I'm going to Tokyo, Japan for my senior trip in June. Is this a good time to go? How is the weather?
And also, I do speak quite a bit of Japanese but I am wondering if there are many English speakers there?
If anyone can answer these questions or give me advice about cool places to check out, anything, it would be much appreciated!
Aya
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It's hot and rainy, so bring clothes for very hot weather and either bring an umbrella or buy one in Japan. You probably also want sunscreen, sunglasses, good walking shoes, and a small hand towel for when you get really sweaty.
It depends on how you define "English speakers." Lots and lots of people know a few words of English. Not many are perfectly fluent. If you're staying in a large hotel it's likely that at least some of the staff members will speak English. You'll probably also find things like English menus in a fair number of restaurants. But since you speak some Japanese, I think the polite thing to do would be to start your conversation in Japanese. If the other person speaks English and is comfortable with it, he or she might just start talking to you in English anyway once you've opened a conversation.
I would also suggest that you get out of Tokyo and go see some other things. Tokyo is nice and interesting and all, but Japan is a lot more than just Tokyo. If you can't go by yourself because it's part of a group trip, make a suggestion about getting out of Tokyo to the people in charge.
Berry
Been to Japan when it's Winter and Spring. But not during June.
Not a lot of Japanese do speak english, even in the big city like Tokyo and Osaka! But you can get around Japan fine without know much Japanese. If you don't know much Japanese, just point to the item you want.
e
Most people in japan speak really bad english and wont speak it at all when sober and really wanna speak when drunk...and theyre drunk alot. IF you can speak some Japanese, youll be fine. youll enjoy things a lot more than your friends who dont and theyll be fine too. Tokyo is extremely ethnically diverse. The majority is japanese but you cant go 5 minutes without seeing every nationality under the sun (Except for north korean.....maybe, and Vatican....are there any people born in the vatican? and maybe palau....how many palauians are there in the world....and Luxemurg haha... poor luxemburg).
I reccomend you dont do any traditional sightseeing in tokyo if you are spending less than 5 days there. I'm assuming youll be going to kyoto too.....After kyoto, all the old stuff in tokyo looks weak. Try walking from shibuya to harajuku, not only is it cheaper than the train, you can walk through yoyogi park which is pretty cool (used to be cooler before they shut down the live bands) and I'm betting youd be going to both of these places anyway.
Anonymous
Oh for Gods sake. Krispy Kreme is an American shop. There's also this great hamburger shop called "McDonalds" in Japan. They have these special hamburgers called "Big Macs."
In Tokyo and Kyoto most people speak English. Same with Hiroshima and other tourist locales and big cities. The rule is the more rural you get, and the less tourists come to an area, the fewer English speakers there will be.
A lot of my friends who visited me were suprised at how poorly the Japanese spoke English. You may want to be sure your Japanese isn't too rusty before you come.
BTW, June is rainy and muggy. But in my opinion, August is the worst month to travel in Japan. It is still fairly cool in the evenings and mornings this time of year (June), but the humidity is nasty. Pack lightly, buy a cheap umbrella at the station. Don't wear rainjackets because you will sweat to death. I come from the Southern USA, a place famous for humidity but my first summer in Japan damn near killed me. Early June, before the rainy season starts, is usually hot and humid, but sometimes there is a cool spell.
mccomas
they have a lot of retailers right here which you stated. Foot Locker, i'm uncertain approximately. attempt ABC Mart.They focus on shoes. Abercrombie and Fitch, I see human beings donning T-shirts so they ought to sell in shops or maybe have their own save. Tokyo has all varieties of retailers, yet once you're searching for particular products, many times on your place country it is going to be extra affordable. The Yen is in basic terms too severe and factoring that for the period of makes it extra costly to save right here.