First time in Japan questions

Hi there,

My friend and I are both very excited with our impromptu plan to visit Japan in October. We've heard so much nice things about Japan that we just had to go and experience ourselves.

We'll be visiting early October for just 8 days (sadly). Coming from a country where its 35 Celcius whole years, what's the weather like that at that time?

Heard that most Japanese are not so well versed in English, and both of us know zero Japanese. Will we be able to survive with just sign and body language? Oh, and Google translate too.

Also, I'll be arriving Japan first at 10.30pm. To get to my dorm, some walking is needed. Dorm is in Asakusa. Is it safe for a female traveller to walk alone, say near midnight?

Do share with me what are/were your experiences there.

*Coming from a country where its 35 Celcius whole year, what's the weather like at that time?

Typo!

Japan is a very safe country (even as solo female). Tokyo is better for English, and Kyoto/Osaka, but outside of the biggest cities people become less keen to try their language skills.

Weather will feel cold! Even if it is 25-30, you will feel cold. Warmer in the daytime, but night time could get cold (buy a coat :) ) I know from my time in cities near the equator that it is always warm, so enjoy the fact that it cools off at night and warms up in the morning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo#Climate

Temperatures about kyoto would be above 10 d c and below 25 d c.

Three layers (of clothing) on the first few days till your body settles, then two layers.

It is a nice time to visit though it is not smack right in the middle of autumn so unless you head north you probably won't see much colors. Or go to a mountainous region like Nagano and Nikko works too.

Train stations have words written in English. Local stations and buses would have to words in Japanese so watch out! Though if the bus or train has announcements announcing the next stop it you should be safe. Most understand rudimentary English. If you stay in a hostel, most have a English speaking person at the Front, so you could always ask for help.

There are English menus and waitress that speak the language. If in Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo and other major cities or tourist popular areas getting English is easy.

You will be fine. Make sure you have good directions to your hostel written down in Japanese (copied/photocopied) from their website in case you need to ask for directions. If you don't mind me asking when in October is your trip?

Google Translate?

In my experience, Google Translate doesn't do so well with translating Japanese. If I were you, I would take September to just practice speaking Japanese, memorizing useful phrases and basic words as well as sentence patterns. I think one month is enough for 8 days over there.

I've never been to Japan though so I'm just guessing. You should be all good though even if you don't know any at all.. I guess in the worst case scenario you could always hand someone paper and pen/pencil and say "Eigo no imi wo kaite kudasai" which means "Please write the English meaning."

And I've heard Japan is really safe. In fact I believe back in February, Tokyo was declared the safest city in the world.

- Please check here for temperatures:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2273.html
In any case, layers would help. :)

- You will get by fine with English and some guidebook at hand :)

- Arrival at 10:30 pm? at Haneda? Please check for transportation into town. Walking is safe, but getting to Asakusa might be tight. (Please check the Haneda transportation page, or search this forum with "Haneda late arrival".)

Oh yeah, time for shopping!

Joshua, the temperature seems be to great, 10 - 25 degrees. Been to Seoul when it was 18 degrees, so I'm guessing I can get used to this. We will only be visiting Tokyo and Kyoto this trip and thats why I'm hoping we can rely on the (plenty?) English translations or directions when we're on trains/restaurants/visiting sites.

But yeah Drewio, will start learning some basic Japanese... for survival ;)

Hi Stan.. We'll be there from 10th October onwards. Hostel directions and address, noted! I am just a bit worried about walking to Asakusa alone at midnight on arrival day. Yikes..

If you're worried about being in Asakusa so late, maybe consider staying at a hotel near the airport on your first night. You won't have to worry so much about transportation into Tokyo or walking the city streets at midnight, but it will cost you some sightseeing time the next day and may be more expensive than your currently planned accommodation.

Re: language, if you have the time and patience consider learning katakana. This writing system is used for foreign words, so if you can read katakana you can usually derive the English meaning (e.g. if you can read 'hoteru' in katakana, you know it's a hotel). It's useful for food and general things.

Good general phrases I used a lot were:
Sumimasen! (Excuse me; said it all the time on trains)
Kore o kudasai (Please give me that; can then point to item/menu without needing to know the Japanese name)
(Place/thing) was doko desu ka (Where is (place/thing)?)
And then just greetings, thankyou, etc.

You shouldn't have any language issues though, English is widespread in the major cities and the people are very friendly. Many have a small amount of English just from Western exposure. I never found it hard to make myself understood!

Consider renting a pocket wi-fi while in Japan; you can organise for this to be sent to your hotel. It will keep you connected to the internet at all times (wherever service is available), and I found it really useful for getting around - I could check the train schedules and use Google Maps to find places. Saved a lot of time and hassle not having to interpret a paper map, and let me make changes to my planned days easily if I was running early/late.

Hi sq,

I've already booked the dorm for the first night and I don't want to increase the budge too. Plus, the currency rates are outrageous these days. So Asakusa it is for me.

Sumimasen! (Excuse me; said it all the time on trains)
Just curious, its said all the time on trains? Why?

