It is not well known to many but in Japan you need a license to get paid to conduct a tour for foreigners today (if you do not get paid, it has been okay without license.).  

 

The license is called "通訳案内士 / Tsuyaku Annai shi meaning (National Certified Tour Guides/Translation Guide Master)" where you will get penalized for 500,000JPY  (around 4000USD)or less if violating this law. 

 

To get qualified, you need to pass the tests in language (you choose one out of 10 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean and Thai), geography, history, culture, industry and politics. (You can apply to take the test from this link )

 

The passing rate is around 20%. It is not an easy test. 

 

There are 22,754 qualified guides under this license (1st April 2017, JINTO data). But due to the growth in the visitor number to Japan, the number of guide for foreign visitors is at constant shortage.

Around 75% of licensed personnel live in either Tokyo or Osaka areas. Esp. the rural areas have problem finding tour guides for foreigners.  

 

In addition to this, 70% of the licensed personnel took test in and only speak English. Yet, most of the tourists come from China and South Korea (both more than 20% of the total amounting more than 40% of the total foreign tourists in Japan).

 

Some of our friends passed the test and told us these tests were not easy.

 

<<UPDATED 2024>>

According to Japan Tourism Agency, the National Certified Tour Guides are defined under the Certified Tour Guide Law as professionals who engage in the business of providing interpretation services (accompanying foreigners and providing travel-related guidance using foreign languages) for compensation. After passing the national examination, they register with prefectures as "National Certified Tour Guides."

 

As of April 1, 2023, the number of registered guides has reached 27,277. The languages covered in the National Certified Tour Guide Exam include English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, and Thai. The exam is open to anyone regardless of age, gender, education, or nationality, and in the fiscal year 2023, 436 individuals passed.

 

National Certified Tour Guides not only possess excellent language skills but also play a crucial role in introducing Japan with a wide range of knowledge and culture, including its history, geography, and more. Leaving foreign travelers with a positive impression of Japan is the first step towards fostering a correct understanding of Japan, making this a fulfilling job that contributes to international goodwill akin to being "citizen diplomats."

No licensed tour guide but many visitor needing the guide in Japan. What happened?

 

There have been many un-licensed tour guides operating "illegally" till today. Many foreign companies with no entity in Japan have hired freelance tour guides in Japan and offered the tour for foreigners in Japan. Many of these illegal tour guides were operating in fear of the potential penalty of 500,000JPY  (around 5000USD)or less if found.

 

The situation may be better soon.

Accordingly, to tackle this situation, the Japanese government passed the new law about the tour guide for foreigners on 26th of May.  Under this law, you do not need to have the license to carry out the tour for foreigners in Japan.

 

Some municipality governments plan to launch its own tour guide license systems so that the guide can tell you more specific matters about the location.

 

The Japan Tourism Agency also published several rules for the guide with no license. 

For example, the guide with no license shall not use the terms such as below:

 

The guide with no license shall not use...

1. Simple title such as "Interpreter Guide/通訳ガイド"

   ※ Using "Interpreter Guide" may lead to confusion with Certified Tour Guides.

 

2. Location name + Guide such as "Japan Guide", "Tokyo guide"

   ※ Similar to National Certified Tour Guides or Regional Certified Tour Guides, using a place name followed by "Guide" may lead to misconceptions of being qualified.

 

3. Public Body name + Guide such as "Government certified guide" etc.

   ※ By using "Public Body name + Guide," there is a risk of being misconstrued as a guide certified by the government or local authorities.

 

4. "Registered guide", "Certified guide"

   ※ Using "Activity + Guide" may lead to misconceptions of being certified by public bodies, etc.

 

5. High Quality + Guide such as "Top Guide", "Special Guide" etc.

   ※ Claiming to be a "High Quality + Guide" may lead to misconceptions of having knowledge and abilities equivalent to qualified guides.  Terms like "Top Guide (×)," "Special Guide (×)," "High-level Guide (×)," etc., should be avoided.

 

So almost all kind of names are not allowed for those with no license.

 

 

For more details here and relevant laws and regulations.

 

Please check these rules carefully before conducting the tour and if not sure, please check with the agency.

Japan saw some recent cases where illegal foreign tour guides were arrested because of the tax breach. But we have not seen many cases where the tour guide being arrested because of the license.  

No surprise check or so.

This means you may have met many unlicensed tour guides anyway.

 

Some share some concern about the new law. Current license system keeps the quality of tour guides for foreigners as high as possible. If anybody can conduct tour, this shall results in unnecessary problems such as the guide may give you totally wrong information.

 

Besides tour guide, we noticed probably as a bigger problem than this was the unlicensed taxi/tour bus/van. Many foreign tourists use an app (non Japanese) to arrange some tour bus/van/taxi. Some are not properly trained and not insured. When some accident happens, it could be very serious for the tourists and driver and all.

 

What do you think? Share your opinion.

Do you want to interview companies/people conducting tours in Japan? Want to interview an officer from the government on this issue?

 

 

We worked with major TV broadcasters around the world and online media to carry out their task in Japan. We make planning, arrangement with the venues, also hire local professional crew (videographer, photographer, editor, makeup artist, stylist, model, interpreter etc. ) for the project.

 

Just contact us.

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Onegai Kaeru wants you to enjoy Japan 360 degree.

 

If you are looking for more traveler"s info and can not find one, please let us know. We will try to help you with Japan Traveler Help Service (we work on hourly charge to arrange, book, find info you need). Feel free to contact us!

 

Source: JINTO website, Asahi news, Jiji News 

 

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Disclaimer: Even though we try to make the info as updated and accurate but the accuracy of the information herein is not guaranteed by us. If you have any uncertainty, please contact the information source. These shops are the ones we find online at random for your reference purpose. There is no guarantee whatsoever about the authenticity of the shops and items of any sort.