Attending the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea this month reminded me of what Japan still needs to do as it gears up to be the host nation of one of the world's most prominent sports events.
All of the 2018 Winter Olympic snow events were held in Gangwon province's Pyeongchang County, in South Korea's countryside, home to just 43,000 residents. (The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium holds 35,000.) Not many in that area speak English, including the owner of the pension I stayed at. I found that he, as well as most taxi drivers, didn't even know basic numbers in the language.
Furthermore, few signs had been translated for the benefit of international visitors. Even simple things such as "taxi" were written in hangul, the Korean alphabet. Sometimes, large placards showing train schedules were incomprehensible as they were devised with only Korean spectators in mind.
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