Tokyo/ Japan..... solo!?
 

I have a ton of overtime money and am dying to get the heck out of here ..soon. I have traveled exstensively but have never been to Asia. I have wanted to go to Japan desperately for a while now. I'm a male traveling alone, how difficult would it be for me as I speak No Japanese at all. How much of a detrement would this be?? I wanted to either see Tokyo, or stay in Osaka and go to Kyoto? Any help would be greately appreciated.

Although I have traveled solo to and enjoyed both Tokyo and Kyoto (esp Kyoto), neither city is especially easy for a single, non-Japanese-speaking traveler. Tokyo is enormous and difficult to find your way around (the subway system is excellent, but street addresses are impossible); Kyoto is much more compact and manageable, but public transportation is much more limited than in Tokyo. In both cities, you will find a high percentage of smaller, interesting shops and restaurants where the signs/menus are in Japanese characters only. If you go, especially solo, it is essential that you learn a few phrases (good morning, good afternoon, thank you, please, where is ...?). If you do choose Kyoto, I cannot imagine wnating to stay in Osaka. Kyoto is a big city in its own right, and there are plenty of excellent places to stay (both hotels and ryokans).

On the other hand, two cities that are exotic (for Westerners) and also excellent for solo travelers are Hong Kong and Bangkok (esp HK). English is spoken widely in Hong Kong (and, to a lesser extent, in Bangkok), and both cities seem to me to be much better geared to foreign tourists than do Tokyo or Kyoto.

If you want a less frenetic Asian city, Singapore is a possibility. It too is a place where English is widely spoken and understood. However, I find Singapore to not have the fever pitch of Hong Kong or Bangkok -- almost an Asia Lite experience.

Yes it is possible to travel solo in Tokyo. Haven't been to Kyoto or Osaka so can't comment on those cities. I was in Tokyo for a total of 3 months for work and have managed to get around during weekends by myself. Have managed to take day trips to Kawagoe, Kamakura and Nikko as well.

I too don't speak any Japanese at all. You have to be confident speaking sign language though. Most folks in Tokyo will try their best to help even though their English isn't that great. Lots of the youths and young adults do speak some English.

But if you decide to come to Singapore there's won't be any problem at all. From here you could travel to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia quite easily.

English is not widely spoken in either Tokyo or Kyoto but train and subway bsigns are often in English. You really should be fine. And if you have maps and places that you are going written in Japanese people will be glad to help you. We had no real problem but we did our homework before we went. Personally I much preferred Kyoto to Tokyo. It's an incredible city.

Yes it will be a bit more effort that going to Singapore but in my mind 2000% more interesting and rewarding.

kosmo
I traveled solo to Tokyo last year with maybe three words of Japanese. I had very little trouble getting around, was there for a week and took a day trip to Kamakura. It is challenging but that's half the fun! I would go for it.
Best wishes,
Mara

Bonjour Kosmonaught,

There's tons of ressources in English for the non polyglot tourist to Japan, both on the web, in print, and at the various tourism info offices in almost every single city. As has been pointed out, signs in transportation systems are all in English so navigation is easy and the Japanese are very helpful.

For a start, look at

http://web-jpn.org/index.html for all kinds of infos on Japan (see virtual museum, Nipponia, etc.)

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ for general info on travelling to and inside Japan, affordable accomodation, etc.

http://raku.city.kyoto.jp/sight_e.phtml Kyoto city tourism office

http://www.kyotoguide.com/index/index.html Kyoto visitor's guide (great magazine you should also get in print).

http://www.itcj.jp/ Wellcome Inns (affordable accomodations - reservation center)

http://www.digi-promotion.com/tokyo-...rhoods/yanaka/ Historic neighborhoods of Tokyo


Kyoto is easier to navigate for a first-timer (smaller, grid plan, more relaxed than Tokyo). Avoid staying in Osaka unless you have specific reasons to be there.

