Questions for Japundits from newcomers
04/20/2008 @ 9:00 am
I recently got some feedback this week to our award-winning Japan Talk Podcast from two different people who said they would be coming to Japan for the first time. They asked some questions about what they need to prepare before they come, and what they should expect after they get here.
Specifically they would like to know the following.
- What should a first time visitor prepare for their trip?
- Is there anything to keep in mind while wandering around the cities of Japan?
- How should a person who is planning on traveling alone and does not speak Japanese plan his trip?
- What are good places to go, stay, etc.?
- Is a person crazy for going on a trip to Japan on his own?
- Is Japan a place one can tackle without speaking the language?
Any information any of you could provide based on your knowledge and experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Poor Mari….she’s my favorite. If I ever become a j-pop singer and part of the...
Shes definitely at the top of my hot list.
perfeckt 10:10
1) there are some great website about visiting Japan. (the 1st couple results on Google for “Japan Tourism” all have good info) Keep in mind the weather, particularly the rainy season
3) get a phrase book with both English and Japanese so that you can point to things. Remember that bigger cities are more likely to have English speakers, but they still aren’t that common.
4) Tokyo, Nikko, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima. Those are the old standards and I think still very good. Some travel books list traditional inns to stay at that welcome international visitors. I have no idea if this is still true, but Lonely Planet in the mid to late 90s was pretty notorious for having a lot of mistakes. English language train/subway maps are crucial for planning a trip.
6) My parents toured around Japan without a word of Japanese while I was busying working. They got lost a couple times, but as an older couple, they had random people offer to help with directions.
If you stay at a hotel with English speaking staff, you can often ask them for help with directions and places to visit.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:17 am1. What should a first time visitor prepare for their trip?
Bring a good guidebook or two for the area(s) you are visiting; if you can get one that includes basic phrases, even better. Otherwise, invest in a small pocket phrase book. The wife and I got by pretty well with the Lonely Planet Japan guidebook; the kanji for the place names was very useful.
Exchange your local currency for yen before you leave for Japan; the exchange rates are usually better at your own bank. Bring lots of cash; Japan is still a cash & carry society for the most part. And things can get pretty expensive depending on your tastes.
Other than that, research, research, research. Based on how long you are going and what you want to see, read up on the various areas and try to plan accordingly. Tour groups can get you to out of the way areas easier but with the trade-off that you can’t go at your own pace. The wife and I did a mix of tours and just exploring on our own but did more self-exploration.
2. Is there anything to keep in mind while wandering around the cities of Japan?
Outside of the more heavily trafficked areas of the cities, there won’t be many street signs in any language; if you want to poke about the less touristy areas, bring a good map and a willingness to get turned around a bit.
Don’t be afraid to poke in those corners though; you’ll be surprised at the temples, tasty restaurants, etc. you’ll find tucked away in between houses, etc.
3. How should a person who is planning on traveling alone and does not speak Japanese plan his trip?
Learn at least a few useful phrases in Japanese — thank you, excuse me, etc. Again, bring a small phrasebook and/or a guidebook that has kanji for place names. Along with this, have the hotel staff, someone write down where you would like to go in Japanese. At the very least, you can show this to someone and have them point in the general direction.
4. What are good places to go, stay, etc.?
Having only been once, I can only recommend the places I’ve been. So, here is a shameless plug for my Japan trip report on my blog:
http://www.lupinencyclopedia.com/blog/japan_2005.php
Hopefully, it will be of some use in answering this question. Briefly, Tokyo is a good mix of modern and old; definitely check out Ueno Park — large with a mix of temples, museums, general greenery, etc. Kyoto is more laid back with a more historical flavor.
5. Is a person crazy for going on a trip to Japan on his own?
Nope; if you want to go, do it while you can.
6. Is Japan a place one can tackle without speaking the language?
Unless you stray out into very rural areas, yes, you can get by just fine; there are plenty of Japanese willing to test their English skills out and lend a hand. Again, if you are willing to learn a few useful phrases, you can get by with a lot of pointing to maps, phrases, etc.
Enjoy your trip, be adventurous, take lots of pictures, and be sure to let us know how it went.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:11 pm1. What should a first time visitor prepare for their trip?
