# Trip to Japan



## madisonlee

I have been wanting to take a trip to Japan for quite some time now, but I hardly know any Japanese. I have heard mixed reviews on the consequences of not know the native language...

I have heard from some people that the Japanese are very stubborn and rude to people in their country that don't speak their language, like they will completely ignore you... even if they speak perfect english and know what you are saying, they will simply ignore you.

Then... I heard from another friend of mine that the Japanese are some of the most friendly and accomodating people you will ever meet. She said that when she was there, if she needed help or was lost, she could ask just about anyone on the street for directions and not only would they help her, they would buy her a train ticket and ride with her just to make sure she got to where she was going ok. 

So... two very different points of view... which makes me uneasy about going to Japan if the first is true.

What has been other people's experiences?


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## larabell

Amaya said:


> Honestly I don't agree to the fact that the Japanese are rude. They may be skeptical about foreigners, they call them "gaijin", but they are very polite people.


It's fairly well-accepted that Japanese have two personalities (which most Japanese will freely admit and for which there are even common names in the Japanese language). There's a polite side that you show to anyone with whom you have or expect to have some connection. And then there's the less polite private side that you reserve for times alone. It's my opinion (having lived here for about 14 years total over two separate periods) that the strict emphasis on politeness and protocol in public that gets drilled into everyone has the effect of making the "private" side even less polite.

You can observe this in any situation where anonymity is common. Getting pushed out of a train the moment the doors open, having someone walk straight into you while pretending not to be paying any attention, young people riding in the "yusen seki" on trains (reserved for elderly and/or handicapped passengers) while pretending to be asleep so they don't have to deal with giving up the seat if someone older happens to board the train, people on the street disposing of their garbage in the basket of the nearest bicycle. Any time there's little chance that you and the other person will have any connection (ie: you're not likely to see that person ever again), the Japanese can be incredibly rude.

Sometimes I think this anonymous rudeness is intensified when the other person is a foreigner. I'm not at all surprised that you reported such experiences. But I've never walked in the shoes of a Japanese so I can't say with 100% certainty that the same person would not have been just as rude to a fellow Japanese under similar anonymous circumstances. But if that were not the case, it could also be that being from the same country (or, more importantly, from the same social structure) means that there's still some kind of "connection" and that the drummed-in politeness circuits are more likely to kick in than if the other person was someone from outside the same social circles.

In fact, the whole concept of in-group/outsider is pervasive in both the culture and the language. The very words one uses to speak to someone change depending on whether that person is considered part of the speaker's social circle or not. I don't believe that this culturally pervasive inside/outside division doesn't have some effect on how Japanese deal with non-Japanese living in Japan.

But the flip side of that is this whole situation is that Japanese can be (and usually are) incredibly hospitable to anyone with whom they have some connection -- like someone to whom they're actually been introduced, to a customer walking in off the street, or to a neighbor -- anyone with a knowable identity from their point-of-view. Anyone to whom they're not likely to remain anonymous.

I've learned to accept all this. The only really annoying thing about it is that the pattern seems to have rubbed off on me. I sometimes observe myself selfishly pushing my way through crowds and on/off trains just like everyone else. While I accept that this may be the only way to survive in an anonymous setting where the common rule seems to be every man/woman for themselves, it still doesn't sit well with me.


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## donpaulo

madisonlee said:


> I have been wanting to take a trip to Japan for quite some time now, but I hardly know any Japanese. I have heard mixed reviews on the consequences of not know the native language...
> 
> I have heard from some people that the Japanese are very stubborn and rude to people in their country that don't speak their language, like they will completely ignore you... even if they speak perfect english and know what you are saying, they will simply ignore you.
> 
> Then... I heard from another friend of mine that the Japanese are some of the most friendly and accomodating people you will ever meet. She said that when she was there, if she needed help or was lost, she could ask just about anyone on the street for directions and not only would they help her, they would buy her a train ticket and ride with her just to make sure she got to where she was going ok.
> 
> So... two very different points of view... which makes me uneasy about going to Japan if the first is true.
> 
> What has been other people's experiences?


I think the same can be said about any culture or language.

I would suggest you learn some of the basics

what
where
how much

you can get by with the basic stuff

I had a similar experience in France. But once I tried actually using French I had a wonderful experience

Don't worry about that, there are jerks everywhere. Come to japan and have a good time


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## greenstudio

i got many i deas from your topic


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## Joppa

madisonlee said:


> I have been wanting to take a trip to Japan for quite some time now, but I hardly know any Japanese. I have heard mixed reviews on the consequences of not know the native language...
> 
> I have heard from some people that the Japanese are very stubborn and rude to people in their country that don't speak their language, like they will completely ignore you... even if they speak perfect english and know what you are saying, they will simply ignore you.
> 
> Then... I heard from another friend of mine that the Japanese are some of the most friendly and accomodating people you will ever meet. She said that when she was there, if she needed help or was lost, she could ask just about anyone on the street for directions and not only would they help her, they would buy her a train ticket and ride with her just to make sure she got to where she was going ok.
> 
> So... two very different points of view... which makes me uneasy about going to Japan if the first is true.
> 
> What has been other people's experiences?


