Now that you are an adult, do you still feel like volunteering?
Do I?
This is going to be the only Olympics in my life time, I think.
I think it's an important experience.
Hey guys it's Cathy Cat. 2020 the Olympics are being held and
the recruitment for the volunteers is starting soon.
But there are quite a lot of problems.
This time we are gonna go and ask the Japanese people here on the streets of Tokyo
If they would volunteer or not.
Let's go and Ask Japanese.
What's 2020?
In Tokyo?
The Olympics.
Will you go and watch it? - I want to.
I think I'd like to.
What are you looking forward to when the Olympics come to Japan?
Well...
I want to see Japan interact with a country that we don't usually hear of.
What would you like to see?
Cultural exchange and such...
I want to interact with people from different countries.
Will you volunteer or not for the Olympics?
Oh!
You're the same right? - Yes.
Well both of you said no. Why?
Well, I am too busy for that...
I don't think I will have time for that.
I have to work.
Does volunteering have a negative image here in Japan?
Not that negative but...
There are many people who think it's a good thing and do it.
Have you volunteered before?
When I was in school, our school made us pick up garbage and such.
But now I am too busy for things like that.
I won't even have the time to think of volunteering.
I used to collect garbage with school.
I also helped at the library for people who want to lend books.
As an adult now, do you still want to volunteer?
Do I want to?
If there was anything I could do but...
I can't take any time off for this stuff.
They want to recruit a lot of volunteers for the olympics 2020 but...
what do you think about that? Will there be enough people coming?
What?
I have the feeling they won't get enough people together.
In Japan people are very busy.
And since volunteers have to pay for themselves, I doubt they'll get enough.
I don't think they will get a large amount of people for this.
But I think some people won't mind helping.
Why do you want to volunteer?
In the post-war period from 1965...
this is the second time the Olympics are coming to Tokyo.
Would be great to be a part of that.
During my lifetime there won't be any more Olympic games in Japan, I think.
I think this is a valuable experience.
What would you like to help with?
What? Well.. maybe show people around.
But well...
By that time I won't be a sports pharmacist yet...
I want to be a pharmacist.
There is a category, where the sportsmen get a sports pharmacist...
who will be with them, and take care of their medicine doses.
There is a job like that. I wish I was that qualified by that time already.
I read an article where they said pharma qualified volunteers will be the hardest to get.
Volunteers with special knowledge will be the hardest to get.
So I think... they will need you.
Since you are studying medicine, is there anything you are worried about
since the summers here are so hot during the time.
Anything you think the sportsmen will struggle with?
This is not related to summer specifically, but some eye drops...
Some eye drops will react badly for doping tests.
Right now it's hot and your eyes dry out quickly.
So I am worried about that happening.
Normal eye drops will be counted as doping? - It can happen.
One of our Japanese sportsmen had the issue that his eye drops got counted as doping.
Even though he had great scores, he was taken out.
That's pretty tough. - Poor guy.
I would like to see the opening ceremony.
And also the short-distance sprints.
But volunteers here in Japan are made to work a normal working day of at least 8 hours.
People just say "Volunteering is good" but there is no salary or support.
I see a bad side of Japan here.
There is a dark side to it. The media says "Let's show Japan's hospitality"
But I have seen what kind of shifts volunteers are supposed to work.
They get one hour break but apart from that they are made to work hard.
Maybe some volunteers don't mind but...
That's good for them.
Japan is trying to boost the image of volunteering for ulterior motives.
I personally also don't feel excited enough about taking part in the Olympics.
That's another reason why I don't want to volunteer.
In Japan we are overly praising people who work hard in manual labour.
Hard working is a good thing.
Working really hard is praised.
When someone works incredibly much, we think that person is great.
And that culture is getting exploited for free work now.
I have seen online what foreigners in Japan have said about our work ethics.
The more sites I have seen, foreigners seem surprised how high our working standards are.
In Japan this high working-ethic is normal but not for foreigners.
Some foreigners say we work too hard.
Japan will show on TV just how great of a country it is...
they will only talk about what Japanese things are seen as amazing abroad.
