Tourist in Japan

[sgt. Pepper]

Is it easy to get by ok in Japan only speaking english? Will the people that needs to understand understand?

[DragonChan]

Depends where you're going. If you stick to the hotels, airports, and general tourist areas you should be able to find, if not people that speak english, a few signs in English. But like any country you can't expect everybody to speak your native language. At the very least, keep a phrasebook nearby with a few of the basics (IE: "Where is the washroom?") just in case.

[Mike Cash]

Some people get by here for decades with only English

[sgt. Pepper]

Ok, thanks.

"But like any country you can't expect everybody to speak your native language"

well, i won't expect them to speak Swedish. :hihi:

[TwistedMac]

take me with you and i promise i'll have learned the entire language by the time we depart!.. see you in one week!

motivation, motivation, motivation ;)

[playaa]

It is not as hard as one may seem, keep a clear head, open mind, and pay close attention to what your looking for and what someone is saying even if you dont understand them. For instance on trains that don't have english spoken listen for a train station name, then match it with your stop. (Good time to listen) everything else is easy. Study a bit on how to use the rail systems also if you don't know how.

[Apollo]

However, you should be surprised that many elder Japanese people can speak English when you least expect it. :-) It of course depends on where in Japan it is though..
In my opnion, there are more older Japanese who can speak English to a satisfactory (understandable) level than many people might tend to believe...the fact that they are very good with romaji is a very nice thing!! My older Japanese familymembers, who are very old, can speak simple English and write romaji perfectly....compared to e.g. some elderly Chinese, who are very new to Latin letters, and cannot write English well...For example, I was surprised when I went to China (Shanghai) and most taxi drivers did not understand a word of English, and addresses on the destination points written down with Latin letters did not help... :bluush: With help from helpful people, I eventually got to the destination point....This, I didn't expect from a large city in China....Maybe I was unlucky....

[PopCulturePooka]

Lived here over a year with NO Japanese ability beyond one word sentences.

[Glenn]

FirstHousePooka, how on earth are you managing that? :shock:

[Arch]

I went with out knowing just about anything. I got through fine, and even if they done understand a word of english you usuall can get by with gestures.
Its one of the great things about going to japan.

[PopCulturePooka]

FirstHousePooka, how on earth are you managing that? :shock:
Maybe chotto exagerattion.

I can form the most basic of sentences...

I think the stock of it is AnatawaXXXdesu(ka) or WatashiwasXXXdesu.

I can text message in Japanese but get toungue tied speaking it.

Get by on a lot of pointing and stuff. Its all very possible.