Anyone ever been to Japan?

[ali_mon_x]

I would really love to visit Japan; it would be a trip of a lifetime for me!

Does anyone have experiences with visiting this country? Any areas that are particularly fascinating or beautiful? What sort of things are essential to see?

Cheers m'dears.

[Guest]

Hellooooo
Yes I have been to Japan, so what do you want to know? How long do you want to go for?
I went for 3 weeks in April/May and managed to cover pretty much the entire length of the country using the Japan Rail Pass. If you are going for a week or more, a Rail Pass is a must.
Apart from that, it depends on what you want to do, i.e see lots of old temple cities and cultural things, or go lie on a beach, or see wildlife and landscapes up in the north.
In my last trip my route was like this
Osaka (landed in Kansai) -> Tokyo ->Sapporro (8 hour train journey all the way to Hokkaido island)-> Shikotsu -> Furano -> Hakodate -> Tokyo (another long train jouney back to Honshu island) -> Nara (beautiful temple city and an old capital city) -> Kumamoto (in the southern island of Kyushu) -> Kagoshima -> Nagasaki (of atom bomb fame...) -> Osaka (then back to the UK)

[ali_mon_x]

Hi! Thanks for the reply!

If I was to ever go I think about 3 weeks there would be about right for me too. Also the rail pass sounds perfect because I would like to see the whole country rather than just centring myself in Tokyo for the duration.

One thing that worries me is the language barrier. Did you find it difficult to get by or do you know much Japanese?

Ta

[lilirose03]

I didn't find language too much of a problem while I was there. The only thing you need to know is that the Japanese are taught English in school to a high standard, but may be worried about speaking it to you for fear of making a mistake. An ex-pat out there told me this and said not to worry, most people do understand you, even if all you get in response is a smile and a nod.

[bigeddie]

remember the TV ad about the Segam camera phone? just do what he did! -- take a picture of everything that you will possibly need/want, and just show them the pic when u have communication problems.

i doubt u will have any trouble that way

[ArtaXerxes]

Hi
Yes I do speak some Japanese and it does help, especially in more rural areas, but it isn't really a must-have. English is taught in schools but not always to a high standard, things may have improved now, but for adults who went to school in Japan 10-20 years ago, they would have been taught by Japanese teachers who themselves were not that fluent.

Having said that practically every town I visited had an English speaker at the information desk. They are there to help you, so ask them to write down addresses, or things you might need, in Japanese on a card so you can show this to someone if you need some help.

Also lots of Japanese are very shy about speaking English becasue they are afraid of making mistakes and sounding foolish, even though they actually speak well. None of that British attitude of mangling foreign languages and being proud of it! So learn a few basic phrases - especially ' Eigo o hanashimasu ka?' Do you speak English?'


One thing you could try is to speak English with a Japanese, or even American accent! You are often understood more easily, probably because American English is what they are taught, and what they hear in movies etc.

Don't worry about reading station signs because all of them have the names written in both Japanese and the Roman alphabet.

Don't forget to try the onsen baths, especially the ones built around outdoor volcanic springs. The etiquette is to wash and rinse yourself outside the bath (don't be shy) then slide in without making a big splash.

Hope that helps, send me a PM if you have any specific questions. If I don't know the answer, I have friends working out in Japan who can probably help.

[Guest]

look at that post sumone wrote bout goin to japan ohhhhhhhhhhhhh
u tell them off i will too

[ali_mon_x]

Ok thanks for your help everyone! It's cleared a lot of things up for me.

[Guest]

ur wellcome

[mogadishu]

my brother went to both china and japan last year. he said japan was like the future, china very secretive and reticent.