A nice waterfall in southern Guam. I can't remember the name of it... If I do, I'll edit this.16 November 2006
Japan, USA
A shot of the central tourist area of Tumon, Guam.
In October, I went to Guam with my gf and her mother. After what I saw, I’m making a case to change the name of the island to “Japan, USA.”
We were looking forward to the trip. My gf’s mother had never been out of Japan, and we thought Guam would be a good introduction to the rest of the world. As for me, I was looking forward to the opportunity to be on American soil again, and to eat some American food that I was missing.
Once we landed in Guam, I knew things would be unlike what I expected. Announcements at Guam International were in Japanese first, then English. When we got on the hotel shuttle bus, I was the only non-Japanese out of 50 passengers. At the hotel, signs were in Japanese and English. Then in the hotel room, the bathroom was decked with a Japan-made toilet and a Japanese-style removable shower head.
When we went around the main tourist area of Tumon, you were lucky if you saw anyone other than a Japanese. Signs to some stores were in Japanese only. All of this in a U.S. territory.
On the first full day, my gf and I went to do something called a seawalk. One of the seawalk staff made it a point to make his way through the crowd of tourists over to me, and he said, “Hey man, I wanted to personally shake your hand! You’re the first American tourist we’ve seen all year.” Keep in mind that this was October.
It went like that the entire trip. Tour staffers – almost all of them Guam natives - would automatically speak Japanese to me at first, before they realized that I was a fellow American. The only time I felt like I was not in Japan was the day we rented a car and drove around the southern part of the island. That was the best part of the trip.
My gf felt the same way – not surprising, considering how much she likes to travel. But my gf’s mother felt the same as well. I guess she was looking forward to experiencing something other than Japan, and she didn’t have the chance to in Guam.
That said, Guam is a beautiful place, and if you get away from the tourist areas, it’s peaceful. But for those expats in Japan, you’re better off going to Hawaii.
We were looking forward to the trip. My gf’s mother had never been out of Japan, and we thought Guam would be a good introduction to the rest of the world. As for me, I was looking forward to the opportunity to be on American soil again, and to eat some American food that I was missing.
Once we landed in Guam, I knew things would be unlike what I expected. Announcements at Guam International were in Japanese first, then English. When we got on the hotel shuttle bus, I was the only non-Japanese out of 50 passengers. At the hotel, signs were in Japanese and English. Then in the hotel room, the bathroom was decked with a Japan-made toilet and a Japanese-style removable shower head.
When we went around the main tourist area of Tumon, you were lucky if you saw anyone other than a Japanese. Signs to some stores were in Japanese only. All of this in a U.S. territory.
On the first full day, my gf and I went to do something called a seawalk. One of the seawalk staff made it a point to make his way through the crowd of tourists over to me, and he said, “Hey man, I wanted to personally shake your hand! You’re the first American tourist we’ve seen all year.” Keep in mind that this was October.
It went like that the entire trip. Tour staffers – almost all of them Guam natives - would automatically speak Japanese to me at first, before they realized that I was a fellow American. The only time I felt like I was not in Japan was the day we rented a car and drove around the southern part of the island. That was the best part of the trip.
My gf felt the same way – not surprising, considering how much she likes to travel. But my gf’s mother felt the same as well. I guess she was looking forward to experiencing something other than Japan, and she didn’t have the chance to in Guam.
That said, Guam is a beautiful place, and if you get away from the tourist areas, it’s peaceful. But for those expats in Japan, you’re better off going to Hawaii.
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