Poll of the Day > Anybody been to Tokyo? Is it easy to get around not knowing Japanese?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Ive generally muddled my way around European countries and in Mexico with broken french/Spanish etc but get the feeling somewhere like Japan would be a bit different. How have you guys got around?

Not going anytime soon but would def like to at some point
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Everybody speaks a little English. The bus and subway pronounce station names in a very American accent.
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Fatal-kuuun! <3

Sooo kawaii-desu UwU
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It's very easy, most signs are in English. You can also get a data sim card or a mobile wifi unit and just use google maps.

Signage and symbology is generally very clear, I think it's harder to get around in Europe in comparison. You can also use voice translate on your phone, people are very accomodating.
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@Sarcasthma

Jeff sensei, you're needed.
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I went with my family last century. I didn't have to worry much because my mom is fluent in Japanese.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

It's very easy, most signs are in English. You can also get a data sim card or a mobile wifi unit and just use google maps.

Signage and symbology is generally very clear, I think it's harder to get around in Europe in comparison. You can also use voice translate on your phone, people are very accomodating.

Really? I expected them to be uncompromisingly Japanese, as far as I know theyve got a super strong culture? Didnt think theyd be that accommodating to English speakers. Or is it more just cause Tokyo is a tourist hotspot?

fishy071 posted...

I went with my family last century. I didn't have to worry much because my mom is fluent in Japanese.

The fuck lol
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green dragon posted...

Fatal-kuuun! <3

Sooo kawaii-desu UwU

Maaaan
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FatalAccident posted...

Really? I expected them to be uncompromisingly Japanese, as far as I know theyve got a super strong culture? Didnt think theyd be that accommodating to English speakers. Or is it more just cause Tokyo is a tourist hotspot?

No, even tiny rural towns often have signs in both Japanese and English. Tokyo definitely will have every major public sign in Japanese and English, often along with Chinese and Korean (personally I think having four languages on a sign makes it too wordy).

Were you gonna come to the US? I can show you the Grand Canyon!
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Yep, Tokyos easy enough to get around.

Were you planning on visiting any other cities/prefectures?
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This channel was literally made for you:
https://www.youtube.com/user/cmbroad44

Hes got videos on speaking the language and traveling.
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FatalAccident posted...

Really? I expected them to be uncompromisingly Japanese, as far as I know theyve got a super strong culture? Didnt think theyd be that accommodating to English speakers. Or is it more just cause Tokyo is a tourist hotspot?

It's a strongly prideful culture and Japan is the world leader in hospitality. There's an actual condition called Paris Syndrome where Japanese experience extreme shock when they go to France and see how much of a load of rude assholes they are lol. When I went, a complete stranger paid for a taxi to take me to where I was staying.
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FatalAccident posted...

Kyuubi4269 posted...

It's very easy, most signs are in English. You can also get a data sim card or a mobile wifi unit and just use google maps.

Signage and symbology is generally very clear, I think it's harder to get around in Europe in comparison. You can also use voice translate on your phone, people are very accomodating.

Really? I expected them to be uncompromisingly Japanese, as far as I know theyve got a super strong culture? Didnt think theyd be that accommodating to English speakers. Or is it more just cause Tokyo is a tourist hotspot?

fishy071 posted...

I went with my family last century. I didn't have to worry much because my mom is fluent in Japanese.

The fuck lol

I image you could actually look at the street situation using Google Earth. Which I just did. They really do have street signs with a English translation written alongside.
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it's easy. get one of the data sims in advance (they deliver to your hotel for you) and you'll be ready to go when you get there. get the train pass and a map (always a physical in case your phone runs out of battery), get the electronic ticketing system for the trains (forgot the name) and away you go.

also try to plan your itinerary in advance a bit if you want to visit something in particular - my wife (then fiance) wanted to visit onsen and you need to plan both the travel to get there, as well as the bookings if you want a private one.

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Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently
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green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

I went with a black friend. He didn't have any complaints but I didn't ask him about it either.

Restaurants will also have an English menu.

If you don't want to stand out in Tokyo wear black, white, gray, tan/beige, dark blue
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green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

no i think you are thinking of china
japan just pretends they don't exist
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RoboXgp89 posted...

green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

no i think you are thinking of china
japan just pretends they don't exist

I think they look down on mixed people living there. I know a half hapanese half black guy who said he moved here to America because it was less racist.
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RoboXgp89 posted...

green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

no i think you are thinking of china
japan just pretends they don't exist

No, I think you are thinking of America
China either ignore them or just look at them with mild curiousity
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Jen0125 posted...

Were you gonna come to the US? I can show you the Grand Canyon!

Yeah I'm still thinking of going to NYC first around November.

You still in Arizona? West Coast trip for me is probably still some time away ._.

green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

I think that's China and Russia, but tbqh I have no idea, Japan may be too lol
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Sarcasthma posted...

Yep, Tokyos easy enough to get around.

Were you planning on visiting any other cities/prefectures?

Just Tokyo really, but from what I hear the place is literally one of the biggest cities on the planet so I imagine I can just visit different districts and get different experiences. Could always get a train to one of the coastal cities on one of the days though.

deoxxys posted...

This channel was literally made for you:
https://www.youtube.com/user/cmbroad44

Hes got videos on speaking the language and traveling.

Ayyy
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FatalAccident posted...

Could always get a train to one of the coastal cities on one of the days though.

The Shinkansen is really expensive, so if you want to travel long distance, you'll save money getting a JR pass.
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green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

Heard it was more like curiosity since they don't see many

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FatalAccident posted...

Sarcasthma posted...

Yep, Tokyos easy enough to get around.