For a first time in Asia trip your best bet is to go to one of these cities:

1) Singapore
2) Hong Kong
3) Bangkok

You will get around far easier in these cities, you will also spend a lot less as Japan is very expensive.

Totally disagree. Your first time in asia should be where you "desperately" want to go and for kosmonaught, that's Japan. I went to Thailand for the first time in 1984 and went with a friend. It was our first time in asia and at the time everyone said we should be going to Japan because it would be cleaner and easier. But we wanted to go to Thailand so we didn't listen to them. And believe me no one spoke English there 20 years ago -- especially not in NE Thailand or southern thailand (long before the resorts hit it). We didn't take a tour and we were fine.

Singapore is "easier" for an American but so is New York or Los Angeles. Kyoto and Tokyo are so much more interesting than Singapore.

As for price -- you can do Kyoto and even Tokyo for very little money these days and be very comfortable. I did a few years ago as have other people on this forum. It's not a shopping paradise but there are people out there (me being one of them) for whom that is NOT a priority.

Of course if your heart is set on Japan then by all means go!
But my comments stand- its cheaper in the other cities - comparing apples to apples. Its also a lot easier to get around in these cities in my opinion. Tokoyo is simply not, in my opinion, the first place to visit for a first time trip to Asia. Lets hear from other Fodor regulars- what would be the first city you would advise for a person's first trip to Asia all things considered?

Bill-- I think every person is different. Their comfort zone is different and what they want in a trip is different. For some people India is a perfect first trip, for others Cambodia, for others Japan and for others Singapore.

I absolutely don't think anyone needs to go to a place like Singapore to get "your feet wet" in order to enjoy asia. What makes asia wonderful is that it's NOT like traveling in a western country. If all you look for is what's similar you miss the essence of the country.

There is no one best place for a first trip to Asia. There are as many best places as there are people. Just do your research and, most important, keep an open mind and enjoy.

Of all the places I have ever been in Asia (and I've been most places), Singapore was by far the "easiest". It's also the only country I never want to return to.

OK - lets hear from Kathie/Bob/GPanda/and the rest- what city do you advise for a first trip to Asia- in your opinion- leave out all the caveats- al things considered what would it be?

for me, it was always nippon. next, india. third, bali. beginning to sound like one of our famous "best of" polls that always end up .......:-).

I'd agree that Kyoto is a great (maybe spectacular) place to go for your first Asian trip <b>if</b> you do your homework in advance. But if you just show up in Kyoto and not really know where you'd want to stay or what you'd want to see, it would not be a good choice. (You'll wind up staying near the train station, probably wandering the streets there as well, which would be a shame.)

Hong Kong or Bangkok on the other hand are pretty good spots for the traveler who doesn't do a whole lot of preparation. In those cities, half the fun is just being part of the maelstrom, exploring streets that look interesting and finding something amazing to see and hear and smell and taste around every corner.

I wonder why some posters suggest other country when kosmonaught &quot;desperately&quot; wants to go to JAPAN and mention no other country.

Apparently &quot;Asia&quot; is all one country around here.

Kappa- I agree. :-)

Well.... if you read the original post carefully it does seem to suggest that while he desperatley wants to go to Japan he is not sure. That leaves the door open IMHO.

&gt; Lets hear from other Fodor regulars- what would be the first city you would advise for a person's first trip to Asia all things considered?

Bill, this is not one of those &quot;What are your favorite Asian contries?&quot; thread. It seems above question is yours and not kosmonaught's. He is asking precisely about Japan even if he may sound slightly unsure. So in the spirit of trying to be truely helpful to kosmonaught who &quot;is deperate to go to Japan&quot; why not asking him what his passions are about the country than starting a slightly off-topic vote.

So kosmonaught, I hope you got useful infos so far especially from the first few posters(sorry, not from me) and can you let us know why you are so desperate to visit Japan? We may be able to give you more useful infos from that angle (besides huge source of infos already given by Florence).

