Hidetoshi Kobayashi (Left Picture) has a strong personal interest in ecology. As General Manager of the Overseas Division of the Toranomon Branch of the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB), he has long wanted to put his love of nature into the trips he plans, allowing clients an indepth ecological and culture experience. Mr. Kobayashi prepared an environmental guidebook for his customers going on his tours to Kakadu National Park. I will share some of his special philosophy and observations about nature travel with you.

 Hidetoshi Kobayashi: "We are now at a point of historical change. Yet most Japanese don't know exactly what new travel experiences they want for the next stage. In about 5 to 10 years, the children of the Baby Boom generation will be over 20 years old. How will they choose to spend their time?

 They will have a high level of education, high salaries and wider interests than our generation. The current style of Japanese package tours focuses on famous sightseeing places and shopping. This will prove inadequate for the interests of the coming generation who will hope for a more in-depth experience at new destinations."

Laurie Lubeck: How do you attract customers to your ecotours?

HK: "At Kakadu, it is the atmosphere that is the attraction, but how can you feature that in the brochure? For many Japanese tourists there is no well-known picturesque place in Kakadu. No famous mountain or well-known lake. Japanese tourists need such famous places because after the tour their friends ask them, "Did you see such-and-such?" The popular experiences that more itineraries include are the "Jumping Crocodile Cruise," "Yellow Waters Cruise," and the rock art at Nourlangie Rock and Ubirr Lookout Point. But how many know about the Mamukala Wetlands? It is also a fantastic place, filled with many kinds of birds and yet Japanese rarely think of coming here.

 It is a bit shocking that the regular public tour to Kakadu spends only 4-5 hours in the park. These tourists can't possibly discover the value or the relationships in nature. They don't know how to spend their time.

 Sometimes we forget to use all our senses. While I sat on a rock at Ubirr, I could hear the call of magpie geese. Usually on a Japanese tour, only "looking" is the emphasis. It is a richer experience when we hear, taste, smell and touch.

 As you know, throughout a Japanese package tour, the escort or guide is continually talking about many things. It is actually pretty noisy. I think another type of travel is valuable, where one can "feel and think" on their own. This would be a very different sort of journey for Japanese tourism."