Job Discussion Forums

[JimDunlop2]

[japanman]

If you fancy a little bit of a language for you go to a new country, i can recommend Pimsleur's conversation couses very much. I did the Instant Conversation Mandarin before a trip to Beijing and it helped me bridge the manners gap a little bit. i couldn't do much but I could do enough to be polite.

[dove]

The JNTO tourist information center in Tokyo (near the International Forum) is the best tourist office I have ever been to, in any country. They have information on any aspect of Japan you could ever think of. If you want to try tea ceremony, they have a pamphlet on it. If you want to visit a flea market, they have info on it. If you are interested in taking night buses, they have a brochure. Such helpful information, but relatively few takers.
I think Japan will never be a top tourist destination because of the perceived high costs and the lack of English speakers. Actually, I think a lot of people know enough English to help the average tourist, but Japanese people are so hesitant to use it. I don't think it is a fear of making mistakes. I think it is the fear that another Japanese person will see them using English and that person will assume they are trying to "show off." The fear mentality in this counrtry is what makes Japan so different from Thailand, Korea, Vietnam....there people don't have as many hang-ups.

[japanman]

I saw on Japanese TV, they asked people on the street what they would do if a foreigner started speaking English to them on the street, the most common response was to run away.

[Sherri]

It is in Hawaii. It is a popular place to visit because many of the people here have a cultural connection or relatives there. Trips and tours are advertised all the time in the newspaper and on TV. Trips to Japan are frequently offered as prizes in contests too. I can think of a couple of colleagues who have visited Japan for their vacation just recently. But having said that while living in Tokyo I wondered who would want to visit this vastly unattractive city. I once gave directions to some hapless tourists wandering around Tameike-sanno, a major city center which is dominated by a massive, noisy (and incredibly ugly) concrete flyover.

I think it would be very hard for people to travel around Japan without knowing any Japanese unless they were seasoned, confident travellers. At least in Europe you can read the signs and the place names but in Japan most of the time you are out of luck.

Personally I would not choose to visit Japan purely to tour around. I didn't even tour around that much when I was living there. It was far cheaper and more pleasant for me to go abroad.

Sherri

[furiousmilksheikali]

[gaijinalways]

[king kakipi]

Sorry Jared W; as a Scot I really can't this one slip through to the keeper:-

[Nismo]

[matador]

There are some AWESOME places in Japan...hidden bars with great microbreweries, amazing outdoor onsen halfway up a mountain where you can relax in hot waters with the snow around you and vistas of the ocean...deep forests seemingly trapped in a 1950s time warp..(insert your own experiences here).

....but these are never heard of outside of Japan. People think Japan = high cost, high tech and crowded.

[furiousmilksheikali]

[Perpetual Traveller]

[nomadder]

It's probably not promoted because they know they don't have the English ability or courage to deal with the tourists. It's bad enough they have to deal with English teachers running rampant through their land. Basically it's come at your own risk. Your best bet is Kyoto tourist info and random people in Tokyo.

[gaijinalways]

[JaredW]