Paying Up in Words

Norman Sklarewitz’s article, “The Accidental Tutor Plays a Big Role in Japan” (Feb. 12), brought back warm memories of a recent trip there. However, he is mistaken in thinking that his experiences with the student guides was unusual. During the three weeks my husband and I drove around Japan, we were regularly approached by students who offered to guide us in exchange for English conversation. In some remote places, where the students had waited up to three hours in order to find some English-speaking people, we felt obligated to spend extra time with them, and indeed found them always charming, polite and helpful.

However, at other places, where a large number of such students lurked at every major shrine, they did become distracting and intrusive. Ironically, some of these disgruntled tourists were Germans and other Europeans, who were just getting by with their English!

While I agree that these students show a great deal of initiative, I’m afraid Sklarewitz does not set a good precedent by insisting on paying for such students’ meals. We English tutors already are reciprocating and, after the 10th time in three weeks one is asked to help out, the charm of the students begins to wear thin.

JUDITH SZARKA-CANTOR

Beverly Hills