The scene where the volunteer guide is in the city of Shibuya, guiding directions.

There are overwhelmingly many directions where "where is ○"? People in Western countries and people in South America can see the country in the way of asking questions, "Where are tasty sushi restaurants?" "Where is the cheap noodle shop?" There are so many rough questions . On the other hand, people in Asia have the difference that "Where is Tokyu Hands," "Where is Ichiran (ramen shop)?" Or concrete store name. Among them, the most frequently asked questions are "faithful dog Hachiko" and the second is "How to get to Harajuku". Especially "Hachiko statue" seems to pass by, although it is in front of the station. Because it is surely a meeting spot, you will not be able to see it by the crowd. Even at the Tourist Information Office of the Blue Frog, "Where is Hachiko, where are you?" Asked and "pointing behind" pointing it would be like "ah (lol)". Perhaps you think that it is a bigger statue.

_ Please tell me if you have any memorable episodes etc. while you have been volunteering with us.

I am looking forward to seeing them again abroad with foreigners who guide me. After we guide you, we will exchange Facebook with friends who have become friends. In a sense, it is like guiding and making acquaintances around the world. So, when the guide side goes abroad, when I give a message saying "I'm going to travel over there again" from Facebook before traveling, I will guide you "If you come here, I will guide you" "Do not stay at home" I often get reply. There used to be a family who came to visit from Hawaii before, and the girls who guided at that time became friends with my family very much. After that, there are cases that you had a homestay in Hawaii's home. I realize that it is very interesting to see reunion and deepening of bonds.

_ It is a good thing for foreign tourists and guides to deepen their communication, but it is sometimes dangerous to teach contacts on the other hand. Do you have any rules or caution?

Basically, volunteers do not act alone, they always act with more than two people to hedge the risk. Of course, after exchanging SNSs between the parties, we can not touch directly. Since there is only self-responsibility, there is no choice but to be careful about each one. In addition, if the age is under 18 years old, we will declare that we can not register the guide without the parent's consent form.

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