Thursday, December 20, 2007

Narita Airport

This is the second time I come back to Taiwan in the past one and half year.
I took American Airline to Japan and transfered Japan Airline to Taipei as I did last time.

Compared to JFK, Narita Airport (in Tokyo) is a small one,
but people who work there are much much friendly than those work in JFK.
For example, officers who operate x-ray machine for baggage talk to visitors nicely,
and they are patient to explain rules to visitors.

Perhaps, I had a very bad experience in JFK so that
I had a label that most American airport officers are mean to passengers.
Or, Japanese culture makes officers in Narita so polite and friendly.

But there is one thing that can be improved, English of the Narita workers.
I am not saying that their English are not good enough,
but it seems that employees working in the airport do not speak English very often.
They tend to use short phrases to communicate, rather than using a whole sentence.
One example is that when I order a beef bowl and a miso soup,
the cashier says "two miso soups?"
I answer "No. One beef bowl and one miso soup."

After I got the meal, I understood what she said in the three words,
"A beef bowl comes with a miso soup, and if I order one more soup,
I will have two miso soups."

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