(Place/thing) was doko desu ka (Where is (place/thing)?)
Asakusa doko desu ka? Would this be, "Where is Asakusa?"

Yup, already planning to get a pocket wifi. But I didn't know it can be delivered to the hotel directly. What a convenience! What company should I be considering?

Here are the top 50 places to visit in osaka
http://thealpaca.hubpages.com/_21read/hub/Top-50-Things-to-do-in-Osaka

Here are the top 50 places to visit in osaka
http://thealpaca.hubpages.com/_21read/hub/Top-50-Things-to-do-in-Osaka

I wouldn't worry about safety issues about walking to your hotel in Asakusa as much as I worry about you finding your directions to the dorm at night, especially if it's not a huge hotel with big flashing signs.

Most dorms are located in a revamped house or old building. It might be a bit hard to spot for a newcomer to Japan and at night especially. However if you have clear directions from the train station to your dorm (and hopefully it's not a long walk), you'll be fine. Having a wifi connection here will be handy.

I walk home many times at midnight after karaoke sessions in Japan with no feeling of being threatened whatsover. Just keep your wits and common sense about with you, as you do anywhere else in the world.

I guess in the worst case scenario you could always hand someone paper and pen/pencil and say "Eigo no imi wo kaite kudasai" which means "Please write the English meaning."

Not everyone will know the English meaning or could write it for that matter. Sometimes, an online translator for simple words is actually more accurate, than say, a game of guessing. I'm not putting anyone down here, but my experience of living here tells me that while some people may know the meaning, they may not know how to express it.

My advice would be, find out the nearest exact exit number/direction from the train station to your dorm. Train stations in Tokyo are not straightforward like [Entrance] and [Exit]. They have North, South, East West, different lines, Exit 1,2,3,4 up till 20 sometimes. If you take the wrong exit you can be walking in circles of what might have been a 2 minutes walk.

I said "Sumimasen" all the time on trains because I needed to get past people to get out of the train...much politer than just pushing past!

I had a typo in the "Where is...?" sentence. It should be "Place/thing WA doko desu ka." So "Where is Asakusa?" would be "Asakusa wa doko desu ka."

I agree with a later poster about finding the closest station and the required exit to get to your dorm. See if the dorm has clear instructions about how to reach it from the nearby station (a lot of accommodation does), or use Google Maps. Print yourself a very clear map and list of directions to minimise the chance of you getting lost, and so you can show the map to any locals for help if needed. Also try and find a picture of the exterior of the dorm so you can recognise it when you see it. You shouldn't have any issues with catching a train out of the airport; the last one leaves at midnight.

For pocket wi-fi, I went with ToCoo - they were the cheapest because they don't charge any more for rental between 9 and 30 days (i.e., if you have already paid for 9 days, any other days are free up until the 30 day maximum). It worked with no problems and the battery lasted all day. All wi-fi rental companies should be able to send it to your accommodation or a nearby post office; but make sure you let your accommodation know that a package will be arriving for you. For return, they provide you with an envelope that you put the pocket wi-fi in and simply drop it in a mailbox before you leave.

Another consideration if you're worried about language is to get one of those books that have pictures of general items and places (either with a Japanese translation or without). That way if you need something you can just point to the picture. Don't expect people to speak English and don't ask them to say/write the English - it's a rude assumption that they should be able to speak your language when you are the one travelling! Definitely learn some basic Japanese phrases before you travel to be polite; it will enrich your experience and the locals will be grateful you've made an effort. Guidebooks often have a good set of phrases in the back, or you can buy a purpose-built phrasebook (but I often find those a bit over-the-top unless you're staying for months).

Hi guys.. Thanks a lot for all the info.

Could you also help me out with this. Based on hostel recommendations, upon arrival at Haneda Airport, I am to take Tokyo Monorail - Hamamatsucho - Jr Yamanote Line - Akihabara - Tsukuba Express line - Asakusa.

Plane will reach at 10.30pm, give or take an hour for immigration and luggage, I am pretty sure I can still catch the Tokyo Monorail by/after11.30pm, but I have no idea if the Tsukuba Express Line still runs after 11.30pm.

Did a quick check at the time table and it seems the last train to Asakusa is 11.06pm. Am I right?

http://www.mir.co.jp/en/howto_tx/timetable/holiday_down.html#tab=SECTI...

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=HANEDA%20AIRPORT%2...

Sorry, didn't se you wanted to arrive on a Saturday.
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=HANEDA%20AIRPORT%2...

Simple japanese is ok!
Restaurants and asking shop questions could be difficult. But many restaurants have pictures you can just point to.
Useful phrases like 'daijyobu desu/desuka' - it's ok/ is it ok?
... wa doko desuka or ... ni ikitai (where is/ i want to go)
ikura desuka (how much)
kaite kudasai - please write down
I went to Japan alone and did fine with those and a simple phrasebook. Station staff sometimes know english. And remember　出口, its kanji for exit.
Also if I go to a restaurant or anywhere and I see written katakana (simple japanese) and I don't know what it says I'll kindly ask someone to speak it outloud. Katakana are just english words usually.
Don't forget to say thank you and even a little head nod/bow would be nice.