To travel alone.. safe?

[Hyewonee]

I have been saving up some money and am hoping to go visit Japan sometime next spring. However, my friend who was doing the same thing saving decided that she no longer wants to go visit.

Although, there is a long time before I actually get to travel there, there are somethings worrying me. I really never traveled just by myself to out of US before.

My concern is how dangerous it would be to travel to Japan for 2 weeks by myself. Being female and not being able to speak Japanese at all.. I prabably will try to get a set tourist trip but was hoping to take some time to myself adventuring.

Would it be safe enough to go out by myself sight seeing? I do not plan to wander out late at night but was hoping to find little nooks and cranny tea shops and temples and such.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Hyewonee

I have been saving up some money and am hoping to go visit Japan sometime next spring. However, my friend who was doing the same thing saving decided that she no longer wants to go visit.

Although, there is a long time before I actually get to travel there, there are somethings worrying me. I really never traveled just by myself to out of US before.

My concern is how dangerous it would be to travel to Japan for 2 weeks by myself. Being female and not being able to speak Japanese at all.. I prabably will try to get a set tourist trip but was hoping to take some time to myself adventuring.

Would it be safe enough to go out by myself sight seeing? I do not plan to wander out late at night but was hoping to find little nooks and cranny tea shops and temples and such.

Safety-wise, I am sure you will be fine, as long as you are smart. There are predators in some parts of Tokyo, especially at night, but for the most part, Japan is very safe. As a male who lived there alone for a few years, I never remember feeling threatened or unsafe.

I would be more concerned about your own mental stability. Sometimes big adventures like this are best shared, so you can question and explore together. It can be overwhelming mentally, especially if you haven't been out of the US before.

[LostVoice]

I am traveling alone as well however it will be this summer. However, from what I researched as well as talking to several Japanese friends, it is a good idea to get a general idea what you are doing, where are you going, and exactly what you want to accomplish. It is a good idea to form a comprehensive plan but also allow some flexibility.

Like I plan on staying in Tokyo for a week and a half however I am also planning to take day trips to Yokohama and Kamakura. However, don't set everything in stone. What cities do you plan on going to? Most big cities have English in the trains and buses but if you plan on venturing into the smaller cities or even towns or villages, it is best to know Japanese. Even then, most of these places may speak a dialect which is hard to understand even for native Japanese speakers.

[talz13]

I went last summer, and walking around Shinjuku (a ward of Tokyo) at midnight-1a.m. I felt safer than I do walking around in the middle of the day in the small town that I'm from.

Really, if you just stay to main streets and well-lit areas, you should be fine. I would recommend trying to figure out how the trains and everything work before you go / as soon as you get there so you don't get yourself stranded. I had to talk to the station master a couple times to find out how to get where I was going, but I did KNOW where I was trying to go. And I don't really speak a word of Japanese. I suppose if you need to, keep some papers in your bag with the names of the places that you are visiting (print off the directions to your ho(s)tel, etc.) and then at least you can point to where you're trying to get to and the station master will be able to help you out.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by LostVoice

I am traveling alone as well however it will be this summer. However, from what I researched as well as talking to several Japanese friends, it is a good idea to get a general idea what you are doing, where are you going, and exactly what you want to accomplish. It is a good idea to form a comprehensive plan but also allow some flexibility.

Like I plan on staying in Tokyo for a week and a half however I am also planning to take day trips to Yokohama and Kamakura. However, don't set everything in stone. What cities do you plan on going to? Most big cities have English in the trains and buses but if you plan on venturing into the smaller cities or even towns or villages, it is best to know Japanese. Even then, most of these places may speak a dialect which is hard to understand even for native Japanese speakers.

A week and a half in Tokyo is a long time. I think you can see just about everything worth seeing in half that time and I would branch out to other parts of japan.

It is true in some remote parts of Japan people speak dialects that are difficult for native speakers to understand, but everyone understands basic "Tokyo" Japanese, and unless you are going to Touhoku (and I don't see Touhoku on many travel plans) I wouldn't worry about that. Don't not travel to other parts of japan because of the dialects. It's not that big a deal.

[nobora]

I think as long as you watch out for any thing suspicious you'll be fine

[Nyororin]

I`m female and have lived in Japan for 10 years... And have done my fair share of traveling.

I would agree that as long as you use common sense Japan is a very safe country. If you are using the same level of common sense that you would use in your own country, even more so. I could walk around the city at night and not feel in danger at any point, and have even gotten stuck a few times and ended up staying outside a station through the night. The worst that has happened would have to be having drunk guys invite me to accompany them. (With the obvious connotations.)
Other than that... once, on a back road by a river (very secluded) late at night, and old homeless man (clearly mentally ill) tried to catch me. The guys who I`d decided to take that road to avoid in the first place - a motorcycle gang (which ended up including my friend`s boyfriend, but I had no way to know from a distance) - ended up coming over and giving me a ride home.

If you don`t speak Japanese, I wouldn`t worry at all about dialects. Even MMM`s example of Touhoku isn`t nearly as bad as he gives the impression of it being. For a native speaker, they wouldn`t really hit any problems unless they were talking to someone very old. There are virtually no Japanese who speak entirely in what would be considered a true dialect. It is more accent with some dialectal words.

And a random fact out of nowhere - apparently the prefecture that has the most pronounced non-standard "dialect" use in the normal population is Fukui. It is also supposed to be one of the oldest forms of modern Japanese still in regular use, carried up there by migrants from Kyoto and little changed over time.

[LostVoice]

I really want to visit Sekigahara (being a huge history buff) but I was advised not to unless I have a Japanese friend since it's not the most English language-friendly area as well as a friend of mine said they speak in dialects in some areas. It's not exactly a concern and most people do use and understand Tokyo Japanese.

MMM, I have some friends in Tokyo that I intend to visit so that is why I am staying there for such a long time.

[Troo]

Originally Posted by MMM

A week and a half in Tokyo is a long time. I think you can see just about everything worth seeing in half that time and I would branch out to other parts of japan.

I think a lot of people prefer to stay longer purely because of the length of time it takes to get there. From many English-speaking countries it's a minimum 8 hours' flight, if not 12 or longer, so to take things at a relaxed, jet-lag-busting pace it's nicer to spend more than a week so that one can take it easy.

That and I can certainly think of a week and a half's stuff to do in Tokyo... But then I'd dawdle around every branch of LoFT, Tokyu Hands and Donki I could find

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by LostVoice

I really want to visit Sekigahara (being a huge history buff) but I was advised not to unless I have a Japanese friend since it's not the most English language-friendly area as well as a friend of mine said they speak in dialects in some areas. It's not exactly a concern and most people do use and understand Tokyo Japanese.

Sekigahara isn`t at all dialecty - Gifu isn`t exactly known for having a heavy dialect.

There isn`t a whole lot to see there though. The nightmare that is WarLand (A huge park of horrifying bloody statues), but not a whole lot at the actual battlefield itself. Just an open space. You can see the spot where leaders on both sides began gave commands from, etc, from the road.
I`ve never managed to actually make it to the museum, as they have the most insanely limited hours and close literally on a whim. All the countless times I`ve been up there, they`ve never been open even once.
In the summer, Ibukiyama (right there next to the battlefield) is a fascinating mountain to climb.

If you`re a huge history buff like I am, Kurikara is also a great battlefield to visit. There were a number of important battles there, and it`s far enough in the middle of nowhere that the area is pretty much unchanged.

(History buff who happens to drive through Sekigahara literally ever other weekend. If you do come into the Mino/Owari/Mikawa/Echizen area and need someone to help you find your way around historical sites feel free to PM me anytime.)