I agree with Gloria. I didn't find Japan difficult to navigate at all. So what if English isn't widely spoken? Isn't the reason we travel is to experience different cultures? I LIKE it when English isn't spoken, it's more fun and there is always a way to comunicate--hand and body language, pictures, smile, frown, calculator, etc. As for prices, Japan is not that expensive, a lot less than much of Europe at this point. Besides, kosmonaught did say he has &quot;a ton of overtime money&quot; so I don't see money as being a big problem here. I found both Tokyo and Kyoto to be easy to get around. My husband and I were not on a tour and we not once hired a guide and we did just fine. Found everything we were looking for and stumbled on some wonderful things as well. We also went to Hiroshima and Miyajima, and took several day trips as well, all on our own, using trains and buses. The only time we got lost was in Kyoto looking for a restaurant one night. We eventually found it. We speak NO Japanese either. This was not an impediment. In restaurants, many places have &quot;model&quot; dishes of food you can point to and some have menus in both Japanese and English. Japan is not Mars and anyone with a modicum of sense will be fine. I would stay in Kyoto over Osaka though, Kyoto is wonderful. Try and do both Tokyo and Kyoto, very different but both amazing in their own ways.

To answer Bill's question, the first Asian country I would suggest is the one you want to go to most.

I wouldn't let some of the responses here put you off of going to Japan. No Japanese at all...no problem. Even after 10 years living in Japan, my husband's Japanese is terrible, and it doesn't hinder him too much. We moved here without knowing one word, and it worked out fine.

Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Kobe, Nara...the places most tourists go, do not have a shortage of English speakers. Their English may not be good, but they can speak some when need be.

Alone...no problem either. It's no more difficult to travel alone than with another person. In my experience, as a single traveller I've met more people more easily. A bonus in Japan...cheaper hotels and hostels and all onsen hotels typically charge by the person, not the room, so you don't pay any extra at all for being a single.

If Japan is where you desperately want to go, by all means go. Personally, I haven't found places like Hong Kong, Thailand or Bali easier or more difficult, just different.

WOW....many, many thanks for the varied opinions they're all genius!! Its great to consider. I was hoping for maybe one comment...cheers! I DEFINATELY plan on doing my homework, as was mentioned above. Again thank you very much for all your time.
Peace!!!

kosmonaught, did you go to Israel? I am referring to your post from a year ago where you asked about travelling there solo. If you did that trip then you have been to Asia! Actually, Jerusalem is the city in Asia that I thought of when considering which Asian city was easiest for a first visit.

Considering that you have &quot;traveled extenzsively&quot; I would say that you would find that Japan is not difficult at all, whether you have been to Asia or not. Unlike at least one other poster on this thread I have actually been to Japan. And I have done it solo. In fact, I've travelled solo in every region of Japan (except for Okinawa) from Otaru to Ibusuki and I love it. After Israel and Turkey, it was the third Asian country that I visited.

glorialf is right that Kyoto is an incredible city. Tokyo is also. You should visit both. No point in staying in Osaka to visit Kyoto. Without knowing your interests, I would recommend Kyoto if you had to choose between the two. But you have more choices than that and I highly recommend visiting the wonderful Japan that exists outside of Kyoto and Tokyo.

KimJapan, welcome back. I hope you all had a great trip to Boston and NYC. Your husband's Japanese is very good, I think, if not excellent.

What I wrote could be misunderstood: I was recommending visiting Kyoto if you had to choose between the two: Kyoto or Tokyo.

Go for it - Japan that is. I spent 6 solo days in Tokyo earlier this year. I'm female and the extent of my japanese is arrigato (which I can't even spell).

The lack of Japanese language was not at all a barrier and I found that people everywhere were very helpful and the universal language of nodding, smiling and pointing to a map worked just fine.

