KASHIWA, Chiba -- A German graduate student is one of the main contributors to a new English-language tourism website for the city of Kashiwa in Chiba Prefecture, helping to introduce local sightseeing spots and events.
The website was recently launched by the Kashiwa Information Center, an entity commissioned to provide tourism information about the city. Contributing writer Malte Detjens, a 31-year-old graduate student studying at the University of Tokyo Kashiwa Campus in Kashiwa, is trying his best to "be a visible writer to readers and vividly convey the atmosphere of scenes" through his stories.
Born in Germany, Detjens became interested in Japan at the age of 12, when he started learning jujutsu at a friend's suggestion. He has also studied other martial arts, such as aikido and iaido.
Having "always longed to live in Japan," Detjens came to this country on a working holiday in 2012. While staying in Matsudo in the prefecture, he sometimes visited Reitaku University in Kashiwa, where a friend was studying. He came to like the campus and enrolled in the university's economics department in 2014.
Detjens moved to Kashiwa in the spring of 2018 when he entered the graduate school in the city. He is currently studying the role of kodomo shokudo meal-service facilities for children, which are on the increase across the nation.
He learned that the information center, which is located in front of Kashiwa Station, was seeking a foreign staff member and began working there part-time in April 2018. Detjens works at the center three days a week to help foreign tourists.
He got involved in launching the center's English website when it decided to set up one for the sharply rising number of foreign tourists to the city.
The English website was launched at the end of October at https://kashiwainfo.chiba.jp/
Using many photos shot by local brothers who are professional photographers, the website provides information on tourist spots and major events in the city. Among them are the Former Yoshida Family Residence, a national important cultural property that used to be the home of a wealthy farming family, and the Teganuma Fireworks Festival.
"I want to tell [visitors to our website] not only basic information such as the locations of facilities and their historical backgrounds, but also how I was impressed when I visited those places to report on them," said Detjens.
These hopes are reflected in an article published in late November about Goko Hamono, a blademaker in Kashiwa. Its handmade knives are crafted with traditional methods and have been named a government-designated traditional craft.
Detjens explains in the article about the soul of a shokunin, or artisan, as well as the concept of shitei dogyo, which means a master learns as much from their student as the student learns from the master.
"Every one of us can integrate a bit of the 'shokunin' spirit and the Goko Hamono philosophy into our lives. Pour your soul into whatever you do, never stop striving for improvement, be honest, and stay humble," Detjens wrote in the article.
"He's even more considerate than a Japanese person would be and is well liked by everyone he meets," said Kazuko Kojima, a 54-year-old employee at the center. "He's good at opening up interviewees' minds and understanding their thoughts."
Detjens said he likes Kashiwa because the city is "not only convenient but also one can see paddy fields spread out in places not far from the city center."
"I want to improve the content of the website so even more foreigners will become fans of Kashiwa," Detjens said.
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