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Linda Sharman is the president of Club Med
K.K.
She is from the U.S. and has a Master of
Business Administration. She has been in
Japan for 14 years. During the past 14 years,
she worked as an executive management consultant
at several firms such as a beer inporting
company, a consumer products company, and
in high-tech industries.
She is fluent in Japanese and enjoys vacationing
in Okinawa.
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Okinawans are proud of their emerald blue
jewel, the ocean. Their ocean attracts many
tourists to this island. Recently, the Japanese
word "Iyashi" (Column 1) has become a big
theme of Okinawa's tourism. Okinawan style
tourism of "Kanko"(Column 2) is changing.
How is it changing? Here is the answer to
that question, the latest vacation style
in Okinawa.
Club Med is an international resort-developing
corporation. Since the birth of its first
holiday village, it has been choosing locations
where there are beautiful oceans. In September
1999, its latest holiday village opened
at Kabira Bay in Ishigaki island.
Ms. Linda Sharman, the president of Club
Med K.K. talks about the appealing points
of Okinawa's tourism and the way Japanese
tourism should be in the future.
Why Kabira Bay?
Kabira Bay and the Shiraho area, also in
Ishigaki island, have beautiful white
sandy beaches and one of the best coral seas
in Okinawa. Club Med opened its first beach
resort in Japan, here in Kabira. In other
areas of Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan,
there are beaches just as beautiful as Kabira.
Why then did Club Med choose Kabira?
"First of all, the nature and the beaches
are the most beautiful in Japan
here in Kabira Bay. The local residents of
Kabira love festivals, they are
friendly, broad-minded, and hospitable.
An atmosphere like this can not be artificially
made. We offer a chance to get to know the
local people.
Club Med is not just a resort hotel. It
is a community known as a "Holiday
Village".
It is natural for Japanese tourists to think
that Okinawan's unaffected character and
warm hospitality may heal their tired selves.
The importance of a resort includes
meeting and getting to know the local people.
Only the holiday makers who visit a resort
can appreciate this kind of experience.
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Column 1 " Iyashi "
The word "Iyashi" literally means to heal
from injuries and illnesses, in
other words, to become healthy again. Recently
in Japan, people use the
word to mean becoming mentally healthy again
after being stressed out.
After Japan's bubble economy burst, many
companies began
restructuring their businesses, so some
fear loosing their jobs, and comes some get
paid less. That's why many people are trying
to recover from this stress-related damage.
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Column 2 " Kanko "
In the past, the word "Kanko" did not exist
in the Japanese language.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the word
"Sightseeing" was brought in
from abroad and Yukichi Fukuzawa translated
it as "Kanko". As a matter of fact, the
Japanese had no concept of "Kanko". To find
the closest meaning to "Kanko" before the
Meiji era, we must go back to the Edo period
(1603-1867), when people went to the Ise
Shrine or eighty-eight Fudasho (sacred places)
in Shikoku Island to pray, or went to Kyoto
to see the plays. These activities were
called "Omairi" (literally meaning to visit
shrines or temples to pray) and "Monomi Yusan"
(meaning to visit places and have a good
time) respectively.
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