Hi!?
I will now answer the question: “What does the Local Guides program mean to you?”
The Local Guides program means 3 things to me.
The following is personal and may be a little biased, sorry.
1. The best albums in the world
Lately, I’ve noticed that I like to take pictures because it allows me to capture some of the memories and remind us of them. I’ve come to like it more by getting Google Pixel that can take great photos even in the dark. But I was a bit reluctant to post those photos to Instagram, which is a very well-known tool for sharing photos, but posting them there seemed like a competition for better photos to me (which may not really be the case). Also, I take a lot of photos with no people in them. But there was a difference between Instagram and the Local Guides Program. Photo sharing there can be considered to help. Also, a lot of people see my photos, and I’m happy about that. You can also see photos by different photographers in different seasons on Google Map. It’s fun too.
The photo of Hirano Shrine I took this year
2. One of my personalities
A few months after I started posting for the Local Guides Program, an assistant professor in the lab I will be in since April of this year found a post on Google Map for a restaurant near the university. We hadn’t really talked much at the time, but thanks to the posts, we were able to get to know each other better by talking about the food around the university. I also had a senior at a college facility find me. I even told several friends about this program. Now, they sometimes ask me where to go for lunch or dinner, or we talk about restaurants. This program has given me one of my personalities.
“Gekijo rice bawl” in NIKU Gekijou near the university (I like!)
3. The key to a broader perspective
Sometimes I find a pop-up that says “Do you know this place?” and I press it. As I did so, I began to see a lot of wheelchair-accessible questions. Prior to joining the local guide program, even though I had studied in the classroom in the past, but I hadn’t paid attention to the entrance from the perspective of barrier-free access. This program reminded me of the importance of thinking from every person’s point of view. I’d like to broaden my horizons to make the Google Maps that people all over the world use more wonderful, and also for my own life beyond.
The view from my parents’ apartment
It’s a bit long, sorry?
Thank you for reading to the end!