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 "traveled extenzsively" 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, "point it".

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 "open jaw" 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 "good morning" "good afternoon" and "good evening", 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 "sumimasen" - which is "excuse me." 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 - "Asia Lite" 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...