Solo travel to Japan! What a great time I had all by myself in such a fascinating place. So much of the country intrigued me that I had wanted to go for a long time. The culture, food, and history all seemed so unique from what I had experienced in the Western world and Africa. So, of course it was at the top of my bucket list. My trip to Japan did not disappoint. Of all of the countries I have traveled to, it ranks high on my list as one of the best places I have been. And, I hope to return someday to see and experience more because after almost two weeks, I had only scratched the surface. My bucket list is still full of Japan related things that I need to check off.
By the time I made it to Japan, I had already visited more than 30 countries, many of which I had gone to by myself. However, solo travel to Japan terrified me to the point that I actively looked for a travel partner. It ended up that everyone was busy when I wanted to go, so I was on my own.
You may be wondering why solo travel to Japan worried me. Well, for starters, the language barrier. I took years of Japanese in college but that was forever ago and I only remember a few words. I certainly cannot read Japanese anymore and I had heard that most of the signs would only be in Japanese. It was the first time I traveled to a country where most of the people did not speak English, signs were not in English, and I did not know enough of the language to get by.
My second fear was being an African American woman wondering around a country that has a relatively homogenous population. The major cities are very crowded and it is not uncommon to see a sea of people who are all dressed in dark colors with mostly with the same dark colored hair. Even umbrellas tend to be one of two to three colors. Man, I stood out. I was expecting to see a lot of stares and pointing, and to hear whispers or people wanting to take a picture with me.
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During my solo travel to Japan, I really had no reason to worry. It was true that the language barrier was a real issue. Outside of a few stores and some restaurants, I did not find many people who spoke English. Almost no one could give me directions in English. The massive transportation system was difficult to navigate. There were several times I was standing in front of a metro map full of Kanji characters wondering how in the world was I going to find my way to my destination. However all of my planning saved me. Google Maps and Citymapper were my best friends to help me navigate each Japanese city I visited.
Also, people did not really stare, point or whisper. If so, then they were good at hiding it. I was shocked that I felt very welcomed and at times invisible. I know that may sound weird, but I just mean that I did not have a lot of eyes on me.
Even with all of my initial fears about solo travel in Japan, the culture is what intrigued and sucked me in. Asia in general is a mystery to me. It seems so unique and different from the Western world that I cannot help but be fascinated by it. Japanese people can seem very formal and ridged, especially to outsiders. However, the country and its people are so colorful, artistic, and vibrant. There is a mix of modern and traditional at every turn. Such as, watching women beautifully dressed Japanese traditional dressed in kimonos stroll down the street.
Where else can you enjoy Sumo (相撲 sumō, literally “striking one another”), a Japanese style of wrestling. Two large men spend several minutes extending their arms, stumping their feet, and squatting to size each other up and to intimidate their opponent. All before trying to push the other person off of the mat or bring them to their knees. As the country’s national sport, its origins go back at least 1500 years, making it one of the oldest organized sports. The tournaments are completely in Japanese with no English translation, just go along with what the crowd does. Cheer when they cheer and boo when they boo!!
And, if none of that appeals to you, then Japanese food should be enough to make you want to go to Japan. Fresh fish and sushi, bowls and bowls of noodles, and freshly fried everything is just amazing.
As a matter of fact, I ended up being happy that I was traveling solo. There were so many surprises that deviated me from my plans. Many times I jumped off of a train just because I saw a street or part of a town that looked interesting. I am not suggesting that is impossible to do this if you are traveling with a companion, but it certainly is easier to do if you do not have to check in with someone for your every move.
If I was faced with the same choice to travel to Japan solo, I would do it without question. Most importantly, preplanning was the right thing to do and saved me from my fears. It made it easy to get around and to enjoy the trip without worry. I completely believe that my trip was amazing because of it because half of the battle wass being able to navigate cities. Here a few tips that I hope will help you plan your trip to Japan.
One thing that made me most nervous about solo travel in Japan was the transit system. Taxies are insanely expensive in Japan, so the train and subway are best ways to get around. The rail and subway systems are massive, and some of the stations do not have English translations of the train lines. I recommend either stopping at the JR East Travel Service center in the Narita Airport before heading into the city. You can also order or print maps of the cities you plan to visit ahead of time, which you should definitely do for travel outside of Tokyo.
