First time to Japan - BOOKED!

Hi KC,

I was the one who recommended Inside Japan Tours in the original thread. We did their Winter Highlights tour last year and loved it. Everything was very well organized and the tour went smoothly. I think there were 14 of us on the tour, most of whom had not only been to Japan before, but were repeat customers with Inside Japan. At some point when we go back to Japan, we will certainly use them again.

We were dealing with Amy beforehand, I think based in Denver, and she was quick to answer all of our questions and provide info we wanted for organizing our free time. Even provided a translation to Japanese regarding some dietary restrictions so we'd have something to show the waiter when eating on our own. I looked at your itinerary and its substantially different from what we did, even down to the hotels we stayed at in Tokyo and Kyoto. But if you have any specific questions I can try to answer.

Neil

Thanks Neil,

This J-Pop tour appealed to us more so because of the schedule, timing, and trip duration, than the destinations, though it does hit all the traditional standard stop for a first-timer. We wanted to spend some time in Tokyo independently at the end of the trip and only had two weeks of vacation and so this itinerary fits perfectly in that it’s a bit shorter and ends in Tokyo. Among other things I’m really looking forward to experiencing the Japanese rail system.

How did you find the language experience? I hear from others that not many people speak English unless it’s at an airport or hotel or the like.

Been to Japan twice. Never really had any significant/insurmountable language issues. There's lots of signage in English, and in the places that get tourists, most people speak at least some English. If you get out to small towns and rural areas, there will still be some English speakers, I would still expect few issues. The people are unbelievably polite, very kind, and most will do nearly anything trying to help you if you are in need of anything. As long as you have a little patience and return the politeness, I would not worry about language issues.

Japan is a delightful place to travel. You will be knocked out.

Hi KC,

We really didn't have any language problems. On the days we were eating on our own, there was usually somebody in the restaurant able to speak some English. We also had Inside Japan provide a translation of dietary restrictions so there would be no confusion on that part. For the free time during the tour, I printed out in Japanese the places we wanted to go, so if I had trouble communicating with a taxi driver I could just show the name (though it wasn't necessary in the end).

Neil

Just a small tip on the language issue. All Japanese study English for some years in School. However, many are reluctant to speak and reveal their poor pronunciation or aural comprehension. If you write down what you are looking for, or carry a card for a hotel, tourist destination, restaurant, etc., you'll do better at getting assistance. As another poster said, most Japanese are incredibly polite, kind and helpful.

Great tips, we do plan on learning a tiny bit of Japanese before going, either online or with something like Rosetta Stone, so we don't go in completely naked.

BTW Neil, on your Winter Highlights tour, I see that there was some rail travel included. Do you recall if Inside Japan used first or second class seating on the trains?

I believe we were in second class, but very comfortable. As with RS tours, be prepared to manage your own bags.