There seems to be quite a lot of demand for tourist guides but I wondered if any anyone here had taken the tour guide’s certification, the National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter examination, in English. Apparently the test is designed for individuals who wish to guide tourists in languages other than Japanese, so English is one of the primary languages in which the exam is offered. The exam assesses both the applicant’s knowledge about Japan and their proficiency in the chosen foreign language (in this case, English).
I wondered how difficult it was.
Also, whether unlicensed tourist guides who don’t have the certification are subject to penalties if found out.
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It used to be that one could not use the word “tour” unless you had that license (at least in Kyoto), but I believe that’s all been done away with, and anyone can use “tour” and no license is required for anything.
The test is pretty difficult in that you have to have a TON of very specific knowledge. I helped a student study for it once, and you need to know, in detail, about relatively small cultural sites all over the country, plus a ton of history and geography. If you’re good at memorizing a shitload of information it is doable.
I took it once just for kicks, and didn’t bother to study much at all. Gaijins can often get an exemption from the language test, but the rest of the test kicked my ass.
I’ve done several certification exams in Japanese so I’m used to standardized testing. But this one was pretty hard.
And for actually doing tours it’s not even required anymore, from what I understand.
Edit: wait you can take the test in English now? It was only offered in Japanese when I did it. Oh well.
I have taught people studying for the test. In fact, one older guy just returned to focus on his English after passing it two years ago.
The history part is pretty difficult because you need to know the basic history of things like temples & shrines etc. I quizzed him on that (I was often wondering why am I doing it in English but hey he’s the one paying me).
But the part of the test that asks you to problem solve is easy as pie. It is so simple eg:
Q) what do you need to do if you turn up to so so temple and it is covered in blue tarps?
A) Park the bus, ask the passengers to walk around the area but don’t go near the temple. Call home base immediately and ask them for instructions. Follow their instructions