Tokyo and English proficiency

[Deathknightish]

Going to Tokyo in September with a friend for two weeks.

I've heard different versions about the Japanese and their English skills. I read on the internet that they are baaaaaaad at English, and that you have no choice but to go by sign language and gestures, while a girl I met up on a date a few days back said that she managed just fine with English during her stay in Tokyo.

Who do I trust? Are we gonna be fine? I understand that English is a no-go on the countryside, but as it's planned now we are staying in Tokyo for the full two weeks, and since it's such a big metropolitan I guess it's closer to what the girl said, that they know English, although maybe not at an advanced level?

[Dwarfhamster]

Does it matter? I mean, it's not like you're planning on canceling the trip, right? Learn a few words and phrases--everyone (no matter what country) appreciates that visitors/travelers put in the effort to communicate and respect their culture.

PS: You'll live.

[Deathknightish]

Does it matter? I mean, it's not like you're planning on canceling the trip, right? Learn a few words and phrases--everyone (no matter what country) appreciates that visitors/travelers put in the effort to communicate and respect their culture.

PS: You'll live.

Obviously. I always learn a few phrases like "Hello", "Thank you" and such. I would lie though that it's making me slightly anxious potentially travelling to my first country where English is non-existant. I'm well-travelled, but I've never been to a country where their English proficiency hasn't been at an acceptable level, at the very least, so that's making me slightly nervous.

[tankbug]

I know many people that have gone to japan without much prep, kinda like "Japan, huh? sounds fun, ok, let's go!", and they have all enjoyed themselves and gotten around without much problems.

[Dwarfhamster]

Obviously. I always learn a few phrases like "Hello", "Thank you" and such. I would lie though that it's making me slightly anxious potentially travelling to my first country where English is non-existant. I'm well-travelled, but I've never been to a country where their English proficiency hasn't been at an acceptable level, at the very least, so that's making me slightly nervous.

OK, you're starting to trigger me. You're traveling to a different country and expect their English proficiency to be "at an acceptable level" for you? Shit, dude. I find this particularly ironic because you misspelled "nonexistent." And no, English is not nonexistent in Japan. Damn, you claim to be well traveled and yet still have this insular view of the world. I'm starting to feel like you're just trolling here.

In case you're serious, you'll be OK. Smile, be polite, utter a few words in Japanese, and resort to pantomime, I guess. You most likely won't be taken advantaged of. I made it through the rural China OK, and I don't speak a spit of Mandarin, Cantonese, Haka, or whatever that region speaks.

[Deathknightish]

OK, you're starting to trigger me. You're traveling to a different country and expect their English proficiency to be "at an acceptable level" for you? Shit, dude. I find this particularly ironic because you misspelled "nonexistent." And no, English is not nonexistent in Japan. Damn, you claim to be well traveled and yet still have this insular view of the world. I'm starting to feel like you're just trolling here.

In case you're serious, you'll be OK. Smile, be polite, utter a few words in Japanese, and resort to pantomime, I guess. You most likely won't be taken advantaged of. I made it through the rural China OK, and I don't speak a spit of Mandarin, Cantonese, Haka, or whatever that region speaks.

I'm not sure why you believe I'm trolling. I like learning new languages, but in the end it would be impossible to learn every single language in the world (especially when going there for a few weeks).

I always learn the most basic phrases, but when it comes to general communication I've always fallen back on English, which has been no problem during my travels in most of Europe, USA (duh), Morocco and some South American countries (I do know Spanish as well, but my friend does not, so we still talked a lot of English there).

Not sure why it triggers you when I simply ask about how easy/hard it is to get by using the biggest lingua franca in the world. If I had three wishes, knowing every language by heart would be one of them, but we don't live in such a world, and learning a new language fluently, especially for a two week vacation, is quite an achievement

[chazus]

using the biggest lingua franca in the world.

You mean third most used language.

That said... They're people. They're not some hive mind. Some (many) people in Japan speak english. Good, bad, none at all. Depends on the person. Many businesses have people that do, but many that don't. Mileage may vary, and you'll just have to find out.

At the end of the day, there's nothing you can do about it. You can't cancel the trip, and you can't learn the language in that time (besides a little brushing up on stuff). So it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, those are just (like), their opinions (man). What people told you about the language knowledge won't change anything when you get there.

[belfpala]

When I was in Tokyo, most people were excited to test their English with me.

I did make an attempt to speak some Japanese, which they mostly laughed at.

Had no issues.

[Dwarfhamster]

I'm not sure why you believe I'm trolling. I like learning new languages, but in the end it would be impossible to learn every single language in the world (especially when going there for a few weeks).

I always learn the most basic phrases, but when it comes to general communication I've always fallen back on English, which has been no problem during my travels in most of Europe, USA (duh), Morocco and some South American countries (I do know Spanish as well, but my friend does not, so we still talked a lot of English there).

