Arounding in japan without japanese

Most signs and announcements are in Japanese and English.

However, English is not as widely spoken in Japan as in much of Europe. In many places, I found locals, especially those dealing with tourists, spoke a little English.

I learned a few words in Japanese and also relied on Google Translate.

More important, learn the daily customs/rules/etiquette of the Japanese and how to act..

I have been there. It is no more a problem than anywhere else I have been. Japanese people are friendly and helpful. In all, it is not tough at all to get around Japan. It is one of my favorite countries.
In a month I am headed to Taiwan with no knowledge of Chinese. I look forward to it. I do not think it will be a problem. Sure I may have to think a bit more. That is the adventure of travel. That is its essence. Returning again and again to Europe is sometimes like going to the family cabin year after year. I do not speak Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malay, Thai, or Laotian and have been all those places and never felt it to be excessively problematic.
Go.

Simple basic Japanese is not that difficult to learn. I lived there over 45 years ago, and still retain some of the words and phrases from what I learned. It's an easy language to learn as well, as the grammar is very simple, with no cumbersome rules.

More so than the language, it is important to know the basic etiquette, as Frank II mentioned. Here is a good site that has lots of information in general on Japan: https://www.japan-guide.com

And for etiquette help, visit here: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e622.html

Yes, definitely etiquette is important in Japan. It is actually something that I feel should be worldwide as it is a consideration of other people. Such as standing in line and not rushing the door as a mob. It is refreshing to see the politeness and courtesy involved in Japanese interaction. To me it is a prime feature of visiting Japan.

I have been in Tokyo several weeks, in four different instances, for work reasons over a period from 1996 to 2011. Japanese are not a people of foreign language speakers, and even those who master a little English may be challenged to understand a native speaker or doing complex explanations. Of course licensed translators are very good but you are not likely to meed many of them.

Most of the signage is in English so you can get along, and you can get most of the things you need. - I remember entering a shop and asking a Suica Card (one of the rechargeable cards needed for suburban trains and little things) to blank stares; after a while I got a resounding "Aaahhhh! Sica Caddo!!" (remember the written u is almost silent, which I did not remember, and that the most common English loan words are pronounced the Japanese way); and I got what I did need. I remember a few instances (one at Shin-Osaka train station, where the English signage is much less extensive) where I had to try to speak some Japanese (if you listen spoken announcements on trains you will learn train language in a few days).

Japanese have taken the difficulty out of a recurring problem of foreign visitors everywhere, namely understanding the menus in restaurants. If the menu is not translated in English, it will often have a lot of pictures, and a lot of restaurants have those creepy plastic models of the food they serve. You won't be starved in Japan, but Japanese cooking is very different from western ways.

There is a non verbal expression that is extremely useful, namely bowing to persons. A bow may mean "good morning" "thanks" "please help me" and goes a long way. The earlier you learn to bow to Japanese people, the better you will fare. If you have to stop a stranger to ask for directions, for example, bow and he/she will have the duty to listen your request (even if he/she cannot really understand). - When I came back home, I went on bowing to everybody for a few days.

We have visited twice with no more knowledge of Japanese than a very few standard phrases. The Japanese we encountered were exceedingly polite and everyone tried to be helpful. We found English less widely spoken than we expected but we got by. I agree with Frank II….learn the daily customs and etiquette of Japanese life and your experience will be greatly enhanced. Those behaviors were much more relevant to our experience in terms of how you are viewed than whatever lack of language you possess. I got into a Mexican standoff with a cashier who did NOT accept the cash I offered with one hand until Aha! I noticed the small tray on the counter she continuously glanced at, put the cash into the tray and offered it with both hands. Smiles, bows and completed transaction. And among the few expressions you may learn in Japanese we also discovered that if there is a formal and informal expression learn the formal…a world of difference in how you will be perceived and treated. In a restaurant in Kyoto I used the informal greeting (shorter and easier to remember) and was promptly ignored. Next day, stubborn and determined, I returned and used the formal version and the person who had ignored me now welcomed me with open arms. Like France if you fail to say bonjour, I don’t think they’re being petty, I think it’s just that you have violated a custom so fundamental and ingrained that they just don’t know how to respond. I’d return tomorrow if I could Enjoy your visit and safe travels.

Lack of English should not be a problem for traveling around. Announcements on most trains are in Japanese and English. On the Shinkansen they will be in Japanese, English and Chinese. Many, though not all, restaurants have an English menu and there are plenty of English signs in major stations and similar locations.

Taxis can be a challenge so we use a map or card to indicate where we want to go and have used the translation app on our iPhone as well. For example, on our recent trip, I typed in Haneda, Terminal Three and the app translated that into Kanji and Romanji which I showed to the driver. No problem.

People can be very friendly. On the boat to Naoshima, a woman started chatting with us - though she spoke no English and I have about five words of Japanese! Fortunately, the gentleman next to us spoke English and translated for us. I also had a brief conversation with her husband using the phone method.

The Japanese television network NHK has a wealth of English language programs about Japan including two on learning Japanese. You may want to check out the Easy Travel Japanese videos - short, about three minutes, with useful phrases.

We visited Japan last November. All of the Japanese were polite, considerate and tried to be helpful. Learn the common words and phrases and, as mentioned, bow often and as thanks along with arigato. Yes, few Japanese speak english or any other western language. Thankfully, officials do pretty well in transportation hubs: airports, bus and train stations (not necessarily on the bus or train) and at visitor centers. If you can, get important addresses written in kanji/kana/hiragana as romaji is for us to SAY the Japanese words - not for the Japanese to READ. Young people seem to handle romaji better but still use kanji most of the time. The street signs are in kanji with only the major roads/highways also in romaji. So you can't count 100% on tourist maps or Google maps as they are not in kanji. Stations are usually in both. All of the cabs we were in had 3 or 4 devices with different apps & maps and they still could become lost. Use cabs for short journeys or with luggage or when hopelessly lost. Get a cash card (IC, Suica, etc) to use for transport and paying in many stores. There are 7-11s everywhere where you can check card balances, fill it up or get cash. Be patient and allow time to get someplace. And plan on walking a lot. Definitely a great country to visit.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to write!! When someone visits japan, they probably would meet people with japanese names meaning fire.

Hotels and transportation were all in English. Many restaurants have picture menus or ipads to make ordering food easy.

Google "volunteer English tour guides Japan [or particular city or attraction]". There many organizations of kind hearted or retired people who like to volunteer and take tourists around the city or a major attraction. We arranged for a volunteer guide for Himeji Castle. Our guide said he liked to do it to practice his English and meet foreigners. They are very proud of their country, culture and history, and want to extend goodwill to visitors. The volunteer guides will not accept a tip. Our guide would not even accept reimbursement for his train fare to meet us. A small gift (e.g. small bottle of Maple Syrup from Canada or an invitation for lunch) would be much appreciated.

I could not manage more than hello or thank you in Japanese. I could never manage street names. As long as I behaved politely and smiled, people were very helpful in Japan.

PS Google Lens can be used to translate written Japanese into English.

Alright!! Thanks for informing