Solo woman traveller to Japan?

Question

Looking to travel to Japan in the summer of 07' as a graduation gift to myself. But... my friends all have plans of their own so am contemplating on going there on my own for 2-3 weeks. Just backpacking my way around Japan. I just wanted to know, will it be safe for a solo woman traveller to travel around Japan? And how much budget should i be on for the wks i intend to stay there?

Thanks! (^_^)

Answer 1

Japan is one of the safest countries for a single female traveler, if not the safest. Violent crimes against foreigners are very rare, of course, with any situation bad things can happen, so do not drop your guard just in case. here are some stats I found on the internet, comparing crime to other countries:

Murders per 100,000.
1. Russia Federation 18.07
2. United States 6.32
3. Malaysia 2.73
Taiwan 1.17
Spain 1.08
Japan 0.58

Rape per 100,000.
1. United States 34.20
2. England and Wales 14.69
3. France 13.38
Taiwan 8.82
South Korea 4.38
Spain 3.23
Japan 1.48

Serious Assault per 100,000.
1. Australia 713.68
2. England & Wales 405.20
3. United States 357.94
Taiwan 37.30
Spain 23.94
Japan 15.40

Robbery/Violent Theft per 100,000.
1. Spain 169.85
2. United States 169.02
3. France 144.10
Taiwan 14.35
South Korea 11.74
Japan 2.71


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As far as spending money, I would, just to be on the safe side plan on around 100-150 a day since you are travelling and might need to find a hotel if you can't find a youth hostel or some other budget travel, and if you don't spend that much, can you say a nice spending spree on your last few days there before hopping on the plane?

Answer 2

I travelled solo in South Korea twice last year and never worried about my safety. I stayed in the cheapest-of-the-cheap hostels both times and never had a problem. My last hostel in Seoul was near Jongmyeo (sp?) Shrine. It was a great location. It was only one stop from Gwanghwamun, where the Kyobo building with the ATM that would take my Chinese issued visa card was. Most ATMs in Seoul only take 4-digit pins, mine has 6 digits so the Kyobo became one of my favorite places. Also, it was only a couple blocks away from Insadong and the Cheongyecheong (sp?) stream. Since I don't speak Korean, I avoided using taxis. The subways and buses can get you just about anywhere you need to go within the cities. When you get to Seoul go to the Tourist Information Center in City Hall. They have a lot of brochures and information for things to do in Korea. Also, you can use the internet for free for 2 hours. Seoul has a City tour bus that has three different lines that take you to most of the national monuments, historical sites, and museums around Seoul for around $10 US for the whole day. Entry fees to the sites are extra. Eat at the mom&pop type places. The food's less expensive and tastier. Try to familiarize yourself with the Korean alphabet before you go. It will make reading signs, particularly in the countryside, easier. You can learn the alphabet in a day. You might want to look into doing a homestay too. That can give you a more upclose look at Korean culture and food.

Answer 3

You should be pretty safe - at least as safe as humanly possible - if you take sensible precautions (don't walk down the street in revealing clothes in the middle of the night - don't walk through a crowd of boisterous looking people - don't accept lifts from total strangers - stay on streets with other people whenever possible - stay in residential areas - etc.) and if you avoid any area that looks 'dodgy'. Unfortunately, that will obviously include some of the 'young' person's tourist attractions, because anywhere that young adults hang out at night, getting drunk, maybe buying sex, drugs, or other illegal things, is liable to have unsavoury characters - including pimps and yakuza. Most gaijin never come into contact with the yakuza, and even if we did we wouldn't necessarily notice..! But they should be avoided, just like any other mafia-types.

If you DO avoid that sort of place, it will also cut the cost of your trip..!!
; )

There ARE hostels around, try this site;
http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/
but as someone said, make sure you've got access to more money in case you need to use a hotel! (If you bring a debit or credit card, just to use in the ATMs in the post offices for emergency cash withdrawals, that would be a good idea. Many places won't accept a foreign credit card.)

It's hard to say how much cash you'll need, but I will say that you can eat pretty cheaply in Japan. There are cheap restaurants all over the place, and most of them are pretty good quality! If you just eat 2 meals a day - brunch and dinner - you could eat for 1,000 yen - 1,500 yen per day easily, if you browse for a suitable looking restaurant. And there are plenty of restaurants around too, dozens - or hundreds - of them in every town, one or two in every (or ALMOST every) area with a shop or two! Plus, for cheap but not nutritious meals you could go to any supermarket or convenience store and buy a cup noodle or a UFO-shaped ramen bowl, ask for hashi when you pay, add water from the kettle behind the checkouts, and sit outside and eat a hot bowl of inferior-quality noodle soup! Cheap, but filling! If it came to it, you could live on those without spending more than 300 yen a day...! (But I wouldn't recommend it! Just for emergencies!!)

Answer 4

I would say it's a very safe country to tavel in.
Try to get as much info ahead and plan your travels,also get a Japan Rail Pass so you can use unlimited Shinkansen, this way you can see more of the country in a little time.
Also ,check this site: http://www.takemetojapan.com
and look for links for Japan Inn Group, these list inexpensive ryokans to stay at
good luck!

Answer 5

At least one female member of TheTravelzine has travelled solo to Japan. Search the archive on this page : http://www.thetravelzine.com/TTarchive/index.html (Subject: Japan) to read her comments as well as the messages from other members whose tips are always excellent.

Hope that helps!

Answer 6

not that much safe than NYC - maybe a little. There is still crime - violent crime. Gangs, sex predators, bad people in every corner of the globe. Don't try to go anywhere alone like that.
You might end up a sex slave for the Kudzu or something worse.

Answer 7

www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/19/lucie-blackman-richard-lloyd-parry-review

Brit killed by Korean immigrant in Japan. They may approach you by using Japanese name.

Answer 8

I have friends in Tokio and they say is safer than NYC. But also more expensive.

Answer 9

u lucky luck y prize for local midgets der.