Not sure why it triggers you when I simply ask about how easy/hard it is to get by using the biggest lingua franca in the world. If I had three wishes, knowing every language by heart would be one of them, but we don't live in such a world, and learning a new language fluently, especially for a two week vacation, is quite an achievement

You triggered me with your "I'm well-travelled, but I've never been to a country where their English proficiency hasn't been at an acceptable level" line. It's as if you're expecting everyone to speak English well and adjust their norms and society to you. So no, you weren't simply asking how difficult it is to get around in Tokyo.

But whatever--I'll just notch that up to a miscommunication and me being sensitive about it. Enjoy Japan. My brother will be there in a few weeks. I'm jealous you've been to Morocco. I hope to make it there in a year or two.

[Deathknightish]

You mean third most used language.

That said... They're people. They're not some hive mind. Some (many) people in Japan speak english. Good, bad, none at all. Depends on the person. Many businesses have people that do, but many that don't. Mileage may vary, and you'll just have to find out.

At the end of the day, there's nothing you can do about it. You can't cancel the trip, and you can't learn the language in that time (besides a little brushing up on stuff). So it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, those are just (like), their opinions (man). What people told you about the language knowledge won't change anything when you get there.

That's why I was careful and used the term lingua franca. Chinese and Spanish have more native speakers, but they're not bigger as "bridge connectors".

I mean... I guess you could go by that, but I was looking for an answer in general. Kind of like how you can generalise and say "Everyone in Holland speaks English", as they have a proficiency level of 90%~ or something like that.

[Gazzagaz]

Been living in Japan for 5 years.
If you are going just a tourist you wont have any problems with just English. Pointing at things is enough for ordering food and drinks, at hotels, train stations they usually have people that can talk good English.

Their English proficiency is the same in Tokyo as on the country sides, most times quite bad, but lots of Japanese can speak good english.

I'd recommend visiting smaller cities, like Karuizawa and Matsumoto just 1 hour away from Tokyo.
Google Translate works great, just use very short sentences in it. Don't try make anything long and complicated, 99% it doesn't work.

[Deletedaccount1]

Going to Tokyo in September with a friend for two weeks.

I've heard different versions about the Japanese and their English skills. I read on the internet that they are baaaaaaad at English, and that you have no choice but to go by sign language and gestures, while a girl I met up on a date a few days back said that she managed just fine with English during her stay in Tokyo.

Who do I trust? Are we gonna be fine? I understand that English is a no-go on the countryside, but as it's planned now we are staying in Tokyo for the full two weeks, and since it's such a big metropolitan I guess it's closer to what the girl said, that they know English, although maybe not at an advanced level?

I have lived in Tokyo for the last 4 years, 8 years total, and am moving in a week. I can speak bare bones Japanese and I can't read Kanji but I was able to work at a company where most employees spoke little English (although my job was in entirely in English). You don't need to speak Japanese to order in restaurants and Japanese are unlikely to engage with you in public settings anyway. They generally assume (somewhat conceitedly) that foreigners are very unlikely to understand Japanese so they usually won't even try to speak it to you.

Overall, the average Japanese person's English skills are too poor to hold a conversation but it doesn't really make everyday life all that difficult. Especially for a tourist. It might be hard to imagine but you could easily go an entire day all around the city speaking to virtually no one and still have a great time. I would focus more on making sure you can get around town to every place that you want to see because it can be a confusing to navigate.

TLDR: You don't need to speak any Japanese, Tokyo is a great and easy place to visit for almost anyone.

[Deathknightish]

Been living in Japan for 5 years.
If you are going just a tourist you wont have any problems with just English. Pointing at things is enough for ordering food and drinks, at hotels, train stations they usually have people that can talk good English.

Their English proficiency is the same in Tokyo as on the country sides, most times quite bad, but lots of Japanese can speak good english.

I'd recommend visiting smaller cities, like Karuizawa and Matsumoto just 1 hour away from Tokyo.
Google Translate works great, just use very short sentences in it. Don't try make anything long and complicated, 99% it doesn't work.

Alright, cool!

Karuizawa and Matsumoto, are they reachable by train/bus or do we need to rent a car? I still have nightmares driving on the left when I thought it was a good idea to rent a car and go on a road trip in Britain

- - - Updated - - -

I have lived in Tokyo for the last 4 years, 8 years total, and am moving in a week. I can speak bare bones Japanese and I can't read Kanji but I was able to work at a company where most employees spoke little English (although my job was in entirely in English). You don't need to speak Japanese to order in restaurants and Japanese are unlikely to engage with you in public settings anyway. They generally assume (somewhat conceitedly) that foreigners are very unlikely to understand Japanese so they usually won't even try to speak it to you.

