So you want to go to Japan, but you don't speak any Japanese or all the Japanese you know you learned from watching anime with subtitles. That's OK!. From what I read and heard before my first trip there was that if you're sticking to the big cities, most people speak English. I found that really isn't the case, but don't panic. It's been my experience that Japanese people are super nice to tourists and if you manage to string an entire sentence together, they'll be even nicer to you. That being said, you don't have to run out and sign up for lessons or spend a small fortune on Rosetta Stone - but it certainly doesn't hurt. (My advice if you decide to get Rosetta Stone: first learn katakana and hiragana thoroughly - it assumes you can read it already and that will save you a lot of frustration.)
I mentioned hiragana and katakana but what is it? Well, the Japanese have 4 systems of writing: hiragana, which is a syllabary that consists of 48 syllables used to spell out Japanese words; katakana is a syllabary similar to hiragana, but used for spelling out non-Japanese words - like English words they think are cool, or your name; kanji are symbols representing one Japanese word, but could be spelled out in hiragana if you don't know it; and then there's romanji - which is using the Roman alphabet to spell out Japanese words.
Out of the 4, the most useful for survival in Japan is katakana. My reasoning is if you can read it, you'll end up sounding out a word you already know. No translation is needed. For example: "タクシー" (takushi-) or "taxi". Voila. Done. The Japanese word for "taxi" is essentially "taxi". Warning: not all words written in katakana spell an English word! They also borrow words from French, German and other languages sometimes.
This website indispensable when learning hiragana and katakana.Why not romanji? In the words of my Japanese instructor: "romanji is ass". And I agree. The only times I saw it over there was to spell out business names on their signs or at train stations. When you arrive, the platform sign will read "広島 / ひろしま / Hiroshima". So, it's not very useful at all.
What about kanji? It can be helpful, too, because you don't have to know how to pronounce it in Japanese - you can just associate the English word to it. But, there are literally thousands of them! Where do you start? The Japanese have tables of what should be learned by 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc, but that doesn't necessarily apply to you, the traveler.
Below is my list of handy kanji to know if you ever find yourself in Japan!
More than likely, you'll be utilizing the many subway and train stations that make travel within the cities and throughout the country so convenient and easy. Some of the stations are like cities unto themselves containing stores, restaurants, newsstands and require you take a certain exit to get to your street level destination. e.g. the "North Exit". Here are some kanji to help you get around the sometimes massive train stations! I've provided the Japanese pronunciation spelled out in both kana and romanji along with its English meaning.
- 東 / ひがし / higashi /east
- 西 / にし / nishi / west
- 南 / みなみ / minami / south
- 北 / きた / kita / north
- 入口 / いりぐち / iriguchi / entrance
- 出口 / でぐち / deguchi / exit
- 駅 / えき / eki / station
- 電車 / でんしゃ / densha / train
- 地下鉄 / ちかてつ / chikatetsu / subway
- 新幹線 / しんかんせん / shinkansen / bullet train
Ok, now that you've found your way out of the train station, let's help you find what you're looking for or recognize some establishments by way of their kanji.
- 銀行 / ぎんこう / ginkou / bank
- 病院 / びょういん / byouin / hospital
- 交番 / こうぼん / kouban / police box
- 薬屋 / くすりや / kusuriya / drug store
- 郵便局 / ゆうびんきょく / yuubinkyoku / post office
- ホテル / hoteru / hotel
- ﾚｽﾄﾗﾝ / resutoran / restaurant
- 寿司屋 / すしや / sushiya / sushi restaurant
- 神社 / じんじゃ / jinja / Shinto shrine
- 寺 / てら / tera / Buddhist temple
That wasn't so bad. What about numbers? Well, it turns out that the Japanese have adopted, for the most part, the arabic numerals that we use, so no worries there. You usually only see number kanji if it's part of a name like "三菱" (Mitsubishi) but by and large you'll see it spelled out in romanji since it's a business name.
On Monday, I will be more than likely stuck in my hotel room in Newark in the afternoon with some time to kill and will use that to post some useful words or phrases - nothing too heavy. Like I said, they are so impressed that you're even trying just a little and will never fault you or make fun of you if you mess up. I find it rather comforting.
Hopefully, these will be of use to you and relieve some anxiety about going to a foreign country where you don't speak or read the language. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have if you're looking for something more specific or want some clarification on the above.
Sumida park is, as you can imagine, located on the bank of the Sumida river just a few minute's walk from the sensouji in Asakusa. Originally a private garden for the shogun, it was opened as a public park in 1931. It's also one of the prime spots for 花見 (hanami or "flower viewing") in late March and early April as the park contains nearly 1,000 sakura planted along the bank forming a tunnel of blossoms.
I caught the park in early March, so only a few of the trees were in bloom, but they still drew their share of enthusiastic photographers, viewers, joggers and bicyclists.
Other sights along the Sumida park include the Asahi headquarters across the river. You might be familiar with their "super dry" beer, but like most beverage companies in Japan, they actually produce a wide variety of soft drinks, as well.
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