TPDConnect TPDCONNECT SEPTEMBER 2017 | Page 31

Tell us about the most interesting place you visited? The most interesting place I visited goes by the name Shirakawago Village. This is a local village that is located virtually in the middle of nowhere which continues to maintain an ‘Authentic Japanese vil- lage’ appeal amidst all the other development that is happening around them. The designs of these uncharacteristic erections look almost like large, steeply sloped triangles, regardless of the number of floors in the make-up. The cuisine served in Shirakawago Village was primarily Soba noodles, which is traditionally served cold. It is to be had with light, sweet water (also served cold) and washed down with a cold, unsweetened green iced-tea. Take note, this meal has no meat or pro- tein of any kind… (There was my culture shock -cold food at lunch, with no protein…wow). What was the most challenging about your visit? Tell us about Tourism in Japan Adjusting to the time difference was by far the most difficult Tourism in Japan is authentically different from Jamaica. time of my stay in Japan…At nights I couldn’t sleep and in the It empowers the independence of tourists and stimulates days I felt like collapsing; What made it worse was that the the curious traveler to explore both charted and Japanese are sticklers for time management, as they consider uncharted territory. How the Japanese do this, is by this to be the basics of respect and establishing a trustworthy providing travelers with walking maps for towns and relationship. As an ambassador for Jamaica, I refused to be cities that feature the fuel of travel Based on the the one to damage the relationship between our countries. multiplicity and nonpartisan feature of interest points in these publications/informational booklets, small entities How did you find the people in Japan, what and towns gain a fair opportunity to earn from tourism. stood out most about them? What do you think we can learn from the People in Japan have great civic pride and sense of duty Japanese? What did you learn? to country. They are very diligent and hardworking people Putting country first can create the plot for achieving our who genuinely care about the wellbeing of their visitors. personal goals. Without a proper framework that stimu- lates sustained development, people will always be fight- ing to keep what they have or to attain what they don’t.