Tokyo Shopping Districts and Entertainment Centers Preparing for 2020 Olympics

Above, the Ginza shopping district. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Looks like Tokyo's retailers are getting the jump in preparing for the hordes of visitors for the 2020 Olympic Games.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun:

Shopping streets and entertainment districts in Tokyo are getting ready for the 2020 Summer Olympics, teaching store staff how to use English to assist foreign visitors while planning various events as cultural exchange programs before the big event. 

"May I help you?" Yuko Suzuki, 35, a greengrocer in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward asked a customer in English. The customer is Canadian English teacher Steven Conning, 34, who plays the role of a foreign tourist. The conversation is part of English lessons the ward office has been offering to local store staff.

This all sounds fine. But, what about communicating with foreign visitors who don't happen to be English-speakers? Will they also learn Spanish, French, Swedish, German, Hungarian, Portuguese, Polish and other languages?

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