#13 Putting Yourself in the Guest's Shoes

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What would you do
if you were Xuan?

"There's something I've been
worried about."

Rei-san, I have a question for you.

When you picked up my pen, you said, "Cute."

That's the sort of thing that
makes a girl's heart flutter!

I'm sorry. My bad.

So I promise to make you happy.

What's this?!

What were you thinking?

You can't leave the sheets out here.

I'm cleaning the room,
so I'll move them later.

Oh, all right...

No! Take care of it now!

It's not my overactive imagination
that I'm worried about.

It's Danny.

Hurry up.

Good morning.

Hi! I see you're working hard.

Morning.

I'm going to take a nap,
so don't bother with my room.

Yes, sir!

Yes, sir.

Thanks.

Danny!

What was that?

What was what?

Greet guests properly!

And answer when you're spoken to!

I greeted him, and I answered.

Not good enough!

You need to put yourself
in the guest's shoes.

The guest's shoes!

Forget it.

Sumire-san...

Danny...?

Hi, Danny.

Sumire-san doesn't like me.

I don't think that's how Sumire-san feels.

Then why is she always angry at me?

It's always me.

You make more mistakes.

"I do sometimes, but..."

It's like Sumire-san said.

You need to put yourself
in the guest's shoes.

What does that mean?

You need to think about things
from the guest's point of view.

Get it?

No.

"How can I put it?"

"A simpler explanation...?"

You look like you're stuck.

Yansu!

It seems my words are too difficult
for him to understand.

Sometimes just explaining
the meaning of words isn't enough.

What you should do then is...

try and explain by giving actual examples
that Danny can relate to.

Actual examples?

Why did Sumire-san say Danny should
put himself in the guest's shoes?

That's because...

Danny left the sheets outside, and he didn't greet the guests properly.

That's it!

Use his personal experiences as examples.

Then he might understand.

Okay.

I think I can do that.

Try it!

I don't know what to do.

Wait, Danny.

Think about it a little.

About what?

Sumire-san told you off for
leaving the dirty sheets outside.

But I cleared them away
after I cleaned the room.

But what if you were a guest?

If I was a guest?

What if you saw the pile of sheets
in the corridor?

Wouldn't you think they're in the way,
or that they look untidy?

Uh-huh.

And then she scolded you
after you greeted a guest.

I greeted him properly.

Were you facing him?

Well... I was working.

What if you were a guest?

You say, "Good morning,"
but the staff member doesn't look at you.

How would you feel?

That wouldn't feel so good.

Maybe that's what putting yourself
in the guest's shoes is about.

Okay...

All right, I get it.

"I'm glad he understood."

Hi!

Hello.

You're doing well.

Thank you.

Can you clean my room while
I go for a bath and get a bite to eat?

Of course.

Thanks!

Good luck with your next book.

Okay... Huh?

Thank you!

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

I thought it would make me happy
if I was the guest.

So you're putting yourself
in the guest's shoes now.

All right. Well done.

Sumire-san, you're a nice person.

Xuan-san told me.

You're a little scary, but a good person.

You said I'm scary?

Only a little!

"Explaining things can be difficult."

"But now I understand what it means
to put myself in the guest's shoes too."

"Today's Strategy!"

Instructions like
"Put yourself in the guest's shoes," or "Be creative and find a better way,"
can be vague.

Some people might find it confusing
and won't know what to do.

And you'd like to help them understand.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

But what if you were a guest?

What if you saw the pile of sheets
in the corridor?

Wouldn't you think they're in the way,
or that they look untidy?

Uh-huh.

Maybe that's what putting yourself
in the guest's shoes is about.

Explain by giving examples.

If you explain by giving actual examples
that the other person can relate to, it'll be easier to understand.

Xuan used Danny's personal experience
as an example.

If you say,
"Maybe that's what it's about," it'll give the other person
a chance to think about it.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Geng Yunting from China.

Geng works in Seki City in Gifu.

Her company was started as a foundry 460 years ago.

The company makes parts for the automobile, medical, semiconductor and other industries.

Geng works in marketing.

Hello.

To communicate about products, it's important to learn from product developers.

What's the best feature?

The handle is shiny.

You need some strength.

When you use it,
does dust get in the gaps?

It's passed the
waterproofing standards.

She asks questions until she's satisfied.

She's serious and works hard.

She has a clear sense of
what to do.

If she has trouble with Japanese,
other people help her out.

Now in her fourth year, Geng manages the China division and handles Japanese trade fairs, too.

Geng made this leaflet.
It's all in Japanese.

She produces great results.
And she sets the mood as well.

After high school, Geng heard Japan was a good place to work.

She spent a year studying and passed JLPT N2.

She moved to Japan at 19.

While in university, she interned at this company.

She liked the serious craftsmanship and the warm company atmosphere.

She decided to join the company.

Geng lives in Gifu, a mountainous region.

On weekends, she enjoys hiking.

Today she's hiking with a coworker.

It's making a scary noise.

I'd never seen a wild squirrel.

They hike to this centuries-old castle on the top of a mountain.

From Gifu Castle, one man sought to unify Japan.

The famous warlord Oda Nobunaga.

Wow, you can see so far. So pretty.

The view from the top is breathtaking.

Gifu has long been known for its chestnuts.

They're a popular ingredient in cooking and in sweets.

This is Geng's favorite: kuri kinton.

Steamed chestnuts are ground up, mixed with sugar, and shaped.

So good.

I like that it's not too sweet.

There are bits of chestnut inside.

Geng gives advice to younger friends from abroad.

What do you do when you're down?

Don't keep it to yourself.
You should talk it out with others.

Here's Geng's favorite word.

Gentle.

A word with a soft connotation.

"A gentle person."

"Today's stew has a mild flavor."

"Cherry blossom pink is
a soft color."

Yasashii can be used in a lot of
contexts. I think it's great.

Geng hopes to expand into the Western market at her job.

She's ready to take on the world!