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Japan Pins Tourism Hopes on PDA

Posted by samzenpus on from the great-idea dept.

Sammy at Palm Addict writes "According to Australia News.com, Japan will start lending PDA's to foreign visitors to help tourists get to grips with the country. The aim is to make Japan more attractive to foreign tourists, who are often put off by the country's language barrier. The PDA's will be loaded with travel information and translation services as part of a tourism promotion scheme. "Japan's tourism authority will lend the PDAs containing Chinese, Korean and English software, to selected tourists who land at Narita Airport near Tokyo from February through March to test the response" Japan's transport ministry said."

4 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. Cost might be the bigger problem, not language. by deragon · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    The aim is to make Japan more attractive to foreign tourists, who are often put off by the country's language barrier.

    Uh... the high cost of living might be a bigger problem? After all, people travel all around the world and language is not that big of a barrier.

    A collegue of mine told me that he had to pay $5 an apple when visting there. Granted, they probably do not grow many apples in Japan, but here in Montreal we do not pay $5 the Marocan tangerine.

    There is no real/easy solution to get the cost of living down in Japan. At least the article suggest that Japanese authorities acknowledge that cost is a problem. As they cannot do anything about it, they problably decided to attack the #2 reason. But I hope their expectations are not unreasonable because cost is the major problem, not language.

    --
    Remember the year 2000? They promised us flying cars. They delivered the PT Cruiser...
  2. You don't have to leave the U.S. by worst_name_ever · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    If you happen to be near Bethlehem, PA, you can meet some Peeps without buying an expensive plane ticket...

    --

    In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
  3. Re:And in America... by tomstdenis · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    it has to end with you...

    "In Soviet Russia, car drives you!"

    etc...

    If you're going to try and wield a joke of this nature at least get it right. That's like saying "I wish we had a beowolf gaggle of one pentium". Just doesn't sound right or funny.

    I would have accepted

    In Soviet Russia, a crime victim is YOU!

    or

    in Soviet Russia, PDA steals YOU!

    Tom

    --
    Someday, I'll have a real sig.
  4. Re:And in America... by AviLazar · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ya know, originall i was going to write the 2nd suggestion - but thought it wasn't funny. Thanks for the suggestion

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    I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.