One thing that you might consider if you are hesitant would be to book some sort of city tour for your first day in Japan. Tours can easily be arranged at most hotels and they give you a bit of a lay of the land with historical information and an opportunity to ask questions of the guide who will speak decent english. I am not a tour person but this technique has worked well for friends and coworkers.

I had a wonderful time in Tokyo. Yes, it's a big city, but I planned a day in each of the major areas that I wanted to visit and hopped onto the subway which is fast, clean, efficient (and clearly marked in English) to get me where I wanted to go. If you are not used to subways I would suggest not using it during prime commuting hours and things can get a bit tight during the morning and evening rush. Other than that you'll be fine.

Go to Japan, have a great time and enjoy the fruits of working all that overtime!

Hi

My wife and I went to Japan in May and we travelled a bit around on our own. We went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima etc. I have posted a trip report with pictures on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com :-) Maybe you can find some useful information there.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

I spoke no Japanese the first time I went solo to Japan. Had no problems at all, and have been back countless times.

Transportation is easy, they have free hotel booking info services at the major train stations, you need only point at the plastic models to order food, and it is such a safe place, you won't have to worry if you do get lost.

Stick with Tokyo or Kyoto over Osaka though. Both are much more interesting for the first time tourist. Just buy a good guidebook and you'll be fine!

I am a single female and went to Japan (Kyoto and Tokyo) for the first time in June and I had a great time.
I learned a bit of the language (directions like right and left, hello, and ordering food) and was able to communicate despite the butchering of the Japanese language. I didn't learn any of the written characters and got along fine. The first time I went into a subway station was the most frightening thing b/c I didn't know what to expect, but practically everything is in roman characters along with Japanese. Just grab an english subway/strret map and go!

You will no doubt get lost as I did many many times :), but sometimes that was even more interesting as you wander into everyday neighborhoods you wouldn't see otherwise.

Plastic displays of food are in the windows of most cafes and budget restaurants.

I was afraid to go alone also, but really you only live once :). So you now have no excuses.

Hi,

I traveled solo to Tokyo and Kyoto in April. I took 10 lessons at Berlitz before I went and I brought along a phrase book as well as the little pocket book, &quot;point it&quot;.

Had a marvelous time. No problems, lots of laughs. As long as you have a sense of humor, are willing to use a lot of body language and are a bit adventurous
yuou will have a ball!

Agree with the above - Kyoto for me was much nicer that Kyoto, but that is a matter of taste.

Do visit www.japan-guide and its forum: http://www.japan-guide.com/local/ to help you plan your trip. Great advice and great people.

Go and Enjoy!

kosmonaught - You don't mention how much time you have for the trip, but if you have at least 8 to 10 days, then I'd say go to both Tokyo and Kyoto using the bullet train in between (stay in Kyoto, not Osaka). If possible, buy an &quot;open jaw&quot; ticket flying into Tokyo home from Osaka or vice versa. This will save on the time/expense of a return trip by train. Using the public transportation, trains and taxis is very easy for English speakers. All the train stations show the station name in western characters.

If my 11 y/o daughter could figure out how to purchase a subway ticket from the automatic machines in Tokyo, so can you!

By the way, as a courtesy, you should learn to at least speak the words for &quot;good morning&quot; &quot;good afternoon&quot; and &quot;good evening&quot;, plus to say 'thank you' in Japanese - an practice bowing! The people are wonderfully polite and gracious. Perfect strangers stopped to offer help whenever we looked lost and the people at the tourist info desks in train stations were great!

(Like you I've been nowhere in Asia but had a lifelong desire to visit Japan - so that was my first trip to asia two years ago).

I spent over a month in Japan with almost no Japanese, just a few phrases. Make sure you know &quot;sumimasen&quot; - which is &quot;excuse me.&quot; In a polite society like Japan, you can start almost any sentence with sumimasen and it will grant you a fabulous reception. I found Japan to be fantastic - people were SO friendly. I went to the Nature Study park by myself and some Japanese invited me to join their picnic. They spoke almost no English, so we talked back and forth by writing English on paper - because most Japanese read/write English far better than they write it. It was one of the best experiences of my life, to have these strangers sharing their food with me and telling me about their lives. I can't wait to go back.

