From Booking Tours to Leading Them: Yuki Honda’s Remarkable Guiding Career at Discova
Discova Japan’s Guide Development Leader, Yuki Honda, has worn many hats in her life. Although she joined us as a member of the Reservations team in 2018 and even rose the ranks to become a team leader, she challenged herself during the Covid-19 pandemic to prepare and appear for Japan’s famously difficult Guide License test (only 10% of total applicants qualify every year) and passed with flying colours.
“I learned a lot while working with the Reservations team, but for our department, no news was good news. All I heard were complaints and queries, and the happy and positive feedback was reserved for the agents. It made me realise that instead of seeing our guests’ names on bookings, I wanted to be on-ground helping them enjoy their trips,” she says.
Born and raised in Saitama city, about 30 km from Tokyo, Yuki learned English for the first time when she was 19 while studying in the US for seven months. However, she still couldn’t speak or use the language professionally, making her forget it altogether. But she vowed to resume her classes when she turned 30, with the goal of using English while working in Japan.
“I studied tourism in Vancouver and worked in Sydney, and then I finally achieved my goal of working in an English-speaking environment when I came back to Japan in 2018 and joined Discova,” she says.
Yuki loves being a guide but acknowledges that it’s tough to get a head start in Japan. Most guides in the country are freelancers and get work based on their existing connections in the industry. Hence, she considers herself lucky to have retained her office position at Discova while foraying into guiding.
“Eileen Yee, my supervisor, gave me a big opportunity to lead GIT groups after I received my license. But this was also a challenging time as the country had just started reopening its borders and wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming influx of tourists,” she says.
Yuki, who was recently promoted to a Guide Development Leader, is now responsible for training and maintaining excellent relations with guides in her country and expanding Discova’s guide pool in Japan, which would be especially helpful during peak season.
“Phoy Phen from Discova’s Guide Academy had also kept in touch with guides in Japan during the pandemic, and thanks to him, we have great guides working with us. I am happy to collaborate with him and improve our guiding services together,” she says.
Although she is excited to host tourists in her unique and beautiful country, Yuki also wants them to understand that it is not a theme park. Especially with serious concerns about overcrowding in popular destinations like Mount Fuji, she is keen on fostering a deep and meaningful connection between the local community and visitors in a way that doesn’t pose a risk to the environment.
“I love sharing my experiences with guests so that they understand the culture and norms of Japan. For example, there are not many trash cans in public places in Japan, and tourists are urged to take their trash back to their hotels when they cannot find one.”
“I always show pictures of school kids cleaning their classrooms every day and explain to our customers why Japan is cleaner than many other countries. We learn from a very young age that you should not make a mess as you would have to clean it. Such insight helps people understand Japanese culture and respect it during their visit,” she adds.
For tourists coming to Japan for the first time, Yuki recommends Discova’s Orientation tour, which allows them to get a lay of the land and understand the city’s efficient public transportation system.
“Train systems in Japan can appear complicated and overwhelming, but after spending time with our local guides, you will be relieved and self-assured to take trains on your own with some help from Google Maps,” she informs.
A great guide, according to Yuki, has great communication skills and prepares for all kinds of situations well in advance so they can enjoy the trip with their guests. One can keep improving their skills, but positive customer feedback reaffirms a guide’s commitment and unwavering passion for their job.
In the spirit of inclusion and accessibility, Yuki hopes to see more fresh faces and energy in the field of guiding in Japan. Since it is a freelance profession, most young people don’t feel encouraged to become guides due to the lack of social security and financial instability in the initial years.
“The average age of guides in Japan is quite high, but I am keen to increase our base of younger guides so they can learn from their experienced seniors and grow in the business.”
Looking back on her long hours studying for the Guide License test, Yuki admits that it is tough to crack but worth every bit of the effort to become a guide.
She asks, “Isn’t it the greatest job to get paid to travel?”
“And I am happy to work with guides who want to make someone’s first (and sometimes only) visit to Japan memorable.”
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