Ryan Ginstrom <ginstrom@hotmail.com> wrote:

> > ...in not showing visiting gaigin around Tokyo? Or are all the visitors
> > that have stayed with us unusual in that they don't expect us to show
> > them around, or even offer suggestions on what to see?
> 
> I think it depends on the person visiting. Some people want to hang out,
> others want to see the sights. Some people like adventure, others need their
> hand held to get on the train. Some people are hello-kitty loving
> manga-reading geeks, others baseball freaks, other hard-core alcoholics and
> panderers.

Prezactly. 
> 
> >(Just had a phone
> > call from someone who has taken upon herself the task of showing around
> > some visitors, and who seemed surprised that I couldn't suggest anything
> > without knowing the interests of the people concerned.)
> 
> Just curious, is this "someone" a Japanese "someone?"

Uh.... was there anything in my original post that suggested otherwise?

> > So I suppose the next question is: what would you suggest gaigin go and
> > see on their one free day in Tokyo?
> 
> Is it one day in Tokyo, or one "free" day? If you've only got a day for
> Tokyo, I would say go for a bus tour. 

I didn't ask. At the time, I thought it was the one day set aside for
"leisure" at the end of an all-expenses-paid junket for 20 pairs from 20
different countries, but then I realised that the organizers always send
them off on a bus trip to somewhere educational such as Nikko on that
day, and they wouldn't be delegating that task to that particular
person. I suspect it's just the few remaining gaigin who haven't rushed
home today but haven't made the other arrangements that the more clueful
people do. So I suspect it's a mixed bunch of not-very-adventurous
people who can't run very fast.

> ... can be excused from any further need to set foot
> in that concreted shithole.

Aw, c'mon, there are fascinating things to do in this shithole,
especially if you're not from a big city yourself....

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                   Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
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