I concur – Lonely Planet Japan – and it has a basic dictionary in the back. As with any trip, make an itinerary and plan a realistic budget (LP should help).
2. Is there anything to keep in mind while wandering around the cities of Japan?
Follow the cues of locals (stand on the left side of the elevator, take your shoes off in certain places, be careful about garbage and recyling, etc.
3. How should a person who is planning on traveling alone and does not speak Japanese plan his trip?
Again, Lonely Planet Japan.
4. What are good places to go, stay, etc.?
My first trip I hit Tokyo, Osaka/Kyoto/Nara, and Hiroshima and was quite happy with my choice. I did that over about 7-10 days.
5. Is a person crazy for going on a trip to Japan on his own?
No. It’s very safe here. You can meet fellow travelers at youth hostels if you want to stay there. I stayed in some on my first trip and they were quite nice by world standards.
6. Is Japan a place one can tackle without speaking the language?
April 20th, 2008 at 2:46 pmYes. Lonely Planet helps, there are some signs in English or at least phonetically spelled. Many people in the cities speak at least a little English (even if many are shy to use it) especially in places where tourists would most likely go. Plus in many restaurants they have plastic models of food that you can point to to indicate what you want.
Luiz, you are incorrect. NEVER exchange your money in the US before leaving for Japan. The best exchange rate in the world is at the Narita airport exchange desk. It is the only place you can get the Corporate Rate, the rate you see published in newspapers etc. Normally you would need to be a corporation trading billions of yen to get that rate, all banks and exchangers shave a little off that Corporate Rate so they make a little profit on every transaction. But the Narita exchange is fixed by law at the best possible rate, they make no profit on these exchanges, and the bank operating the exchange desk rotates so no bank can get an advantage (or is disadvantaged).
April 21st, 2008 at 1:26 amPresumably the law applies to other international airports, but I’ve only flown into Narita so I have no personal knowledge of that.
Here are some tips I’ve passed on to friends going to Japan-
As far as books go, I liked “Japan Solo” a lot, and language-wise we liked one we picked up in Japan called “The original Point and Speak Phrasebook”, search “isbn 4-7958-1843-6″. I speak embarrassingly little Japanese and yet I was able to get along fine for two months wandering around. Even during the couple of times I was far enough out that I didn’t see another gaijin for days, I was able to communicate enough to get rooms and eat and have an amazing time.
Buy new socks – you will frequently be without shoes in front of new people.
Choose your shoes early – you will be taking them on and off all a lot. If you choose shoes with laces find the ideal tightness that allows you to slip in and out of them without tying/untying, then practice this maneuver for a couple of days
before you go.
If you are not comfortable with chopsticks, practice this as well. Oddly, Japanese people will sometimes stare in amazement if you can eat without a fork and might even want to talk to you because of it.
Learn a couple of the obvious phrases, sumimasen, arigato gozaimasu etc. But also osusume wa -”please recommend” this will allow you to eat in places that don’t have english on the menu or plastic food in the window. This can become more important the farther you get away from the major cities.
Be food brave – eat anything that is set before you. Not only will you make great discoveries, people like to see you eat what they choose for you when you ask them to recommend something.
Beware the second cup – When you order a breakfast set meal, it comes with coffee and costs say ¥600. If you order a second cup of coffee, your bill will be something like ¥1400. No one understands this.
If you are in Nagoya and you see a bunch of guys standing around in black suits DO NOT take their picture. Trust me, they do not like that.
Be quiet – be aware of the volume of your surroundings and match it. Japan is a surprisingly quiet place and there is little more annoying than hearing loud english conversations on an otherwise quiet train. This applies to using cell phones as well.
DON”T BE A DICK. EVER. You are setting the stage for whoever comes after you, so do them a favor and leave people without that sour gaijin taste in their mouths. I met a couple of people who were a little leery of me because of experiences with americans they met before.
Lastly, there is an old boxing adage, “every man has a plan and then he gets hit.” Throw out all of your expectations and be flexible. Make plans on the fly because you never know when something new and great will present itself. I happened to meet a woodworker who invited me to come back to his town a couple weeks later to go to a wood auction. The auction was amazing, the next day we went surfing, that night to a party where I met someone who offered to show me a famous teahouse the next day. They then invited me back at the end of my trip for a trip to the Ise Shrine. I feel extraordinarily lucky for all of it, but none of it could have happened without being flexible.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:37 pmWhat should a first time visitor prepare for their trip?
