Going to Japan for the First Time!!!

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Philo

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After years of wanting to go and see the japanese culture, I think I will finally getmy chance next year. We plan on spending about 8 days in Tokyo and the surrounding area, about 3 days of which will be spent in TDL.

I'm a little worried about a few things (language problems, eating problems as my wife is a veggie etc) and any advice that anyone has about the parks or Japan in general would be great.

Are there any English language options on attractions? Is it common to find English speaking staff?

Thanks
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
You won't need to worry about English in Tokyo or at the parks. Most folks there speak some English, and they are so polite that if they don't feel confident in their English skills, they quickly apologize and replace themselves with a coworker who does speak English.

It would help if you learned a few words in Japanese, especially "thank you very much" and "excuse me please" and the standard "good day" greetings. That way, you could at least reciprocate just a bit in their native language once they have provided you with the stellar service they enjoy providing. (There's also the fact that the Japanese are acutely aware that they have a language that is slowly dying out with their shrinking and aging population, so anyone from abroad who takes the time to learn a bit of Japanese instantly warms their hearts.)

I suppose if you wander down back alleys in obscure residential neighborhoods in Tokyo, the language barrier would become a problem. But at major hotels and at all tourist locations and major restaurants and stores, language has never been a problem for me in Tokyo. I should mention though that I am a tall, blonde, blue eyed stereotypical American and they can spot me a mile away. If you are Asian or black or maybe hispanic, then things might be different for you and they may be stumped as to which language to speak. But in my case, not having a good grasp of Japanese has never been a problem for me.

In the parks, you can easily order from picture menus. And at fancy restaurants like Blue Bayou or Magellan's they provide you with an English menu automatically and a waiter who speaks English. You will usually get a visit from the manager who is happy to welcome foreign guests.

I went into a Kentucky Fried Chicken in the very busy Shinjuku area of Tokyo just to see what it was like, and the smiling manager immediately rushed to flip over the menu board to reveal the English language version just for me. I was instantly charmed and orded some chicken and I told him Colonel Sanders would be proud of his hospitality, and that was met by bows and smiles and a million thank you's while the manager happily pointed out the picture of the Colonel hanging on the wall.

You won't have a problem with the language. Trust me.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I should add that when you are boarding attractions, you just need to pay attention and hold up how many fingers you have in your party when it is time to be assigned a row. They have more CM's staffing the rides in general, and they almost hand deliver you to your row, especially for foreigners. You will be directed with broad hand motions and the English words for whichever row of area you should go to.

You don't need to learn the Japanese phrase for "We have two people in our party", just hold up two fingers with a smile and follow their lead.

Also, it's best to not try and bend the rules at all. You will be very politely reminded again and again not to take flash pictures, stand up, sit down, or whatever the rule is. If you do accidentally break a rule, apologize with a smile and just follow along, and all will be well.

At buffeteria restaurants, after you slide your tray to the register and pay, a hostess will take your tray and escort you to an assigned table. They delight in personally guiding you, and it really is best to just follow. We never had a bad interaction.

Be warned however, after three days in Tokyo Disneyland Resort (which is a perfect length stay) you will be VERY SPOILED and the lowered standards and lazy "good enough" service provided by the American CM's may be a bit of a downer for you after your Tokyo visit. American CM's think they are doing amazing things by simply smiling a bit, wearing their uniform correctly, and maybe saying something like "have a magical day".

Japanese CM's know the standards of behavior and appearance and hospitality for them are much higher, and they will attempt to exceed even their higher standards to impress a foreign guest. The Japanese CM's really make the American CM's look like a bunch of fat, lazy slobs, and that can get a little depressing when you think about it too much.
 
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Philo

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for all the info - I'm a lot less worried about getting around now but I am A LOT more excited!!!
 
disneykw

disneykw

Member
Congratulations! You'll love it. You won't be disappointed. I still consider TDR my "home" resort ever since I grew up going there throughout my childhood. I actually came back last month from visiting again and miss it already. Believe me, Tokyo DisneySea is an experience you will never forget in your lifetime.
 
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radiosanchez

New Member
I went there last February and loved it so much that I'm going back this July.

Language is *somewhat* of a problem but not enough to get in your way.

Excuse me is "sumimasen" (soo-mee-mah-sehn), and thank you very much is "domo arigato gozaimass". "Sumimasen" is generally a catch-all for "Excuse me", "sorry", and those things that fall in that category.

If you want to get around Tokyo, I suggest you learn the Yamanote (Green) JR train Line...It's the one most everything revolves around....To get to Tokyo Disney Resort via this line, you have to go to Tokyo Station, and then transfer to another train that takes you to Maihama station...

One of the things about Tokyo Disneyland (at least in comparison to the Florida park), is that it's *right there* in the middle of the city, it's not "tucked away" in its' own world...As I was taking the bus from Narita airport to my hotel, I saw the park and Space Mountain from the highway...Conversely, from the Swiss Family Treehouse you can see part of the Tokyo skyline. And the park is always packed..I went on a random weekday and it was packed...I remarked to someone "why is it so packed?? Is it a holiday??" and he said "Tokyo Disneyland...Always busy". I probably will not go back to the park on this year's Tokyo trip because I really only went for one reason alone: the Mickey Mouse Revue, an attraction I was too young to ever see here in Florida that was moved lock stock and barrel to Tokyo in the early 80s and, unfortunately, closes for good actually in the next couple of days or so from what I understand....It was worth the language barriers. Not really interested in DisneySea so I will probably concentrate on other things that I didn't get to see last year...Tokyo is a monstrous city and the only other place that I've seen of such a scope in size is New York City.

Yes, counting is very important when lining up for rides in TDL...Fortunately for me, I took a year of Karate and it was only me, so I knew how to say "ichi" (one) when prompted at Small World and Pirates for seating.
 
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Philo

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the info radiosanchez.

I stuidied karate for 11 years (until my knee gave up) so it's good to know I can get by - must remember not to ask people for a roundhouse kick to the face though.

My wife is also brilliant when it comes to learning languages so I'm sure we will be able to get by. My main worry now is food as I don't think finding veggie food for my wife will be easy.

The transport system is great - I had it in my head that it would be difficult to get to Disney, even though I know it is in a great location - years of conditioning to blame I guess.

It's interesting to hear your not interested in DisneySeas given how much people rave about it.
 

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