Japanese find small flaws loom very large

TWO Japanese volunteers working with Special Olympics Japan lauded the warmth and helpfulness of Ireland’s volunteer workforce but expressed the wish that the organisation will continue to improve as it did on the second day of competition.

Mari Ono, from Tokyo, and her companion, Kyoko Nagamatsu, from Kyoto, gave the distinct impression they found the minor flaws in the organisation which they had encountered more humorous than devastating.

After visiting Japan for the World Cup finals last year it came as no surprise to me to realise that if you are Japanese, then little things by that I mean little flaws must mean a lot !

After all, these girls are used to a system where efficiency is a by-word. Kyoko, after three years spent living in Dublin, was clearly more in tune with Irish eccentricity and Mari illustrated her puzzlement when events take an uncharted course with this little tale. "If you want to go down to the pool-deck to photograph the athletes," she said while pointing to her camera, "you must be accompanied and you must request a special blue bib. But there were only five bibs here yesterday and sometimes when we went for them they were gone. Today there are ten bibs."

Both girls have been assigned by S.O. Japan to photograph every Japanese athlete and are accredited as journalists. Had they more experience in the business they would surely have been more comfortable with the relatively minor level of protocol in force at the National Aquatic Centre.

Mari had a further addition to her story "Last night in our hotel all our volunteers from all venues came together to compare our experiences. One of our volunteers from another venue still had a blue bib on. That surprised me."

Kyoko is a shop assistant in the Temple Bar area where she selling rainwear. She is here to study English and likes Ireland so much she hopes to stay for another three years.

"I have been to Galway and Donegal," she said, "the countryside in Ireland is wonderful and very, very beautiful. I much prefer it to the city."

Mari's story was a little more involved. She is an assistant to an executive of Oracle Corporation of Japan. When her company decided three years ago to support Special Olympics Nippon she was assigned as liaison officer. She is a volunteer group leader in the Oracle company and soon became an enthusiastic supporter of S.O.

She shared the expense of travelling to Ireland 50/50 with the company and first spent three days en route on vacation in London. Her first experiences of Ireland were mixed.

She said: "My first impression of Dublin was gained at the airport where they have monitors at the baggage carousels. They were showing a film of the Special Olympics and the film was wonderful and I liked it very much.

"On the way to my hotel there were many signs for the Special Olympics and I was surprised to see so many corporations were supporting Special Olympics including Toyota, so the business community is very, very supportive of Special Olympics."

"Together with that impression I must say that I was overcharged for the taxi from the airport to my hotel because I paid 35 euro.

"It said in the hotel it should cost only 15 euro."

She still had the receipt for 32 euro plus tip and after suggesting she should show this to the staff of the hotel if she was upset, I explained that taxi fares in Dublin had escalated rapidly in recent times. They are as heavy now as any city in Europe.

The smile never left Mari's face however and her next statement supported the view that her level of upset fell a little short of outright anger.

She said: "The taxi driver was very nice. He told me various things about Dublin that were interesting and helpful including the hotel where U2 were staying and I liked that... but it was still disappointing to learn I had paid too much, 32 plus tip."

She told me that Oracle were represented at S.O. 2003 by another employee who was here with his wife and that he liked Ireland very much, indeed.

And did she? "I have not been here three days yet and I only know the Aquatic Centre, the RDS, the Airport and Arlington Hotel.

"I find the whole experience very interesting. I am a complete stranger here and this is a first time visiting Ireland for me."