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Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/1/26 18:52
I am a Chinese student from Chengdu,Sichuan. And I want to go to Japan for travelling after I graduate from Senior HIgh.But I can't speak Japanese! I just want to travel in Japan alone.
by TCMario  

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/1/26 22:07
It's really up to you. Some people feel intimidated about traveling to a country where they don't speak the language of. On the other hand, I prefer to chose to travel to countries that I don't speak the language of.

I'm Japanese and when I traveled to China, I was able to communicate a lot through kanji, drawings and gesture. I hope you have fun in Japan too!
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/1/27 03:50
But I can't speak Japanese! I just want to travel in Japan alone.

Not a problem. I would be more concerned about becoming familiar with the etiquette rules and manners specific to Japan.
by Faiyez rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/1/27 07:37
It's not a problem. There's a lot of English around, and in several areas (usually in major cities), some Korean and Chinese too (e.g. on the Kyoto tourist buses). I only learnt a few basic phrases and I was fine travelling for a month, but I didn't stray too far off the beaten path.
by sq (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/1/31 12:14
Hi Again! Thank u for the above answers. These days I am busy with my study,and I am sorry for my delays in replying to u. According to ur answers I see that I can lead a good holiday trip in Japan. Thank u sincerely!
by TCMario rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/1 21:55
But I can't speak Japanese! I just want to travel in Japan alone.

Not a problem. I would be more concerned about becoming familiar with the etiquette rules and manners specific to Japan.


Why would you be more concerned about that? The Japanese don't expect every foreign tourist to know all their various etiquette rules etc. Just using common sense is generally fine; no need to be overly concerned about that sort of thing.

If you can speak some Japanese, it will be helpful but you should still be able to have a great holiday if not.

Don't worry too much about this sort of thing; just go and have a great time!
by Saru Bob (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/2 14:51
I'm a Taiwanese used to live in mainland for a period.During my semester in NCKU,i've been Japan for some weeks for research.You can surmise a lot from kanji as you are a chinese. And many guys can be helpful when turned to.
But generally speaking, i wouldn't prefer you to travel there alone if you can't speak even some basic japanese, there is a high rate that you will get in trouble.
by Ferdinand (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/2 19:49
Faiyez wrote:
Not a problem. I would be more concerned about becoming familiar with the etiquette rules and manners specific to Japan.

Saru Bob wrote:
Why would you be more concerned about that? The Japanese don't expect every foreign tourist to know all their various etiquette rules etc. Just using common sense is generally fine; no need to be overly concerned about that sort of thing.

I think Faiyez means that you should be concerned about etiquette rather than language, and I agree as a Japanese resident. At the same time, I agree to Saru Bob that you don't need to be overly concerned.

Now that Japan is welcoming more and more foreign visitors, there have been more risks of cultural gaps. In particular, just like the Japanese used to travel in huge annoying groups in the 70s, the Chinese seem to travel in huge groups, and I'm afraid to say that a lot of them seem to follow very different manners from what the locals follow.

This is very unfortunate, because by trying to avoid misunderstandings, both visitors and locals can experience a fulfilling exchange.

Of course, many locals are generous about most of the things, but it would indeed help if visitors could do a little bit of homework before coming to Japan (or any country/region) and learn how the international society is different from their own. That would decrease the number of people being annoyed.

In other words, as long as you know the least of the local manners, a little language gap won't get in your way.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/4 00:22
Learning a 2nd language takes a very long time and not everyone can manage it, especially a particularly difficult one like Japanese. If you already speak Chinese and English you are doing well.

Research cultural conventions so as not to make too many errors, as this doesn't take long and shows that you are making an effort to respect someone else's country and way of life.

Learn tourist phrases. You can get by in Japan on a handful of these, respect for the etiquette and use of a tablet showing images and using online translation.

The Japanese people are used to tourists who can't speak Japanese. The largest group of tourists visiting Japan are Chinese. Don't worry. You'll be fine.
by David (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/5 13:21
You had better study "TRAVEL JAPANESE PHRASE STUDY GUIDE BOOK" ( http://amzn.to/1nQSvfs ) at least.
by Travel Japanese (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/5 18:50
I have several friends in japan, out of all of them only one can't speak english, while the rest tend to vary in how much they can speak. so not being able to speak japanese isn't a major obstical but it can be useful to at least know a few basic phrases.

in my experience learning to speak the language isn't too hard, and at the very least knowing a few basic phrases can be very useful
by crwydryny rate this post as useful

Re: Is language a obstacle in communicating? 2016/2/5 21:43
Thank you all! Ur advice is very helpful to me!
by TCMario rate this post as useful

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