Will I need to understand and speak Japanese 100% before I visit Tokyo?

Question

I am going on a trip to Tokyo, Japan in March for a week vacation. I've been learning to speak Japanese since November and know some phrases but my literacy is not so good. Will I need a translator to make it around or will I be just fine?

Answer 1

the more you learn the better off you will be. even though japan is very pro- american, the people can and do not speak english for the most part. the berlitz phrase book and dictionary is a good one to take with you, it even has phrases written in japanese script you can show the person you are communicating with. japan is a very expensive country, bring plenty of money check u.s. dollar to yen rates. the japanese will appriciate your effort to speak thier language no matter how little you know. have a great time i would love to go back myself.

Answer 2

Not in Tokyo. As long as you know some basic things like- i'm lost, where's the police station, help, etc you will be fine. All public places in Tokyo have English signs as well as Japanese signs. Also because English is compulsary in Japanese schools most Japanese people can speak basic English. Also most resturants have picture menu's (inc MacDonalds) or plastic moulds of the food they sell. So you can just point to what you want.

Japanese people are very helpfull and patient. Majority will go out of their way to help you.

You may want to buy a phrase book or dictionary but you wont need it for the most part.

Have fun!

Answer 3

You'll be fine.
The only tough part would be ordering food but that's not too bad either because everything you eat will be a new experience anyway.
Transportation will be easy because almost all public trasportation will have some kind of english translation.
And as someone already mentioned, most Japanese people will be helpful enough to listen and try to give you correct advise when in a jam. Also you can always look for the English speaker that you're bound to see walking around in Tokyo.

Answer 4

If you can talk, you should be just fine. Most places in Japan (Especially big cities like Tokyo) speak English, it's a mandatory class in Highschool. (We have quite a few Japanese exchange students who are a "poor" level of speaking English, and they can hold up a great conversation.)

My friend, who was in Japanese 1 last year, she was far from fluent, but she stayed in Japan for two months as an exchange student, and she said it was pretty easy.

I would say the biggest thing you may want to keep sharp is vocabulary. If you honestly need help with something, you can ask it, and pick out the few key words you need, and be on your way.

Answer 5

The more you know the better, but even if you don't know much, you will still be able to get around fairly easily. Especially in Tokyo. There are a lot of foreigners there and a lot of the people would be willing to help you. The most difficult thing would be riding the trains. There train system is great, but to foreigners, it is a maze even if you have an English guide. But if you are used to stuff like that, you will do fine.

Answer 6

you do no longer likely want to talk jap while travelling a huge city in Japan like Tokyo or a vacationer area. a great variety of jap can talk undemanding English, the signs and warning signs are usually in the two jap and English, and the each physique is very friendly and accommodating to foreigners. That stated, I nevertheless exceptionally advise discovering some jap in the previous travelling Japan by way of fact it's going to make you experience greater delicate and the jap human beings would be inspired.

Answer 7

You won't need much Japanese.

Train stations have most things in English and some of the ticket machines switch to English, all train stops have English signs. Most restaurants have an English menu in Tokyo.

If I were you I'd concentrate on learning directions, as this is what I needed most in Tokyo.

Have fun!

Answer 8

It's more of a matter of knowing the country and culture rather than the language. Everyone is kind and patient. Use that to your advantage. Be respectful and kind and you'll be returned the same. Don't look down on them or ridicule them. Don't be afraid to speak english to anyone, you might be surprised that they know enough to communicate with you in your language. If you stay on the beaten path you will get along fine without Japanese. One thing to know is you can tread off the beaten path usually. We all understand money, and as long as you understand their culture and how they do things it's easy even if they don't speak english at all.
Don't hand them money. Put it in the tray, there is usually a tray. On the escalator you stand on the left and walk on the right. Keep that in mind, they get angry if you do the opposite. Don't speak to police in Japanese if you get in trouble, ask for an interpretor and only speak to your embassy. Most banks allow you to use check cards to get money from your bank account if you run low, just expect a few dollars in fees. You can get by using credit cards almost anywhere in the Tokyo main districts like Shibuya anymore. But don't be surprised if you go somewhere that doesn't. It's cheaper to use a credit card because your credit card company gets better exchange rates than you do for cash. Use a credit card whenever possible and just pay it when you get back. Always have cash as a backup. Always carry a few hundred dollars, around 20,000 Yen with you. Just in case you really want something or have to pay for dinner and they don't take plastic. It's nearly impossible to get robbed in Japan. Crime is almost non-existent. It does exist, it's just very rare.

Have a map or at least a subway map, that way if you get lost even if you can't speak Japanese the police can usually help you if you just point at what you're looking for. If you stay at a hotel, they are usually required to speak english. They will help you a lot.

Most people make the mistake of taking tours and using an interpretor. I think it's more fun to explore yourself. It depends on how you travel. Just know ahead of time what you want to see. Study the subway map in english and it doesn't hurt to know the kanji for the stations. Carry an english station map with you, many large stations have them around on metal racks. It's good to know how to say a station name in Japanese so if you have to ask a random person for directions they will understand. Some might even take you to the station themselves if they are kind enough. Most of this stuff is simple but knowing it makes things a lot easier. I had to learn all of this on my first visit and my second visit was so much easier knowing this stuff ahead of time. Don't be afraid to explore, that's part of the fun. Just always remember how to get back to the station. If you do try to speak Japanese you might have to say it more than once. They don't expect you to speak their language so it catches them off guard. Also with the dialects and slang, some things that we say in learning Japanese are strange to them. Just be patient with them. Like I said, the way you treat them is exactly how they'll treat you.

Although go outside of Tokyo and you'll have a much harder time without knowing Japanese.

Answer 9

you gonna be fine , some of Japanese can understand English and also talk with foreigner by easy English conversation .
So, don't worry about it and have fun your stay in Japan .

Answer 10

You will be just fine. I went there and most the people speak some english at least when you go into a store. They wand the Dollar if they don't you don't buy Simple as that.