Can You Visit Japan Without Knowing Any Japanese?

I am often asked how much Japanese you need to know to go to Japan and well the answer is simply zero. You can go and visit Japan without knowing a single word and you will have a fantastic time. 

However, I don’t think you should do that and you should try and learn some things before you go, but the reality is that you will survive just fine, even if it may get a little difficult from time to time with zero Japanese.

Everyone Should Learn The Super Basics   

While you can visit not knowing a single word, I think this is wrong, if not rude.

I’m not saying you need to start actually learning Japanese, but you should be aware of some things before you go, such as basic etiquette.

The Japanese are very polite and like to bow as a sign of respect or thanks. They also do not shake their head to say no, they would use their arms to make a X. These small physical gestures are going to help you when you are there and take seconds to learn.

I would also learn some really basic phrases or words. Even simple things like hello and thank you can be enough. It just shows you are trying to be respectful and making an effort.

Just think about what you are going to be doing when then and what you might need to say and then try to learn some words around that, at a bare minimum learn to ask where the toilet is, as you will probably need that one!    

You might even want to consider learning a few different Kanji, such as the ones for station, restaurant or toilet, again think about what you might need on your trip and make the effort to learn the very basics.  

It Will Depend Where You Visit In Japan

Really the question of “can you visit Japan without knowing any Japanese” can only be answered when you know where you are actually going.

Japan is a big place and while it is very much set up for visitors …this is not everywhere.

You will find that big cities and general touristy areas are very accommodating; there will be signs in English and probably some people working in the area that can communicate well.

However, if you venture outside of this, the English levels quickly drop off and you will be completely submerged in Japanese.

Then of course if you leave the city and venture out into the countryside you are certainly going to struggle to find any English or even anyone who can speak it. 

This really just means that if you have zero Japanese ability, you really need to stick to the touristy areas …of course you can venture out, but it can be overwhelming. 

English Menus At Restaurants

A classic example of this is the restaurant menus. You will find in the touristy areas that the menu is available in English and while the translations can be a bit wonky, at least it is something.

As you venture out, these menus simply do not exist and you just need to know Japanese.

You Can Always Use Google Translate

I think we all need to remember that we live in modern times and the internet can help us with anything and everything and this also includes travelling to a country where you don’t know the language.

If you visit Japan and you get stuck language wise, Google translate or any of the other translators are in your pocket. Just pull your phone out and the problem is solved.

Of course the big issue is making sure you have data, and if you do, make sure it’s not super expensive. You don’t want to return from your holiday to find your phone bill is insane, but this is something you workout before you go.

The other issue is that these translators are not perfect, but I think that is fine. You are probably going to be using it for fairly simple things and even if the results are a bit garbled, the Japanese person will understand enough to help, or you will get the gist of their reply. It will get the job done.  

Use A Phrase Book

If you want to keep things old school, you could use a phrase book and then all you have to do is pull it out of your pocket and find what you want to say and in the worst case, just point at it and show the Japanese person and should get the message across.

This is only going to have set phrases as such, but they should be generic enough that you can use them in any situation. It is certainly better than nothing.

Pre-Plan Before You Go

I honestly think the best thing you can do is pre-plan. If you can’t speak Japanese and you are worried, plan as much as you can before you go. 

The more you know before you go, the less likely you are going to have to speak to someone.

So let’s take getting from the airport to your hotel.  I would be looking at the map and planning my route before I even left my house.

How do you get from the airport to the train station? What train do you need, what platform does it go from, how do you buy tickets, can any of this be done in English? Research this as much as possible so all you need to do is turn up and you just know what to do.

Then find out how many stops you need to go on the train, count them, look on street view so you can get an idea of what your station looks like and know when it’s time to get off.

It all seems over the top, but the last thing you want to is be sat on a train and realise you have no idea where you are going, you can’t understand the announcements and you can’t ask anyone around you for help.

Pre-plan and your life will be easier. You can do this with restaurants too, looking at the menus before hand and really it will work for anything else you want to do. I know it can take some of the fun out of things, but it will help and it will mean you probably won’t need to speak to someone.

You can also write all this research/your instructions down, then all you need to do is just follow what you have written as such. If you are worried about not knowing the Japanese language, this pre-planning will make the difference.        

Japanese Are Overly Accommodating And They Will Help You

One of the biggest reasons why you can go to Japan without knowing any Japanese is simply due to the fact that Japanese people are extremely accommodating. If you look a bit lost or confused they will go out their way to help you even if it is a huge inconvenience to them.

You will hear countless stories of people going out of their way to make sure you get to where ever you are going, or taking you on a mission to find someone who can speak English well enough to help you.

It is just in their nature to try and be helpful. However, you absolutely cannot expect this to always be the case. Please do not walk around feeling you are entitled to spoken to in English for example.

They will try and help you, but it is much better if you can meet them half way.

(You can read more about – What Are Japanese People Really Like?)

There Will Be A Language Barrier In Both Directions

Carrying on from above, I think it is important that even if you try and meet the Japanese people half way, there will be some confusion and a general language barrier.

If you do try and speak English, a lot of them will not feel confident. The truth is that a lot of younger people can understand basic English, especially when written down.

However, They often really worry about speaking though, as they want to be “perfect” and they do struggle with listening. If you are really stuck write something down simple in English and show them it and they will probably understand.

The same goes the other way, even if you try and speak some Japanese, you might not be too great and they might not understand you, I would also imagine you might not understand some Japanese peoples English. Sometimes they can have thick accents, so really there is a lot of opportunity for confusion in these types of situations.

Just remain calm and speak as slowly and clearly as you can, no matter what language you are using.  

Find A Language Partner/ Friend Before You Go

I would suggest that you try and make some Japanese friends through language exchanges before you go to Japan …although this would imply you are learning Japanese.

Really this is the most ideal situation as you can meet up with these people and practice your Japanese with your friend …but more importantly they can take you to places that are outside of the tourist spots and they will of course be able to communicate with other locals and kind of translate or simplify things enough so that you know what is going on.

It also just makes the whole experience more fun, since you can actually meet someone you know.

Conclusion

Hopefully now you can see that you can go to Japan without having to speak Japanese, but ultimately, it is going to be far superior if you can learn some of the language beforehand.

Either way you will have a great time and you can of course always go back and visit again , where each time you visit your language skills can get stronger and stronger.

(If you are looking to learn Japanese, you can follow my plan – Learn Japanese – The Plan For A Complete Beginner)