My wife and I, along with an adult daughter spent 8 great days in Tokyo in June 05, We stayed in Ginza at the Renassiance Hotel. It was wonderful! We did not feel that there was enough time to visit other parts of Japan. We went all over greater Tokyo, using only the subways. We used taxi's a couple of time and managed to get where we wanted to go. We learned a few phrases as we went and we had fun. We did do a lot of research and we covered a lot of ground. The people are friendly and helpful. It is a extremely clean city. Expensive is relative to most people so, if you have been to New York or other large city, Tokyo fits in. It was'nt that expensive. Noodle shops are everywhere. They are an inexpensive lunch and you can save your money for dinner. Try Kobe steak, Abalone, Suki-yaki, enjoy the cusine. You'll even learn how slurrrp you noodles.... The people who post here were extremely helpful. I hope this helps. We are headed to Hong Kong for Christmas... Then I'll be able to compare great asian cities.

Joe_Theriault beef sukiyaki, is the most interesting and delicious meal I had in Japan.
In fact I tried to make it at home with some success, and my Japanese colleauges wife made it everytime I visited their house both here in Wales or Yokosuka Japan. nI am drooling just thinking about it.

Thanks for the memory.

Oh and by the way Tokyo solo is doable and not understanding Japanes is not the major problem you would think. Many times I was stopped by Japanese trying to improve their English who would offer to help.
Did I look that helpless?? lol

I say do it, my first 2 visits were alone and it was in many resoects better as there is no one there to slow you down.

Enjoy

Muck

Don't miss Nikko, 2 hours from Tokyo with wonderful shrines. See my site for my write up and more info.

http://www.mcdougalladventures.com/j...zen-waterfalls

I think the poster should go wherever he wants to go no matter whether or not it's a first time. For three-plus decades, I've been told that I was crazy to go to lots of countries/continents....being female and traveling solo. I ignored everyone's comments and went off and did what I wanted to...for example going to Tunisia in 1981 and Morocco in 1982 when folks thought I was REALLY nuts...I don't speak very good French and no Arabic, there was no e-mailing then to keep in touch with one's parents and it was pretty hardcore travel with the exception of some nice 2-3 star hotels...some with no electricity. But, I survived it and had a blast! And back then I was in my early-mid twenties... and like I said female and traveling solo. So, Japan sounds like a piece of cake. Plus, do you want an adventure or a trip? There's a difference. The adventures are the most memorable travels that I've had...I had to really figure things out and think on my toes. So, go and have a blast and so what if you don't speak or understand Japanese. Happy Travels!

I haven't (yet) been to Japan, but yes, it does sound like a piece of cake. On his first overseas trip my eldest son spent 3 weeks in Japan (on a bare-bones budget I might add) and managed to get from A to B and find places to stay and eat without undue difficulty. Japan is expensive only if you feel a need to stay in western-style hotels and eat in restaurants.

kosmonaught, I think you have your answer - go. Certainly I'd advise against Singapore - &quot;Asia Lite&quot; sums up that sterile place pretty well.

Some posts on Singapore who have enjoyed visiting:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34714246

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34708001

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34654809

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34701093

Singapore isn't sterile. It depends on what one is interested in. I vacation there regularly and love the place. I accept it for what it is and have fun. Happy Travels!

This is an older post but hubby and I just back from Tokyo. I am in my 50 (young) and would go back alone anytime! Very helpful people (not much English) but so what? Also, food not that expensive. Shop at $ or Yen stores and grocery stores. There were many GREAT department stores with wonderful food departments that you can eat in or carry out! Enjoy and just do it! to borrow a phrase...