Poster Presentation

Student-Created Tours to Local
Tourist Destinations

Kazumi Kato and Wendy M. GoughTokai University
The Japanese government is promoting international tourism ahead of the2020 Tokyo Olympics. This includes renovating ports so they can accept large
international luxury liners (“Japan meets goal”, 2015). The Japanese government
has also designated Yokohama Port, Shimizu in Shizuoka city, Sasebo in Nagasaki
Prefecture, Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, and Motobu and Hirara inOkinawa Prefecture as international cruise ship hubs that will feature terminals
where immigration procedures can be conducted for passengers (“Japan eyes int’lhubs”, 2017). These moves aim to promote international tourism as well as help
revive the local economies, particularly in small port towns.
For passengers, taking a cruise that stops in several Japanese ports presents a
relatively worry-free travel experience in Japan. According to Marrit Aartoaho,
a tour agent for the Diamond Princess Line, “International luxury liner
companies are taking advantage of cheap airfares into Japan because people cancome into Japan, board a ship, and easily experience traveling in the country
without worrying about language barriers and transportation issues” (personalcommunication, June 30, 2016). From our portside observations, discussions
with port authority staff, and interview with Aartoaho, we learned that many
international passengers arriving at Japanese ports choose to take bus tours
pre-arranged by the ships’ tour companies, but some opt to see local sights bythemselves. Whichever style of sightseeing they choose, the passengers typicallyneed help from people who speak English when they disembark from the ships.
More and more international luxury liners are coming to small Japanese port
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Kato & Goughtowns such as Shimizu, Shizuoka, but these rural areas often do not have budgets
for professional English services. Universities can provide English support
through community outreach projects aimed at assisting with international
tourism needs. These projects establish bonds between the university and thelocal community while creating opportunities for students and local citizens toengage in authentic English interactions (Gough & Kato, 2016). Community
outreach activities for English language learners in English speaking countries
have been shown to promote language learning, intercultural communication
skills, a sense of second language identity, and a feeling of being part of thelocal community (Andrew, 2011; Perrin, 2008). The researchers, who are theadvisers for the Tokai University Active Tokai Local Ambassadors (ATLAS)English Club, feel community outreach projects and the English support we areproviding for the local citizen volunteers can help achieve similar results.
In 2014 the ATLAS English Club at Tokai University’s Shimizu,
Shizuoka campus established a relationship with the Shizuoka Association for
Multicultural Exchange (SAME) and the Shimizu Port Authority and began an
ongoing community outreach project that provides volunteer English assistancefor international luxury liner passengers arriving at Shimizu port (Gough &Kato, 2016). When ships make port calls, the ATLAS English Club students
and local community members volunteer at portside information, bank, andpost office booths and explain how to access the complimentary Wi-Fi service.
In 2014 the ATLAS English Club students also created a map written in Englishthat explains how to take public transportation to Miho no Matsubara beach,
which was registered as part of the Mt. Fuji World Heritage site in 2013. In2015 and 2016 they continued their volunteer interpreting at Shimizu port andoccasionally lead tours for passengers to the beach and Minowa Inari Shrine,
which is near the port.
In 2016 the ATLAS English Club advisers received a To-Collabo grant forcommunity outreach projects from Tokai University and worked with SAME
and the Shimizu Port Authority. First, the two advisers investigated volunteer
tourism support activities in other Japanese port towns where international
luxury liners make port calls by traveling to Hakodate, Kobe, and Hiroshima. At158

Student-Created Tours, OnCUE Journal, 11(2), pages 157-163

these ports they observed portside activities and interviewed port authority staff
and local citizen volunteers. They also conducted a seminar and needs analysis
for potential volunteers at the Shimizu town office. The seminar included twoparts: first, the advisers gave a presentation to describe the purpose of the projectand how they planned to create materials to support the local volunteers atShimizu port. The second part of the seminar included group discussion time
among the attendees and a questionnaire about their perceptions of the types ofEnglish expressions and communication skills they would need to successfully
help passengers at the port. Finally, the advisers used the information theylearned from their investigations at other port towns and the Shimizu seminarquestionnaires to make the Shimizu Volunteer Interpreters Handbook (SVIH).
The handbook is currently being used by portside volunteers in Shimizu, andat the end of the 2017 tourism season the advisers will survey the volunteers todetermine its usefulness.
In 2017, the advisers were again awarded the To-Collabo grant from Tokai
University. This paper describes the 2017 stage of the ATLAS English Club
community outreach project. In two elective English classes in the springsemester, students who were interested in the volunteer activities researched local
sites and activities then planned an English language guidebook called Shimizu
Sightseeing and Tour Guidebook.

Guidebook Planning

In the spring 2017 semester, which spanned from April to late July, twoelective English communication classes focusing on the sightseeing and tour
guidebook project were combined and team-taught by the ATLAS English Clubadvisers at Tokai University’s Shimizu campus. After forming small groups, thestudents conducted Internet research into sightseeing spots, specialty products,transportation options, and prices for entering local attractions. Next, they
developed timetables and plans for tours in the Shimizu area that could becompleted in five hours or less. The five-hour time limit was chosen because thatis the average amount of time passengers typically have for sightseeing when theinternational luxury liners make port calls in Shimizu.
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Kato & GoughThe tours included options for transportation by taxi, bus, rental bicycle,
water taxi, or on foot. Activities included visiting a historical neighborhood
where a famous local person who helped found the town lived, local shrines,
Miho no Matsubara beach, a hot spring foot bath, the Tokai University
Marine Science Museum, and the Tokai University Natural History Museum.
In addition, there were options for trying activities such as strawberry picking,watching a traditional fishing exhibition, or eating sushi at the portside fishmarket.

