Originally Posted by
Kyonn
How easy/hard would it be for an English speaker to get around?
I'm considering visiting vising Tokyo in the Spring but I'm a little concerned as I don't speak Japanese. Particularly navigating customs and getting from the airport to wherever I decide to stay is giving me pause in booking the trip.
Also is there a way to get a local sim card before I land? Would feel much more comfortable if I had data access on my phone as soon as I arrived.
Thanks in advance for any input.
Short answer: No Japanese required in Tokyo.
Pretty much every sign that has any importance is also in English in airports and train/subway stations. And especially in Tokyo, most other places as well. Customs and immigration is easy. Just follow the signs and other people an do what you are told.
Most likely you will encounter some minor challenges in Tokyo due the language barrier but nothing that cannot be solved fairly easily. It is in my opinion part of the fun being in Japan. And in Tokyo there's probably someone who can speak English enough to help you within 100 feet all the time. One trick is to communicate in writing. Most Japanese have learned some English in school, but what I've heard, the basic classes have been almos entirely written English only.
About SIMs and Mifi-rentals there are plenty of discussion in this board. I have personally managed without so I cannot help you on that. But I am sure you can get all the help in English you need at the airport.