Naisbitt (1994) notes that 60 percent of the world's radio broadcast, 70 percent of the world mail, 85 percent of international phone calls and 80 percent of computer data are in English (pp. 22-25). Perhaps a similar preponderance exist in tourism literature. But, beyond these language orientation there is a "Western" orientation of thought regarding tourist behaviour and culture that might influence survey design and research methodology. This may leave researchers less able to understand the heterogoneus Asian travelersthat are traveling in increasing numbers. It is important to understand the culture of sending country when analyzing tourist behavior and motivation. This paper ilustrates how understanding Japanese culture enhances the development of survey instruments as well as the interpretation of survey results. Examples are taken from quarterly visitor exit surveys conducted on the island of Guam, as a U.S territory that serve as one of the major short-haul destination for Japanese travelers.