Tourists

2015年3月25日 (水)

Spring has come!
It doesn’t really feel like spring yet, but soon warm weather will come our way, and with it, lots of tourists.

We have already had a huge number of visitors to Sapporo this year, for the snow festival and the winter ski season.  Living in a town that has so many visitors every year, it’s easy to sometimes be annoyed by them.

I know that many of my students and friends sometimes complain about large groups of tourists being noisy or taking up too much space on the street or in stores.  It’s hard to find a quiet restaurant during a major festival, and some people seem to wish that we didn’t have so many visitors.

However, I want us to remember that these people are our guests.  They are the fuel for much of our economy, and without them there would be many fewer jobs in Sapporo.  Even though we may not be in the service industry, I hope that all of us residents of Sapporo can be kind and helpful whenever we see tourists around town.  We should all try to make them feel welcome and enjoy their stay, so that they come back and also recommend Sapporo to their friends and relatives.

Also, talking to tourists is a good way to practice English.

So, let’s welcome more and more visitors to Sapporo each year!