Overall, the average Japanese person's English skills are too poor to hold a conversation but it doesn't really make everyday life all that difficult. Especially for a tourist. It might be hard to imagine but you could easily go an entire day all around the city speaking to virtually no one and still have a great time. I would focus more on making sure you can get around town to every place that you want to see because it can be a confusing to navigate.

TLDR: You don't need to speak any Japanese, Tokyo is a great and easy place to visit for almost anyone.

Cool, thanks!

[Zogarth]

Honestly doesn't matter. You can get by mostly by pointing and hand motions easily, and chances are that if you really get in a pinch, you can find someone who speaks english. Also, if shit gets bad, get your phone out, type shit into google translate, translate to Japanese, and have it voice it out. Translation is shit, but better than nothing.

[Deletedaccount1]

Alright, cool!

Karuizawa and Matsumoto, are they reachable by train/bus or do we need to rent a car? I still have nightmares driving on the left when I thought it was a good idea to rent a car and go on a road trip in Britain

- - - Updated - - -



Cool, thanks!

Both of those places are reachable by train through the JR lines that go out of Tokyo or by long range travel buses which are quite comfortable. Just get your ticket at the station a bit in advance and you are good to go. If you go to Matsumoto, I would also recommend an area called Kamikochi which is in a remote part of that same prefecture (Nagano). It is a mountainous national park with great views. It is considered Japan's equivalent to Yosemite. It will take a few days out of your trip but it is a great break from the city and you can camp there or stay in lodge relatively inexpensively.

[Gazzagaz]

Alright, cool!

Karuizawa and Matsumoto, are they reachable by train/bus or do we need to rent a car? I still have nightmares driving on the left when I thought it was a good idea to rent a car and go on a road trip in Britain

- - - Updated - - -



Cool, thanks!

You get there with the bullet train, shinkansen (Check out Japan Rail Pass, it is a 7/14/21 days train and bullet train pass, cheapest way to travel in Japan). And, I'd recommend traveling to more places outside of Tokyo, experience more of the """real""" Japan.

[hynx]

OK, you're starting to trigger me. You're traveling to a different country and expect their English proficiency to be "at an acceptable level" for you? Shit, dude. I find this particularly ironic because you misspelled "nonexistent." And no, English is not nonexistent in Japan. Damn, you claim to be well traveled and yet still have this insular view of the world. I'm starting to feel like you're just trolling here.

In case you're serious, you'll be OK. Smile, be polite, utter a few words in Japanese, and resort to pantomime, I guess. You most likely won't be taken advantaged of. I made it through the rural China OK, and I don't speak a spit of Mandarin, Cantonese, Haka, or whatever that region speaks.

non-existent was the british way of spelling that word up until a few years ago. now it is non existent. two separate words. and americans spell it as one word, nonexistent. technically all three are still correct. so shut it, grammar nazi, failing to point out a "misspelling based on your dialect and not the rest of the world around you. is it spelled theatre or theater? color or colour? where you live, one is right one is wrong. realize this fact before you look like a fool.

[Dwarfhamster]

non-existent was the british way of spelling that word up until a few years ago. now it is non existent. two separate words. and americans spell it as one word, nonexistent. technically all three are still correct. so shut it, grammar nazi, failing to point out a "misspelling based on your dialect and not the rest of the world around you. is it spelled theatre or theater? color or colour? where you live, one is right one is wrong. realize this fact before you look like a fool.

He spelled it "existant." And I only pointed it out because the way he phrased it seemed like he expected Japanese people to speak English at "acceptable" levels, and yet he misspelled a word. So learn to read properly and learn to understand context.

But whatever the case, it was just odd phrasing that I was sensitive to, and good on OP for traveling to different countries.

[The Oblivion]

You triggered me with your "I'm well-travelled, but I've never been to a country where their English proficiency hasn't been at an acceptable level" line. It's as if you're expecting everyone to speak English well and adjust their norms and society to you. So no, you weren't simply asking how difficult it is to get around in Tokyo.

But whatever--I'll just notch that up to a miscommunication and me being sensitive about it. Enjoy Japan. My brother will be there in a few weeks. I'm jealous you've been to Morocco. I hope to make it there in a year or two.

dude they have pills to help you with your issues. LOL

USA, canada, denmark, sweden, norway, ireland, iceland, greenland, england new zealand, australia, bali, mexico, france, rome, italy, nassau, turks and caicos, all places ive been without the tiniest of issues speaking english. am i travelled?

[Deletedaccount1]

He spelled it "existant." And I only pointed it out because the way he phrased it seemed like he expected Japanese people to speak English at "acceptable" levels, and yet he misspelled a word. So learn to read properly and learn to understand context.

But whatever the case, it was just odd phrasing that I was sensitive to, and good on OP for traveling to different countries.

Imagine getting this upset over absolutely nothing.