Going alone

I'm going to Japan for the first time in Oct. I will be going alone. I know only alittle bit of Japanese; horrible reading Kanji. I'll be flying in KIX and stay in Kyoto for two weeks. Should I try to talk someone to go with me? Or will I be fine? I've travel to other places alone but I think this time it will be different.

I've been to Japan twice alone. Both times were great. Personally I prefer going alone on trips, because you don't have to make any compromises. You can essentially go anywhere you want , at any time, without having to consult anyone else.

wow..this is so exciting! Sometimes i imagine myself going overseas alone too...I guess it will be a great experience. Actually I wanted to go japan so much to meet my guy there....but so far i still do not have a chance to go there~

Takes alot of courage to go there alone...my japanese sux too

Maybe for a day you could hire a personal tour guide to come with you. (s)he would be very helpful in translating and of course guiding you around the area. It might be a very fulfilling experience.

If you stick to the major spots and not go too far off the beaten path then you should be fine. Use Japan-guide (of course) and a good guide book, also stop at the tourist information booth inKyoto station pick up some reading material.

Thanks for the tips! I guess Im just worried about transportation. I don't want to get lost.

You could consider going on some Day tours through Sunrise Tours they have some excellent guided tours from Kyoto.
http://www.jtbgmt.com/sunrisetour/

my first trip both alone and outside my native country was to Finland. I was 20 and couldn't read or speak Finnish. I had an extraordinary great time!. I have travelled since to many countries without speaking their language (English and French come in handy) and never had a problem. I have been to Japan alone and had no problem whatsoever. I am used to the subways and trains in Europe and found the ones in Japan actually easier to use. I actually find beeing in a country where I don't speak the language (except of course for hello, thank you, please, good morning etc.) very relaxing because all the sounds around me are a soothing music whereas when in my country I can't help hearing private conversations that are noises I really don't want to hear. DON'T BE AFRAID OF GOING TO JAPAN ALONE! I was eating with chopsticks once and a customer looked at me and said in English, pointing at my chopsticks: good ! good! the waitress brough him a small dish of uncooked peas that he transfered one by one to an empty dish with chopsticks and he said, pointing at them : very good! he passed me the peas. I transfered them one by one to the empty dish without problem. everyone around laughed and they shook hands with me. the waitress crumpled the bill she had left near my plate, and we all shook hands again. I felt like a million $!

Transportation in Kyoto is pretty easy, and the rest of the area as well.

Kyoto city publishes an English bus map here:http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html
(Bus navi download at the bottom of the website)

Its pretty strait forward, and easy to use.

You can also pick up a copy from the tourist information center in Kyoto.

All that and again combined with Japan-Guide research, local tourist maps, and a guide book you should be pretty ok in getting around to the main sights.

Elena, I am in complete agreement with Shu. Going solo is the way to go. I've gone 3 times and all trips have been solo. My Japanese was nowhere near proficient, but I got around. I took a language course months befor I left, and have since supplemented my learning with Pimsleur audio lessons, which are phenomenal. Anyway, for my first, I base myself out of Kyoto. If you take the train from KIX and arrive early enough, exit Kyoto Station from the Karasuma Street exit. To the right is a bus information office where you can pick up an English bus map (which is extremely helpful) and day passes to ride. The subway is veryt easy - 2 lines: Karasuma Line runs north/south and the Tozai line runs east/west.

Please check out this site http://kaiwai.city.kyoto.jp/raku/modules/english/index.php. I found it very useful in planning my trip. Especially since I didn't use a single tour group. Navigating the city is beyond easy. And if you plan your daily itineraries, you can save yourself tons of money by avoiding those tour groups, which have time restrictions. And there will be places that you'll want to leave sooner than expected later than you thought.

Going solo was the best thing I could've done because I was able to change my itinerary without dealing with other people. And you'd be amazed at how many friends are unwilling to eat sushi or go to a hotspring.

I'll be heading to Okinawa in January, and once again, I'll be going alone.

As for not being able to read Kanji (esp at train stations) don't worry about it. Many of the maps have romaji located somewhere, especially if you're in a high tourist area.

You can also ask for a subway map at any station and they'll give you one in English.

I am also going alone during late oct. I am sure it's gonna be an exciting trip ahead!