Can I visit Japan without knowing Japanese?

Do you need to speak any Japanese to travel around Japan? Absolutely not. You can travel to Japan without learning any of these words and have a great time. People ask us about the Japanese language barrier all the time, with common questions such as, Do Japanese people speak English?
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Can I go to Japan if I speak English?

If you can learn a few word and phrases (hello, thank you, excuse me, where is..), you'll be fine. If you're going along the main tourist route (Tokyo - Osaka/Hara/Kyoto down to Hiroshima) you will have no problem. All Japanese learn some English at school, so most can (if reluctantly) help you.
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Are the Japanese friendly to tourists?

Japan is a friendly and welcoming country, steep in history and tradition. While visitors are often amazed at how polite, courteous and gracious the society is, most first-timers may experience some sort of culture shock.
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Do Japanese like foreigners?

While 31% said Japan "should actively accept" foreign workers, 50% said "I don't like it, but it can't be helped." The younger generation seems more open to foreign workers, with 48% responding that Japan "should actively accept" them. Amid a serious labor crunch, Japan revised immigration rules last April.
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Do Japanese marry foreigners?

Japanese law requires all foreigners who marry in Japan to first prepare a sworn Affidavit of Competency to Marry, affirming they are legally free to marry, from their own country's embassy or consulate in Japan. This is a notarial service. You will need to make an appointment.
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How Difficult is Travelling Japan without Japanese? | Travel Tips



Is Japan English friendly?

Yes. Japan is tourist friendly with signs available in English. You can get around with barely any Japanese knowledge. Locals can help you if you use simple English, but don't expect them to answer you in English.
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Is Japanese hard to learn?

Japanese is ranked by the U.S. Foreign Services Institute as the most difficult language for native English speakers to learn. The institute uses the time it takes to learn a language to determine its difficulty 23-24 weeks for the easiest and 88 weeks for the hardest.
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How long does it take to learn Japanese?

According to the US Department of State, Japanese is one of the hardest languages for English natives to learn. It doesn't have many similarities in structure to English. They estimate it takes 88 weeks of learning, or 2200 hours, to reach fluency.
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Can I learn Japanese by myself?

Yes, you can learn a lot of Japanese on your own. You can learn Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. You can learn to read. You can improve your listening comprehension by watching Netflix and YouTube.
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Can you learn Japanese while sleeping?

It's unlikely you'll learn Japanese when you're asleep

Even if you are asleep listening to the best Japanese course on the planet, your brain is unlikely to register anything you hear, because while you're sleeping you're not really “hearing” it at all. While it's not possible to learn new information while you sleep.
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What is the hardest language to learn?

15 of the hardest languages to learn, for English speakers - ranked
  • Russian.
  • Hindi.
  • Vietnamese.
  • Thai.
  • Korean.
  • 13. Japanese.
  • Mandarin Chinese.
  • Arabic.
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Is there a lot of crime in Japan?

In 2020, approximately 330.6 theft offenses were recognized by the police per 100,000 inhabitants in Japan, representing the crime type that most frequently occurred in Japanese society. Property damage followed with the rate of about 50.8 cases among 100,000 of the population.
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What is the easiest language to learn?

And The Easiest Language To Learn Is…
  1. Norwegian. This may come as a surprise, but we have ranked Norwegian as the easiest language to learn for English speakers. ...
  2. Swedish. ...
  3. Spanish. ...
  4. Dutch. ...
  5. Portuguese. ...
  6. Indonesian. ...
  7. Italian. ...
  8. French.
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Is Japanese worth learning?

It is absolutely worth learning some basic, everyday words and phrases, even if you have no intention whatsoever of ever attempting to become fluent in Japanese. The good news is, there are a few phrases are absolutely music to the ears of literally ALL Japanese people.
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Do Japanese people watch anime?

Not All Japanese People Like Anime. So, yes, anime is popular in Japan.
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Can you survive in Japan with English?

It's certainly possible to work in Japan without speaking Japanese, though your options will be limited. The first choice by newcomers to Japan is typically teaching English at private English language schools, or eikaiwa.
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Which language is closest to English?

The closest language to English is one called Frisian, which is a Germanic language spoken by a small population of about 480,000 people. There are three separate dialects of the language, and it's only spoken at the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany.
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Is English the hardest language to learn in the world?

The English language is widely regarded as one of the most difficult to master. Because of its unpredictable spelling and challenging to learn grammar, it is challenging for both learners and native speakers.
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What is the easiest language to learn if you speak English?

Easiest (about 600 hours of study)

Of these, Spanish and Italian are the easiest for native English speakers to learn, followed by Portuguese and finally French.
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Is kidnapping common in Japan?

In 2016, kidnapping rate for Japan was 0.2 cases per 100,000 population. Though Japan kidnapping rate fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to increase through 2007 - 2016 period ending at 0.2 cases per 100,000 population in 2016.
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Is Japan safer than the US?

While this table contains some old data, it is clear that Japan is very safe when compared with other countries. There are only 0.99 cases in Japan for 51.04 in England and Wales, with 38.55 cases in the United States, and 20.12 in France.
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Is it safe in Tokyo at night?

As mentioned above, Tokyo is generally a safe city to walk around - even late at night - and most visitors experience minimal (if any) hassle by locals. You should nevertheless maintain a certain degree of street sense and awareness around you, particularly if you are a female walking alone later in the evening.
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Is Korean harder than Japanese?

Conclusion. In terms of difficulty, I think Japanese and Korean are at about the same level. Some parts are harder for Korean while other parts are harder for Japanese. However, considering the larger number of sounds and the different particles in Korean, Japanese is definitely the easier language to start in.
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Can you learn Japanese without writing?

Notably, you can only learn Japanese without Japanese if you are living in Japan or around Japanese speakers that communicate with you in the language. Otherwise, it will be impossible to learn Japanese without kanji. Even though you may not agree, writing in kanji is actually cool.
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