Pack well. Bring comfortable clothing and dress for the weather. Wear comfortable shoes that go on and off easily. Bring toiletries sufficient for the trip. Make sure you pack an ant-acid in case of indigestion. Bring all medications you may need (prescription’s in the original containers). Have a convenient method of carrying your passport so you can have it with you always. Money belts that you wear under your cloting is not always convenient (or comfortable). You will need to have your Passport with you at all times.
Bring some Yen with you before you arrive, say $100 in Yen. As far as credit cards go, Visa is the most used in Japan but I found American Express and Mastercard are widely acceptable.
Make sure you have the address of the hotel you are staying at when you arrive, you will need to give them that information on your arrival declaration. When you arrive at the hotel, make sure you get a business card of the hotel and take it with you at all times. If you get lost, hail a cab and present them with the business card.
Is Japan a place one can tackle without speaking the language?
In my opinion, no. If you don’t have a guide arrainged, you will be lost in Japan, on your own. That said, you can arrainge day tours at any good hotel you are staying at. The tours may or may not have someone giving the tour that knows English. Most large cities in Japan, English is spoken at most hotels but you can’t be sure. Be patient and be willing to tough it out.
Is a person crazy for going on a trip to Japan on his own?
No but you’d better understand the country and the culture to some extent or else your trip will be useless. I have found that if you take an interest in Japanese culture and history, even if you don’t know the language, you will be more welcomed than not. Going on your own can be a true challenge. I would suggest getting on some web sites (such as Craigslist Japan) well ahead of time and try to find someone (Japanese or Ex-pat) who is willing to meet you and spend time with you before you arrive. That said, you can never be too careful but I have found the Japanese a very cultured and civilized people. The better prepared you are the more you will enjoy your trip. My first time in Japan was quite over whelming (I arrived on my own for business). But I was prepared and that preparation made the world of difference. I had people set up to take me to places on my free time but I had to tell them where I wanted to go. They did not suggest things for me to do.
Place’s I recommend are Kamakura, Kyoto, the Edo-Tokyo museum in Tokyo. Kyoto is beautiful but you can’t see it on your own. The city itself is very busy and modern. To see the sights of historic Kyoto, you need a guide and get one that is recommended to you if you can.
Finally, I agree with eating with chopsticks, practice, practice, practice. I also suggest you learn the proper way to exchange business cards (it is an artform) and practice your bowing. The deeper your bow, the greater respect you show but that again is an art form. Enjoy the Samurai TV and be polite!
April 21st, 2008 at 10:33 pm1. What should a first time visitor prepare for their trip?
If its summer, pack light; your going to sweat a lot! Winter or spring, pack warm and ready for rain. Its very similar to Seattle weather. I’ve traveled during those seasons.
2. Is there anything to keep in mind while wandering around the cities of Japan?
Look in front, behind, left, and right before taking a step in any direction. Most streets and sidewalks tend to be very narrow, they can be very crowded during the day, so it is very easy to accidentally bump into someone or their bicycle.
3. How should a person who is planning on traveling alone and does not speak Japanese plan his trip?
Thats a tough situation. Either you learn some Japanese, or you have a Japanese contact you can meet. Otherwise, your trip may be more frustrating than enjoyable.
4. What are good places to go, stay, etc.?
Too many good places. I recommend reading a travel guide to find what you want. Kyoto is great for older Japan, Tokyo is great for newer Japan, whatever your interest is.
5. Is a person crazy for going on a trip to Japan on his own?
Not if that person knows japanese or has a japanese contact that can travel along.
6. Is Japan a place one can tackle without speaking the language?
Some people here say its possible, but i doubt you’d get the whole experience with understanding, which again, requires you know japanese or have a japanese contact (whom can speak both english and japanese).
April 25th, 2008 at 9:36 amThanks much to everyone who has taken the time to leave advice for these future Japan travellers.
I plan to digest everything into a report on this week’s Japan Talk podcast, which will go into recording on Saturday afternoon.
If anyone else wants to add something, please put it up by midnight Friday (Japan Time).
Thanks again.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:31 am