fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2298 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2298 ⌋

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I'm leaving the country for the first time and I'm very excited but so nervous. Mostly nervous because it's Japan and I've done my best to learn the basics but I'm a bit slow with languages so I'm really worried I'm going to say something wrong or offend someone. Just a little bit of an anxious person.

Does anyone have their own stories or advice to give me?

FYI I'll mostly be in the vicinity of Kyoto, I have the rail pass and I can...do basic conversations like introductions, counting and yes/no/excuse me/help i need a doctor

Just remember to warn people that you don't have too good a grip on the language and you should be fine. A family friend [whose married to a Japanese lady, and now lives there] gets along fairly well despite not speaking the language fluently, though my understanding is that the attitude is something akin to 'Aww, it's kinda cute/funny you don't speak it too well!'/'You're our [resident/pet] forigner!' so idk how well that would translate to someone being a visitor, or a big city [he lives in a small town.]

As long as no-one starts screaming at me! But I better learn a "I'm not good at japanese" phrase

I also printed out a piece of paper with little things to heml me out, like Please write it Down, I don't understand and Does anyone speak english.

I printed out my hotel receipts so I can just point at it for directions.

I think googling people's reviews was a bad idea. Some people say don't wear jeans! Others say it's okay (There's some outdoors excursions I figure they'll be good for). My friend who grew up in tokyo says it's fine so I figure she's got the right there.

Just over thinking things aaaah

Honestly, unless you're going to small town or someplace that's known for requiring traditional clothing you'll probably be fine on jeans. Actually, since Kyoto is a big city, chances are no one is going to be all that surprised about you not understanding Japanese too well and there's a fair chance you'd be able to find someone who speaks English well enough to help you out.

From my understanding Japan is a pretty safe place for foreigners, so I wouldn't worry too much.

how well do you know the language? downthread you said you were looking for phrases that got across the message that you aren't very good at japanese. that's a pretty basic phrase, so i'm assuming you don't know a whole lot?? just curious as to what your skill level is. my help might not mean much if you don't know how to read japanese or pronounce words.

in any case: "watashi wa nihongo ga jouzu ja nai" is a pretty standard and simple way to say "i am unskilled at japanese."
"watashi no nihongo wa amari umaku nai" translates to "my japanese is not very good."
"watashi wa nihongo o amari hanashimasen" means "i don't speak japanese very well."
"sumimasen" means excuse/pardon me. if you put it at the beginning of the above sentences it makes them more polite.
"wakarimasen" means "i don't understand."

I can recognise most hirigana and...half of the katakana! A bit slow on the more similar looking ones, but can probably read things out.

Numbers, some colours, what/where/who aaannnndddd I think that's it. yes/no and for some reason scary, like, cute and delicious.

...and thanks to one preschool I can sing head, shoulders, knees and toes in Japanese so I've got main body parts covered!

I do have a teeeny phrase book of common phrases so I hope that helps, it fits in my pocket.

How accurate is "watashi wa nihongo ge heta desu" as a descriptor?

no wait I'm missing a word FFFFF writing down the ones you gave me

Are you just going for a visit for a few days/weeks? Honestly, I think you should be fine. You'd run into more problems with not knowing the language if you were in a more rural area, but that part of the country is populous and pretty used to foreigners. The signs at train stations all have the station names in English as well, and if you're staying in hotels that are business hotels or used to having a lot of foreigners, generally there will be someone on staff who knows a bit of English. The majority of people are pretty friendly and willing to help out. Some people will get flustered if you don't know Japanese, but they generally won't yell at you or anything like that.

I'd recommend having maps on hand for the area you'll be in, though. Kyoto is easy to find your way around because of the layout (it's literally a big grid), but if you're going to be traveling to other cities or areas you'll want to have something on hand to help you find your way around, since they typically don't name the majority of their streets and they're a lot more twisty-turny than Kyoto. Also, bring a small hand towel with you, since a lot of public restrooms don't carry paper towels or anything to dry your hands on. One random etiquette thing, too, is that some people consider it rude if you eat and walk at the same time there. It's not a huge faux pas, but you will sometimes get the side-eye.

(Also, if you get a chance you should totally go to Nara, too. It's one of my favorite places in Japan and it's not that far from Kyoto. And you should DEFINITELY try takoyaki if you're at all a fan of seafood. It is DELICIOUS.)

Just short of two weeks! 11 days I think? I'm staying at two different ryokens because the public holiday meant they were booked out for too long a period of time.

We have maps! And a smartphone as a backup.

right, no eating and walking at the same time!

'll keep Nara in mind! About half our days have something scheduled or booked in, the other days are "let's visit someinth on our looong list" days

[ SECRET POST #2298 ]

So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice

Re: So nervous, can anyone tell me some good stories or advice