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Tokyo - tourist info in English?


onthelake
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My son and I will be on Tokyo for 5 days pre-cruise ( from Yokohama) and I am a bit stressed as much of the travel literature says there is little English signage (for metro system, etc.). We are arriving at Narita and will get Pasmo cards for which I understand we will need Yen. Will there also be a kiosk with brochures in English on the major tourist sites? Navigating such a large metropolitan area and not being able to read the signage is daunting. We have traveled often and a little in Asia but Tokyo is intimidating. We are staying at an airbnb so no hotel to help.

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You have been mis-informed.

Nearly all trains and subways in the Tokyo area have signage in Japanese (kanji and katakana), Korean, Mandarin, and English.

The station masters at the turnstiles speak rudimentary English - enough to help you find your way.

There are police "Koban" mini-stations in every neighbourhood, where they are trained to help you.

 

Even though you are not staying in a regular hotel, there are thousands of upscale hotels in Tokyo, where the front desk staff have been trained to assist you in several languages - including English.

You do not have to be a hotel guest to receive their assistance. They can write directions or questions in Japanese for you.

 

In preparing for the 2020 Olympics, the train and subway companies have already placed multi-lingual staff at the ticket machines in most stations to assist foreigners buying tickets and getting to their destinations.

 

Japan is offering free WIFI to foreign visitors. At the arrivals area in the airports, you will see instructions on using it. If you have a smart phone, you can use GPS to allow you to always know where you are. You can use translation programs and apps on your telephone to ask questions in Japanese or give instructions to taxi drivers.

 

Nearly everyone in Japan studies several languages - including English - in the public school system. Although they may not be fluent, nearly anyone you meet on the street can probably help you in English.

The Japanese are very proud of their "Omotenashi" (enhanced Hospitality). Virtually anyone you meet on the street will try to help you if you ask.

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I would also recommend that you use youtube to find videos on who to navigate around Tokyo - For example

 

 

There is also an app for the iphone and ipad that will translate signs in a foreign language into english.

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You have been mis-informed.

Nearly all trains and subways in the Tokyo area have signage in Japanese (kanji and katakana), Korean, Mandarin, and English.

The station masters at the turnstiles speak rudimentary English - enough to help you find your way.

There are police "Koban" mini-stations in every neighbourhood, where they are trained to help you.

 

Even though you are not staying in a regular hotel, there are thousands of upscale hotels in Tokyo, where the front desk staff have been trained to assist you in several languages - including English.

You do not have to be a hotel guest to receive their assistance. They can write directions or questions in Japanese for you.

 

In preparing for the 2020 Olympics, the train and subway companies have already placed multi-lingual staff at the ticket machines in most stations to assist foreigners buying tickets and getting to their destinations.

 

Japan is offering free WIFI to foreign visitors. At the arrivals area in the airports, you will see instructions on using it. If you have a smart phone, you can use GPS to allow you to always know where you are. You can use translation programs and apps on your telephone to ask questions in Japanese or give instructions to taxi drivers.

 

Nearly everyone in Japan studies several languages - including English - in the public school system. Although they may not be fluent, nearly anyone you meet on the street can probably help you in English.

The Japanese are very proud of their "Omotenashi" (enhanced Hospitality). Virtually anyone you meet on the street will try to help you if you ask.

 

 

Free WiFi in Japan for foreign visitors?

 

Do tell more! :)

 

We'll be there late spring for 2+ weeks.

I had been looking into rental devices/hot spots or such.

 

Many thanks.

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I had some of the same concerns since I will use the Narita Express to get in to Tokyo and decided to get a JR Pass. I found this website with photos of the station, trains etc. which gives me a better idea of what to expect. Even though you may not be using the train the site has some good information.

 

 

http://www.seat61.com/Japan.htm#Useful_country_information

 

 

I'd also like to hear more about free internet in Japan.

 

dog:)

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Thank you all! We have actually done a cruise before with ports in Japan but the idea of days on our own in Tokyo had me tense. - and part of that is that crowds of people make me a bit nervous. I now know we will be fine 😃 Thank you again.

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Your info is about 30 years out of date.......on my first trip to Japan 30 years ago, there was very little English signage, but that's not the case anymore. I too will be spending 4.5 days in Tokyo before my cruise, and I was worried (based on my previous experience), but I know it really won't be a problem.

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I downloaded google translate on to my iphone, which was a lifesaver while traveling in Japan. I could take a picture of the Japanese text and the app will translate it to English. It was also very helpful when I needed to ask a shopkeeper a question, but her English was insufficient to understand me. I just typed my question on my phone and it immediately translated it into Japanese text. I had unlimited international data, so it was not a problem when I couldn't find wifi.