Are you just going for a holiday/vacation for a week or two, or are you going to stay there long-term, for study or work?
If you are just visiting, don't worry about your lack of Japanese. Provided you yourself are polite and courteous, as most locals are, you shouldn't have any problems. Lack of communication - for example, when a taxi driver doesn't understand how you pronounce your destination, have it written down in Japanese and show it to them, or collect a card from the reception - every hotel has one, with a simple map, so that you can get back to your accommodation with a minimum of trouble. In most touristed parts, there are sufficient English-language signs to guide you. If you need to ask something in English, go to a customer service desk of a large department store or a hotel reception, where there's likely to be someone who speaks English, or approach a student-type, whose language skills are likely to be better than older people. As locals are better dealing with written English than spoken (to do with education system), writing your question down may elicit better response.
If you are going to live in Japan for any length of time, when you have to deal with other people on a daily basis, then learning some Japanese prior to arrival will be very useful. I don't think the Japanese are like the French with such a pride in their language that they look down on anyone who speaks no French, but it's true that any effort to speak even a few words in Japanese will be appreciated.
Any distinction of in-crowd/outsiders is something only a long-time resident should worry about.


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## knightjam

I agree, Japanese people are polite ones. With regards to learning Japanese, if you are on vacation just know the basic because as you can see Japanese language is a very complex language. I have learned that if your want to learn a language just make sure Japanese isn't on your first list because it would take year for you to understand, speak and write it.)

Enjoy your vacation! Japan is such a lovely place!!



Joppa said:


> Are you just going for a holiday/vacation for a week or two, or are you going to stay there long-term, for study or work?
> If you are just visiting, don't worry about your lack of Japanese. Provided you yourself are polite and courteous, as most locals are, you shouldn't have any problems. Lack of communication - for example, when a taxi driver doesn't understand how you pronounce your destination, have it written down in Japanese and show it to them, or collect a card from the reception - every hotel has one, with a simple map, so that you can get back to your accommodation with a minimum of trouble. In most touristed parts, there are sufficient English-language signs to guide you. If you need to ask something in English, go to a customer service desk of a large department store or a hotel reception, where there's likely to be someone who speaks English, or approach a student-type, whose language skills are likely to be better than older people. As locals are better dealing with written English than spoken (to do with education system), writing your question down may elicit better response.
> If you are going to live in Japan for any length of time, when you have to deal with other people on a daily basis, then learning some Japanese prior to arrival will be very useful. I don't think the Japanese are like the French with such a pride in their language that they look down on anyone who speaks no French, but it's true that any effort to speak even a few words in Japanese will be appreciated.
> Any distinction of in-crowd/outsiders is something only a long-time resident should worry about.


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## mart81

Thanks for some insights. Going to Japan on a biz trip next week


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## GAllen

When i visited japan my experience was very pleasant and i found the people to be very friendly and helpful. GA


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## listerd

Your experience will be amazing. People are very nice and friendly - yes ok, a few rude people, but just go to the UK and check out the customer service there and compare to Japan. Id give the UK 2/10 and Japan 9/10.

Japanese might not express themselves like westerns, and there is a sense that there real spirirt is trapped in an automated machine, but, its such a cool place. Clean, organised, food is amazing.

The UK on the other hand? Over-taxed, dirty, completely over crowded by people that dont really want to be there but are simply there to rinse the system, ****ty weather, and very often very rude people - think hoodies.

Id rather stay in Asia forever.


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## back2basic

listerd said:


> Your experience will be amazing. People are very nice and friendly - yes ok, a few rude people, but just go to the UK and check out the customer service there and compare to Japan. Id give the UK 2/10 and Japan 9/10.
> 
> Japanese might not express themselves like westerns, and there is a sense that there real spirirt is trapped in an automated machine, but, its such a cool place. Clean, organised, food is amazing.
> 
> The UK on the other hand? Over-taxed, dirty, completely over crowded by people that dont really want to be there but are simply there to rinse the system, ****ty weather, and very often very rude people - think hoodies.
> 
> Id rather stay in Asia forever.


I completely agree what you just said on here. The UK is indeed over-taxed to the point we are ripped off completely. The customer service is poor too and giving it 2/10 is probably a fair score. I've been to HK a good few times and the service is second to none. 

I would love to go to Japan for a holiday but I need to sort out my finances first. Hopefully if it goes all according to plan then I would be looking at going next year, preferably during the Summer time.

What is it like in Japan? I've never been but I have heard so many wonderful things about the country. I know they are very reknown for their friendliness, and they smile awful lot. They show a lot of respect to people, and also to foreigners too I've heard.


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## henryr

I found the Japanese people to be very polite and had no negative experiences in my ten days in Tokyo. I don't speak a word of Japanese but it's not too hard to get along and I found the Japanese folks that spoke English to be very friendly. It's a big, bustling city, and people have places to go, so perhaps they come off rude the same way somebody in NYC might be on the subway, but for the most part, I had a great experience. Go!!


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