Were you planning on visiting any other cities/prefectures?

Just Tokyo really, but from what I hear the place is literally one of the biggest cities on the planet so I imagine I can just visit different districts and get different experiences. Could always get a train to one of the coastal cities on one of the days though.

There's definitely a lot to do in and around Tokyo. If you want to see a bit more nature, there are some good spots up north in Saitama, and Kanagawa (which has decent beaches) isn't too far away.
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green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

They aren't treated any worse than Americans treat them. Granted they're much less likely to be shot by the cops in Japan.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

FatalAccident posted...

Could always get a train to one of the coastal cities on one of the days though.

The Shinkansen is really expensive, so if you want to travel long distance, you'll save money getting a JR pass.

And JR rakes in loads of cash from clueless tourists because they'll all buy the JR pass without checking to see what the prices actually are beyond this vague sense of "super expensive"

They ain't cheap but neither is the JR pass.

Anyway Japan as long as your stick close to the tourist areas you'll be able to get by with English. Stray a bit away from them and English signage and ability drops to close to zero.
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scigeek101 posted...

And JR rakes in loads of cash from clueless tourists because they'll all buy the JR pass without checking to see what the prices actually are beyond this vague sense of "super expensive"

They ain't cheap but neither is the JR pass.

2 passes in the shinkansen is the same price as a JR pass. Assuming you actually want to get back to where you started, it's a no brainer, no idea where you got your ideas from.

scigeek101 posted...

Anyway Japan as long as your stick close to the tourist areas you'll be able to get by with English. Stray a bit away from them and English signage and ability drops to close to zero.

If by "tourist areas" you mean anywhere in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, sure.

Even out in Ota the signage is clear and in English, it's basically just rurals that aren't foreigner friendly.
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FatalAccident posted...

Ive generally muddled my way around European countries and in Mexico with broken french/Spanish etc but get the feeling somewhere like Japan would be a bit different. How have you guys got around?

Tokyo and Osaka are super-easy to get around with no Japanese. Being major tourist hubs, the level of English knowledge is overall fairly good and important signage and announcements are usually in English as well. I still usually recommend that people learn a little Japanese before they go (just the basics - "Excuse me", "Where is the washroom", etc.), but it's completely feasible to get around the city without it.

FatalAccident posted...

Really? I expected them to be uncompromisingly Japanese, as far as I know theyve got a super strong culture? Didnt think theyd be that accommodating to English speakers. Or is it more just cause Tokyo is a tourist hotspot?

A bit of column A and a bit of column B.

Japan has the lowest level of second language knowledge of any developed nation (due in no small part to their low immigration levels). Tokyo and Osaka benefit from being major tourist hubs, but as soon as you head outside the major metropolitan areas, English knowledge and signage drops off very quickly. This summer I was visiting Iwate and Aomori for the first time, which are two of the more rural prefectures, and I had to lean very heavily on my Japanese (I'm not fluent, but I can speak low-level conversational Japanese, which was enough to get by in most situations). So yes, the fact that Tokyo sees lots of tourists works in your favour.

That being said, one thing you will quickly discover is that hospitality is Serious Business in Japan. The Japanese are drop-dead-heart-attack serious about how they treat their guests. Like, there was one point where I was in a store and I asked where the bank was (my next destination). In most countries, you'd get instructions on how to get there; in really good countries, they might even give you a map; in Japan, someone from the store escorted me all the way to the bank, while holding an umbrella over my head (it was raining and I'd left mine in the hotel).

FatalAccident posted...

Just Tokyo really, but from what I hear the place is literally one of the biggest cities on the planet so I imagine I can just visit different districts and get different experiences.

Do yourself a huge favour: plan to spend some time outside of Tokyo. Everybody goes to Japan, stays in Tokyo and assumes that's all the country has to offer. Tokyo is amazing, but there is so, so, so much to see outside of it. I have a soft spot for northern Japan (Iwate has some amazingly beautiful natural spots), but there's really neat stuff everywhere.
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green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

I have a black colleague who went to Japan, and he didn't seem to be treated any differently than any other foreigner. Keep in mind that most "racism" you see in Japan is of the, "Wow, you can speak three words of Japanese? That's amazing!" variety, where you're fawned over for extremely basic things. The Western "have someone toss a beer bottle at your head while screaming racial slurs" isn't really a thing over there.

scigeek101 posted...

And JR rakes in loads of cash from clueless tourists because they'll all buy the JR pass without checking to see what the prices actually are beyond this vague sense of "super expensive"

They ain't cheap but neither is the JR pass.

Depends how much travelling you're doing. When I went, I got the comprehensive pass for one week. I think it was ~29,000 yen, but I used it to buy over 60,000 yen worth of tickets, as I was taking a lot of day trips and moving around the country quite a lot.

It's not worth it if you're only taking the shinkansen once or twice, but beyond that they start to get cost effective very quickly (especially if you get the regional passes rather than the nationwide one).

mooreandrew58 posted...

I think they look down on mixed people living there

They don't really "look down" on people, so much as automatically assume anyone who isn't ethnic Japanese isn't from there (not without reason - last census I saw had ~97% of the country being ethnic Japanese). Hell, I even fell prey to this while I was there - saw a group of four white and black guys during a visit to Hirosaki Castle. I made some small talk and asked them where they were from, naturally assuming they were tourists like me. I failed to completely hide my surprise when they answered "Yamagata".
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RoboXgp89 posted...

green dragon posted...

Isn't japan extremely horrible to black people? I've always wanted to go, but I heard they treated black people extremely poorly.

That may have changed recently

no i think you are thinking of china
japan just pretends they don't exist

Why do you post?