They only pick the good things.
The media should also focus on our working issues, or what Japan needs to fix.
It would be good if our media would also criticize these things naturally.
That's why I had to look it up online.
They will need a lot of professional volunteers, translators and interpreters...
and also people with pharmaceutical know-how.
Do qualified people like that come for the olympics? Can they get time off?
I don't think work would let them take time off.
People who love the Olympics or are overjoyed that they have come to Japan might...
People who just want to make themselves useful in any way will go.
But in this society right now,
It will be a problem to get that many people together.
Why won't you volunteer? - I will be working then.
I will be working, I will. How about you?
And you?
I will be working by that time... I hope.
That's one of the problems.
If we even got a little bit of money for it, I would think about it.
I heard you don't get any money for it.
It sounds like it will just be a lot of very very hard work.
Have you heard about any Olympic news?
Online people say volunteers will just be used for doing other's jobs for free.
What do you mean?
Even though you don't get a cent, you won't get that many people willing to work for free.
It's gonna be such hard work for sure.
I see a lot of news asking "Who would want to do all of that?"
And I agree with that.
Also that summer might be really hot again.
It's an international event and many people will come.
And then expecting helpers to do work, but for free, I don't think it will work out.
In Japan people just don't have that type of free time.
If you had free time, you would be going to watch a sports event, right?
Do any of your friends want to volunteer?
I haven't seen or heard of any. - Same.
Fact is, the transportation will also not be reimbursed. You think they'll get enough people?
Impossible. - I will definitely not do it.
I don't have the heart to do it.
You said no. Why not?
I don't think I will be able to take a holiday from work.
I also think I don't have enough strength to help out there.
It depends on the circumstances but...
Right now my feelings of saying no are bigger.
How about you? - I am already so busy, I can't do it.
Have you ever volunteered?
When I was in school, I joined the child's community.
Have you heard anything about the volunteers for the Olympics?
I have seen on the news that they will be looking for volunteers.
I have seen that there aren't enough plans to battle the extreme summer heat.
Volunteers are said to not earn a wage, get accommodation paid,
they won't even get their travel expenses covered. Do you think you'll get enough volunteers?
I don't think that's possible.
Why do you think that?
If you don't have an accommodation assured when helping,
the people that live there will be there and the hotels will be booked up
There is no place for volunteers.
The large committee that is holding the Olympics...
they need to think about this more.
I think the number of people who are able to volunteer will be low.
They might then resort to using high-school students and university students.
If Japan gets them to volunteer, there might be enough.
School and universities.
- That's right. - Those were all our questions.
Would you volunteer for the olympics? We had so many NOs
and only two people who said yes.
In Japan volunteering isn't such a positive word as it might be in your country.
It makes many people see it as work... without money.
So work without pay.
What it seems to be, what one of the girls said, that it's gonna be a strict and rigid schedule,
scheduling in breaks. They are gonna make them work proper working shifts...
without paying any money. Other people have said online that...
there are a lot of companies who are making money out of the olympics...
but why are then the volunteers supported so little?
They don't even get the transportation fee to the certain location.
They are gonna be made to work hard, in the heat, without getting anything out of it but the experience
And that has a negative image here in Japan.
The heat is gonna be a very big problem, because
in the summer we have lots of heat related illnesses and sicknesses here,
that seems like it's gonna be continuing up to 2020.
The question is, are there gonna be enough volunteers 2020 because
no sponsoring is gonna be, there will not be support for the volunteers.
What's gonna happen? Some universities have apparently moved their university term
so the students can come and volunteer instead of writing their exams for example, during that time.
Interested to see how that will develop in the future guys. So let us know about this.
Would you volunteer for the olympics in your country?
Do you think that it's a good idea that the volunteers get absolutely no support,
not even for the transportation?
Let us know about that.
How was it for the olympics in your country if they were in your country?
Did you go and volunteer? Why did you or why did you not?
Let us know down below. Looking forward to your comments, catch you soon on Ask Japanese. Bye.