Practicing and Revising

Once the students had completed their initial tour plans, they practiced
explaining their tours to classmates in other groups. The SVIH was used as a text
to practice English vocabulary, grammar, and expressions for giving directions or
explaining local foods and places of interest. The Volunteer Interpreters Handbook
also served as a base for writing descriptions that could be included in the new
Shimizu Sightseeing and Tour Guidebook.
As the groups practiced explaining their tours with each other, theirclassmates checked the timetables, costs, transportation details, and descriptionsof the places and activities then gave suggestions for revisions. The groups revised
their tours then repeated the process of practicing, checking, and revising several
times during the semester. Once the revisions were completed, the students
entered their sightseeing and tour plans into a guidebook template createdby their instructors. As the students worked on their tour plans, descriptions,revisions, and formatting, the two teachers supported them by explaining
grammar and vocabulary and demonstrating effective communication styles
that could be used when participating in portside volunteer activities using theVolunteer Interpreters Handbook or the Shimizu Sightseeing and Tour Guidebook.

Finalizing the Guidebook

After the students entered their contents into the template, the two instructors
edited it and added pictures of the sites, foods, and activities included in the tours.
Then one of the ATLAS English Club members designed the cover artwork for160

Student-Created Tours, OnCUE Journal, 11(2), pages 157-163

the booklet. In October 2017, the data was sent to a printer for an initial printing
using a portion of the money provided by the 2017 To-Collabo grant. In the2018 tourist season, several international luxury liners carrying English-speaking
passengers will make port calls at Shimizu port. During this time, ATLAS
English Club students will run a pilot test with the Shimizu Sightseeing and Tour
Guidebook as they use it to explain sightseeing options to passengers who opt
out of the prearranged bus tours provided by the ships’ tour companies. Using
feedback from the trial, the ATLAS English Club advisers and students will makefurther revisions to the guidebook and send a final version to the printer. The
formatted PDF data for both the SVIH and the Shimizu Sightseeing and Tour
Guidebook will be linked to the Tokai University Shimizu campus homepage andused to create an iBook that can be downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet
computer for easy access by volunteer English interpreters, passengers, and othercommunity members.

Conclusion

The ATLAS English Club at Tokai University’s Shimizu campus was started in2013 as a means to support students who were interested in honing their English
skills and helping students find authentic situations to use English in Japan. Since
fostering a connection with the SAME office and the Shimizu Port Authority in2014, the ATLAS English Club advisers have been able to develop opportunities
for their students to use English in real-life situations through community
outreach projects. The students and their advisers have created an ongoing projectin which they brainstorm, research, design, and implement annual projects that
help serve the international tourism needs in Shimizu. This teaches the students
critical thinking, English language, and leadership skills that will be useful in their
future endeavors. It also contributes to Tokai University’s efforts to forge bonds
with the people of Shimizu through community outreach. In 2017, ATLAS
English Club students and advisers undertook the Shimizu Sightseeing andTour Guidebook project. They will continue to research Shimizu’s English needs
and create unique projects to support those needs in the future. These projects
serve as a model for other small Japanese port towns where international luxury
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Kato & Goughliners make port calls and for English groups at Japanese universities that wish
to establish a connection with their community and experience using English inreal-life contexts.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a To-Collabo Grant from Tokai University andthe Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology(MEXT) projects under the University Reform Action Plan.

References

Andrew, M. (2011). Reshaping educational experience by volunteering in thecommunity: Language learners in the real world. Journal of Intercultural
Communication, 25 (March). Retrieved from http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr25/andrew.htm
Gough, W. M., & Kato, K. (2016). Community outreach and autonomous
learning. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & H. Brown (Eds.), Focus on thelearner. Tokyo, Japan: JALT.
Japan eyes int’l hubs for large cruise ships. (2017, Feb. 26). The Japan News.
Retrieved from http://annx.asianews.network/content/japan-eyes-intlhubs-large-cruise-ships-40067
Japan meets goal of 1 mil. foreigners arriving by cruise ship in year. (2015, Dec.
8). Japan Bullet. Retrieved from https://www.japanbullet.com/news/japanmeets-goal-of-1-mil-foreigners-arriving-by-cruise-ship-in-year
Perren, J. M. (2008). Intercultural language socialization through volunteering:
A qualitative study of directive use in nonprofit organizations (Doctoraldissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations (UMI No.
3326368).

Author bios

Kazumi Kato is a junior associate professor at Tokai University, School of Marine
Science and Technology, Shimizu campus. Her research interests are interlanguage
pragmatics, speech acts, task-based language teaching, and cooperative learning. She162

Student-Created Tours, OnCUE Journal, 11(2), pages 157-163

is also interested in finding opportunities for her students to use authentic English.
kazumilk@tokai-u.jp
Wendy M. Gough is a junior associate professor at Tokai University School of Marine
Science and Technology, Shimizu campus. She is a doctoral candidate in education
with a focus on curriculum and teaching. Her dissertation focus is on interculturalcommunication and second language identity development. wgough@tokai-u.jp
Received: September 29, 2017
Accepted: November 11, 2018163