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We spent ten days travelling independently in Japan after a cruise last September. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and the Mount Fuji area, using a JR rail pass. We had absolutely no problems. Buses and trains have digital boards indicating the next stop in several languages. There was good signage at railway stations (luckily because they are huge!). People are very willing to help with directions, even a couple who didn't speak English oriented us using our map and walked us to the correct intersection for our hotel. In two different shrines we met groups of students who offered to guide us around in order to practise their English. They were charming and very informative guides, who assured us there was no charge and no tip expected.

 

We are in our seventies, active and quite adventurous and we had a wonderful time in Japan. I would go back in a heart beat.

 

Sheila

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Ticket machines at railway stations have an English language option, look for icon at bottom of screen. I had no trouble using them and travelling into and around Tokyo from Yokohama. Do your homework with a rail network map to find stations near attractions. Helps to have some idea of different lines etc. no more complicated than London Underground. I found Japanese people very friendly and helpful.

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In visiting more than 40 countries in the past 20 years I've found none that exceed, and few that equal the Japanese in their willingness to help travelers who don't speak their language. Had a woman walk us from her train platform to ours, make sure we knew what to do, and then walked back to her own platform in Osaka. You will have no problem getting around, or finding help if you need it.

Going back in the fall and really looking forward to this visit.

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NTT Docomo, Japan's largest telephone services provider is currently testing a new service for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Using a telephone on their network, you can choose one of five different languages (Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, English, Russian) to speak into the telephone, and then the listener can choose one of the five languages to have instantly translated, with a human sounding voice, into his telephone.

I have tried the beta version. The performance is quite remarkable. I couldn't believe that a computer was talking to me.

Barring any problems, the service should be available to all Docomo telephones later this year. This would make a good case for renting a telephone when visiting Japan.

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Had a woman walk us from her train platform to ours, make sure we knew what to do, and then walked back to her own platform

I had a similar experience in Nikko Japan about 30 years ago........I'd taken the train from Tokyo without problems, but once I left the station in Nikko I turned the wrong way and ended up wandering in a kind of residential neighbourhood with no idea how to get to the Toshogu Shrine I was trying to reach. I met a man outside of his house and showed him my guidebook with the Shrine entry and little map. He started with some hand signals of where to go, the quickly told me (with hand signals) to wait and ran into his house. About 20 seconds later he pulls out of his garage in his car and beckons me to get in! He drove me to the gates and dropped me off there. I tried my best to be very thankful in words and body language.

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Although you won't have problem with public transportation and at the airport, English is not widely spoken outside of hotels etc. Young people are more proficient with English than older folks and they are often keen to practice speaking. You'll be impressed with how friendly people are, in spite of the language barrier!

 

The city of Tokyo is huge so it's a good idea to becoming familiar with it before you arrive.

 

http://TokyoJapan.ca/

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Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. The people are very welcoming and do their best to help you if you get lost--often personally guiding you to your intended destination. Most signs are bilingual these days. Taxi drivers are reliable and honest. You never have to worry about someone accosting you to buy something or ripping you off. I find it the least stressful place to travel in Asia for these reasons. Relax and enjoy!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am in Tokyo now. Cc members gave me such good info on this forum. I've found it very easy to adjust. Narita airport and Tokyo station have signage in English. The only place I'm having a problem is figuring out the ingredients in the food. There are familiar places like :)

Starbucks.

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I am in Tokyo now. Cc members gave me such good info on this forum. I've found it very easy to adjust. Narita airport and Tokyo station have signage in English. The only place I'm having a problem is figuring out the ingredients in the food. There are familiar places like :)

Starbucks.

 

Do you have specific dietary restrictions? If so, I can tell you how to ask in Japanese if that ingredient is in a dish or not.

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I am in Tokyo now. Cc members gave me such good info on this forum. I've found it very easy to adjust. Narita airport and Tokyo station have signage in English. The only place I'm having a problem is figuring out the ingredients in the food. There are familiar places like :)

Starbucks.

We had little problem with the food, some restaurants even had English menus. One day, in Tokyo Station, we were looking at two similar restaurants. Both had nice photos of their food. However, one restaurant had "pork anus" on its menu. We decided to dine at the other restaurant. After returning to the US, I was telling my Daughter about that experience. She served in Korea with the USA Army about 10 years ago and said that that dish was considered a delicacy in E. Asia.

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We ate at the Westin Kyoto buffet for dinner and everything was labelled in English. I found. There is not as much English spoken then I expected. To get taxi back to hotel we showed our hotel key with address in Japanese. Everyone is very helpful, as we've read on here. I am so happy I listened and chose 3 days in Kyoto before my cruise.

Dog:)

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