I first realized my local guide status in September 2017 on a trip to Singapore from my country Ghana. My phone suggested to me to review places I had visited and share my pictures. Initially, I was spooked, feeling I was being followed when I noticed my phone had documented every single place I had been. But after taking so many wonderful photos and visiting so many amazing places, I could not help but share.
Then in August 2018, I traveled to Tokyo via Dubai for a two-year study period. While in Dubai, I got 'trigger-happy" again or I should rather say, shutter-happy. Perhaps, it comes with the extra adrenaline associated with traveling. I received notifications again to share my photos and reviews and I was excited to oblige. My shutter-happiness continued when I arrived in Tokyo until I moved to Kobe a few weeks after. Given Kobe’s proximity to Osaka and Kyoto, I was able to take more tourist and business trips and share more photos and reviews.
Being a local guide matters dearly to me because it greatly helped my mental health to live positively in Japan since I was going to be away from my wife and kids for two years. With google guides a found a passion. I bought the latest iPhone-XS Max, a tripod and a remote-controlled shutter-button and also downloaded google photos to further enhance my shots. I started walking more looking for inspiring scenes and monuments to shoot. I unconsciously began living healthier by walking an average of 6,000 steps a day.
I saved more money and traveled to several cities including Seoul, my home city Accra via Addis Ababa, New York via Manila, Boston, Framingham, Worcester, Washington DC, Gaithersburg, and Cleveland. While in New York, I lived in Brooklyn, visited the Bronx, Queens, Harlem, and Manhattan just walking more and taking shots of interesting scenes and monuments.
In Japan, my desire to visit sites and capture shots endeared me to the community where I engaged with elementary and high school kids, university students and the elderly retired folk and ended up learning the Japanese language. I indulged so much that I was captured thrice in local newspapers. I was excited as an African to be one of the privileged to have transitioned from the Heisei era (achieving peace) into the Reiwa era (beautiful harmony) when Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum throne and Prince Naruhito succeeded him. This marks what the google local guides connect program means to me; Reiwa (beautiful harmony). Through my new found passion, I have so far survived Japan’s numerous earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters and even the current Covid19 situation, while away from my family.
Google Guide and Map have helped me to easily navigate in a foreign land where roads and streets are named in the local Japanese language. I feel very honored to have attained the status of local guide level 5, contributing 169 photos, 38 reaches, and 73,249 impact views. I look forward to joining you at the Connect Live 2020 in the Bay Area in October.
Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!
