being a Tour Guide in Japan

4 comments

1. Basically the training only qualifies you to do the service. (For this specific case) The license itself, is given through the company you are working with (different from 通訳案内士 where basically the person is registered in the prefecture they live in). Due to the grayzone these licenses provide, tour conductors and tour guides often covers the same scope of work in the travel agencies, and since you need to have some kind of relationship with the agency to get the license, what people usually do is close a 事務委託契約 with the agency (but this has implications on what kind of visa you have and if you have a full-time job and want to do it on the side, you need to be aware of 副業 regulations of your company, and remember that any income might reflect on your taxes)

2. basically without it you can’t pay anything ahead for your clients… such as food/tickets/accommodation as that’s considered being a tour organizer, and not an interpreter/guide.

   As long as you’re not paying things, you should be fine.

3. You will get paid more if you had the license, but the license is extremely difficult to pass even for Japanese.

4. Hi!

   >I am aware that having 通訳案内士 is a must

   It really isn’t. It hasn’t been a requirement for guide work since IIRC 2018 and even before that the requirement was ignored by the industry and not enforced by any of the prefectures.
   Moreover, it’s not even an indication that someone is a good guide. I know a few people out there who have it and to be honest all except one aren’t that great at actually guiding.

   >How do you get the 旅程管理主任者証?

   You get it from the tour company when they make you the 添乗員 for that particular tour. For inbound tourism in practice this is never done. There’s one agent based in Hyogo that gives their guides one, but it’s pretty meaningless. They issued me one before I even completed the training at TTC College (where I assume you got yours as well).

   >Whats the “real” benefit of having 通訳案内士?

   Bragging rights. No, really. I’ve encountered a few companies that pretend to pay guides a bonus for having it, but in reality what they do is pay anyone without it below the market rate.
   The only really tangible benefit is that apparently since 2024 you’re allowed to do tours in your own personal car (with a white number plate) if you have the 通訳案内士 certification. I’m sure terms and conditions apply though. I don’t drive tourists myself so I haven’t researched this in depth.

   In general, the inbound tourism industry is an unregulated wild west and has always been this way. What little regulation there is either not enforced (e,g. the 旅程管理主任者 thing) at all or enforced very sparsely (e,g, anything involving 旅行業者 regulations). If you’re looking to work as a guide, at the moment you really don’t need to worry about much. Don’t do anything blatantly illegal, build relationships with tour agents, guide your tourists and you’ll be fine.

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