The rail and subways in Tokyo are like underground cities and are the busiest in the world. Over a million plus people transit some of Tokyo’s stations each day. These are no ordinary train stops, where your only options are to go left or right when exiting. One of Japan’s largest station, Shinjuku Station, has 200 exits, so it is important to have an idea of where you need to end up. Citymapper will give you step by step instructions on how to plan your trips, to include telling you what part of the train you should get on and which exit to take out of the train station to get to your final destination.
Trains arrive and depart exactly when they are scheduled too! If you are late even by 30 seconds, you risk missing your ride.
JR Rail Pass
Whether you are doing solo travel to Japan or with a group, if you are going to be in Japan for several days, I highly recommend purchasing a Japan Rail Pass. It is a multi-use, discounted ticket for travel on all JR national trains in Japan. The pass includes the Shinkansen bullet trains you take to get around the country. It is a much cheaper way to get around and will save you LOTS of money. Just to paint a clearer picture, a 7 day pass cost me the same amount as a one round trip ticket between Tokyo and Kyoto.
The pass is only available for foreigners and you must purchase it before arriving in Japan. There are options for 7, 14, 21 consecutive days of travel. It takes about 2-3 days for the pass to arrive at your mailing address. I recommend giving yourself some extra time to receive it.
You can validate your pass at the JR East Travel Service Center at Narita airport when you land as well as other areas round the country. The clock starts on the pass after you use it for the first time.
Subway/Metro
You cannot use the JR rail pass on the Subway in Japan, but it’s relatively inexpensive to ride. Tokyo offers a 24, 48, 72-hour metro tickets that are only sold to foreigners. Starting price is less than $8.
Google Maps/SIM cards
If you have an unlocked phone, you should buy a SIM card at the airport. Being able to use the internet and Google Maps during your trip will make life much easier. (Prices start around $30).
You can order a SIM card before your trip, but I like to buy it in country to to ensure I get what I paid for. If buying a SIM card is not an option, I recommend downloading Google Maps to use offline or renting a pocket WIFI router. There are many places where you can purchase one.
I was fortunate enough that the Airbnb that I stayed at in Kyoto had a bike available for me to use around the city. The bike ended up being quite handy and used it everyday to get around Kyoto. It was fantastic. I thought the metro system was even more difficult to navigate in Kyoto than in Tokyo. Pretty much nothing was in English. So, having a bike made getting around the city so much easier. I put Goggle Maps on my phone, strapped it to the bike basket and rode all over the city. There are several locations all over the city where you can park your bike, or there are bike garages in busy parts of the city that you can use for a small fee. There are several bike rental shops around Kyoto. Rent-a-bike and J-Cycle are good locations to rent bikes.
Navigating most new cities can be difficult not matter the country, but it can be even harder when part of the population does not speak your native language.
While getting around Japan, I exclusively used the JR and Subway systems, but when I wanted to visit a site and learn more about the location, I booked tours through Viator.com, tokyotravelpal.com, and getyourguide.com
Many people are nervous about eating meals alone. It is not something that really bothers me that much. And, it was no different during my solo travel to Japan. In almost two weeks in Japan, I ate at only two “fancy” restaurants. Otherwise, I ate A LOT of noodles. Occasionally, ate sushi at a sushi conveyor belt restaurant. But, noodles were the easiest and quickest meal to find in Japan. I love the way the Japanese enjoy their noodles…quickly.
It is easy to order and comes out fast. People generally are on a mission to eat their hot bowl of noodles as quickly as possible and then move on with the rest of their day. That means it never really feels weird to be eating alone because most people will be eating alone too. During my trip, I did go to a fancy Kobe beef restaurant in Tokyo and a tempura restaurant in Kyoto by myself. Those experiences were great too. They treated me like royalty!
As always, I take reading material with me to fill the gap between courses, but I in this case spent most of the time enjoying the atmosphere and the wait staff. I did not have the normal awkward moments when I eat at fancy places by myself.
During my solo travel to Japan, I was never worried about my safety. It is a country where you can roam the streets very late at night without much fear. As with any city, there are parts of town where you should be more cautious. Such as slums and the red light district. Otherwise, I think it is safe to take normal precautions in Japan.
