LL: Do your tour groups have the opportunity to interact or learn from local Aboriginal people?

HK: "If we think a moment about Japanese education in school concerning minorities, almost nothing is taught. I've heard in America you have a lot of minority education. In many places, the Japanese traveler perceives minorities as something interesting and separate, almost like an object of curiosity. Ours was a special tour group. They were not afraid at all to ask questions and spend time in discussion. They had a lot of interest about how Aboriginal people co-exist with nature and about the stories that they tell of their traditions and spiritual ancestors. We were fortunate, an Aboriginal friend of Kenji-san's explained to us about bush tucker, the traditional foods."

Nature Interpretation tells a story
(Nowrlangie Rock)

Hidetoshi Kobayashi uncovered one of the secret benefits of ecotours. Having learned some methods of birdwatching from Mr. Torikai, a specialist on one of his trips to Kakadu, he returned home and purchased a set of binoculars and went birdwatching along the Tamagawa River.

He expressed what he learned: "The knowledge gained on an ecotour should not be so separate from something that might become meaningful or useful. This is a chance for a lot of learning about nature and getting to know the people of another country. Far too often, overseas tours are savored only during the journey itself and are fairly forgotten after the trip. Ecotours are one way of gaining experiential skills and stimulating a strong personal interest to learn more, which will always serve us well and become a part of our everyday lives."