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Yan Zhang
Hometown: Suzhou, China
In Japan: 12 years
Identity: Employee, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau
From organizing welcome events at the Port of Hakata, to sharing information, resources and maps with overseas visitors, Yan Zhang is always busy as the only non-Japanese employee at the Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I want to help visitors enjoy their stay in Fukuoka as much as possible,” she says with an enthusiastic sparkle in her eyes. Yan graduated university and entered the workforce back home in China but, unable to shake an urge to live abroad, she moved to Fukuoka 12 years ago. She took up her current post at the convention bureau in 2010, where the aim is to enhance the urban appeal of Fukuoka while disseminating tourism information. With the influx of cruise ships from China recently Yan has become even busier. One of her personal goals is to visit some port cities outside of Fukuoka to gain perspective and insights to help her satisfy visitors even more. To those visiting Fukuoka, she recommends a trip to Kushida Shrine, Tochoji Temple, and a traditional Japanese meal of “kaiseki ryori”. Yan loves Fukuoka, saying it’s a compact city which is fun and easy to walk around, and she vows to keep trying her best to share Fukuoka’s best points with travellers of the world. FCVB website: www.welcome-fukuoka.or.jp
So, tell us what you do?
I’m from Suzhou, China and I work in the Project Promotion Division General Affairs Department of Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau. My main project involves the cruise ships arriving in Fukuoka.
How long have you lived in Fukuoka and what were you doing before?
I have lived in Fukuoka for almost 13 years – since I came to Japan in October 2001. I started working at the Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau (FCVB) in 2010. Before that, I was a housewife.
Why did you decide to join the FCVB?
I don’t have any children so I had quite a bit of spare time at home. I started looking around and found there was a job going at FCVB. The job description was for desk work, with regular office offices, and Chinese skills necessary – so I thought the job suited me and my lifestyle. In actual fact, the job is more focused on support services for the cruise ships, rather than just desk work, so the working hours advertised were completely wrong. I only found that out after I started working!
Why did you come to Fukuoka?
Many friends of mine have studied in abroad and I had been dreaming of doing the same for long time. I worked at a company in China for two years after graduating university, and at that point I didn’t know if I was ready to give it up and travel abroad. Then a friend of my parents who was working at the Suzhou University foreign exchange center introduced me to Fukuoka.
Tell us about your job.
My main responsibility is hosting visitors who come from China on cruise ships. On days when there’s a cruise ship at the port, I’m down there for the whole day – from arrival until departure – handing out Fukuoka pamphlets and answering visitors’ questions, such as “How can I get to Tenjin?” or “Where can I find delicious Japanese food?”
On days when I’m not at the port, I plan welcome events. We organize Japanese drum or dance performances by local children and community members to welcome cruise ship visitors to Fukuoka. In my experience, foreigners are really delighted by these events.
Last year, in cooperation with Shintencho, Solaria Stage and local travel agencies, we took 200 cruise ship customers to enjoy dining and shopping at the two popular Tenjin spots. It was a great way to let the visitors experience the local culture of Fukuoka’s Tenjin area. We’d like to do more of this in the future.
Are you busy? What do you spend most of your time doing?
As the number of cruise ships visiting Fukuoka increases, my job gets busier and busier! When I get back to the office after a day at the port, there’s always lots of desk work waiting for me. In the office I also work on accounting – handling the volunteers’ transportation expenses and such. There’s a lot of paperwork involved.
Do you enjoy working in a large Japanese office?
My favorite part of my job is that I get to chat with visitors at the port and hear their opinions directly. I also enjoy talking to the volunteers, who come from many different countries. The volunteers are very dedicated, they always do their best to help visitors get the most out of their stay in Fukuoka and Japan. I’m grateful when I hear them say they enjoy volunteering or that they want to do it again! It also makes me happy when we hand out maps to visitors, or handheld fans in summer, and I can see that they feel Fukuoka is a friendly place. I like working at the port much more than in the office, because I can hear the real voices of visitors there.
What are some differences in the way things are done here, compared to your home country?
Government agencies are very strong in China – what they say is what gets done. But in Japan, there is always the need for lengthy discussion before change can start… even for things that seem so obviously in need of change. In many cases, after lots of discussion, nothing ends up changing. I think the government should be more decisive sometimes, when trying to bring about positive changes in society.
How many other foreigners work here?
None, just me.
Do you have any ideas for improvement in your field?
It would be good for staff members like myself to learn more about the services other port cities around the world offer. As the cruise ship business is relatively new to Fukuoka, and Japan, we could benefit from the knowledge of how other port cities in Europe and the world operate in terms of service and hospitality. Even visiting other port cities in Japan, like Kobe or Yokohama, would teach me many things.
Do you think inbound tourism will continue to increase?
Yes, I think it will continue to increase. But the relations between Japan and China care rather sensitive. In the case of instability between the two governments, inbound tourism from China will suffer. That’s a scary thought for me.
What are Fukuoka’s appeal points to tourists from overseas?
Temples and shrines like Kushida Shrine and Sumiyoshi Shrine are famous within Japan, but most foreigners have never heard of them! I think they’re very interesting places where you can delve into the history of Japan, but at the moment they’re relatively unknown as they aren’t promoted strongly enough overseas.
If you were to make a slogan for a poster to appeal to people in Shanghai to travel to Fukuoka – what would that slogan or message be?
That’s a very difficult question! Well, I feel that Fukuoka is a compact city with a good balance between urban and traditional culture, so perhaps its slogan could be “自由に楽しく周れる都市 (“City For Free Independent Travellers”)”. I’d like to encourage tourists to plan their own trip to Fukuoka, rather than come as part of a tour group. I think Fukuoka has all the elements and amenities to make for a safe and interesting look into Japanese culture on your own itinerary.
What kind of things could Fukuoka do to improve hospitality and service for visiting foreigners?
I’d love to hold the welcome event every time a ship arrived, but at the moment that’s impossible due to budget. You can really notice a difference between the visitors’ reactions on a day when we hold the event, compared to a regular arrival. After the event, it’s so wonderful to see local children and overseas visitors talking in eachothers’ broken language – “Arigatou (Thank You in Japanese)” and “Zaijian (Goodbye in Chinese)” – and watch the kids waving enthusiastically at the ship. I am impressed whenever I see this kind of cultural exchange, and it motivates me to want to hold this event more frequently. Also, the decor at Hakata Port is quite plain – I think it could be improved and made brighter!
What do you like to do in your free time?
Mostly housework! I usually spend one day per week doing housework, like washing and cleaning. Otherwise I like to go driving around the city or visit a cafe with friends.
Where would you take a friend from your country in Fukuoka?
I would take them to Kushida Shrine and Tocho-ji Temple because they are my favorite places in Fukuoka. Also I’d show them Fukuoka Tower; there’s a spot for couples to leave heart-shaped padlocks there, which I think young Chinese people would like. I’d also like to take them to try a traditional Japanese meal of “kaiseki ryori”.
What are your plans for the future?
The situation right now is that cruise ship visitors generally come to Fukuoka as part of tour groups. But I feel that these tours don’t include Fukuoka’s best spots – for example they go by Fukuoka Tower but the tourists can only see it from the bus. It frustrates me that these visitors leave Fukuoka without getting to see its best points. So, I want to change this situation by encouraging more free independent travellers (FIT) to come to Fukuoka.
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn187, Jul. 2014)
