3 Top Struggles for Tourists Visiting Japan

There I was, carrying a bag of trash with me as I walked around Tokyo. It felt rather frustrating, and I wanted to get rid of it.

It shouldn’t have frustrated me since I’ve spent a lot of time traveling in Japan and knew the back story and its reasons. Even so, I kept looking for a trash can to dispose of my trash and couldn’t find one anywhere.

This frustration is quite common for visitors to Japan. If you plan to travel to Japan, this is one of the frustrations you’ll have to face and deal with.

The Japan Tourism Agency asked over 4000 tourists at five major airports about challenges when visiting Japan. Among the survey participants, most were from China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the USA.

Let me share the top 3 struggles that tourists complain about when visiting Japan. I have to admit that all three issues have been challenging for me.

What Should I Do with My Trash?

No matter how hard you look, you won’t find trash cans readily available in public places. This is a decision that was intentionally made and not a problem with poor planning.

You see, several people died, and many more were injured in 1995 when an extreme religious cult placed sarin gas in public trash cans in some Tokyo subway stations. The government responded by removing the public trash cans so that no one could hide such dangerous materials in trash cans again.

It was a choice to protect the people from the possibility of harm.

Despite this choice, the Japanese people didn’t start throwing their trash on the ground. They accepted and followed the guidance of the government by developing the habit of carrying their trash home with them. From there, city garbage trucks come to dispose of trash from pick-up sites in residential areas.

So, what should you do as a tourist? Plan to take your trash back to your hotel. You can dispose of it there. Small pieces of trash can be thrown away in convenience stores as well. There is usually a trash can inside many convenience stores for customers to use, but not for large amounts.

Why Am I Struggling So Much with Communication?

The survey also indicated that tourists felt frustrated with not being able to communicate or be understood by service staff in Japan. In particular, tourists blamed hotel accommodation services, restaurants, and transportation services for conflicts in communication.

It has been said that Japan has weaker English communication skills than many other Asian countries. I’ve met tourists from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea while in Japan who have spoken English to me more fluently than many Japanese people. English has become a preferred language for travelers, but expecting people in Japan to speak English fluently isn’t so realistic, especially the further you get away from big city attractions.

Unfortunately, some tourists create scenes and demand better communication. Creating a raucous tends to have the opposite effect and leads to less enjoyable experiences.

Multilingual airport sign with transportation information
This sign at the airport is helpful in four languages.

Japan is working to bridge the communication gap. Many signs are written in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Hotels and other tourist attractions often have brochures in languages other than Japanese. It is an attempt to help the masses of international travelers manage communication better.

So, what should you do if you face a situation when communication is not working? Here are a few suggestions:

  • Learn some basic Japanese phrases before you go.
  • Be patient and show appreciation.
  • Write on paper or use a digital translator. Japanese people can often read better than they can understand and speak.
  • Ask if written materials are available in your language.

Transportation in Japan Is Efficient, So Why Isn't It Easier for Me?

This summer, when I was in Shinjuku, Tokyo, I felt like I was walking around in circles. Granted, Shinjuku Station is a massive train station, and it was undergoing renovations, but I couldn’t seem to find the train line and platform I was looking for.

There are so many different train lines that intersect in the big train stations in Tokyo. It is common for travelers to be confused, wondering if they should go out of the ticket gate or transfer lines from inside.

Shinjuku Station map in Tokyo, Japan
Just a glimpse of Shinjuku Station, where I was trying to find my way around.

Locals seem to be familiar with the color coding of the various train lines. They also have apps in Japanese that tell them the best choices and time schedules.

It gets even more frustrating when you need to leave the station and find a bus stop. Maps don’t always help, especially for those who are directionally challenged.

Taxis are another option and sometimes the least confusing. However, the cost of hiring a taxi is significantly more than train or bus fare.

Seldom do the train staff, bus drivers, or taxi drivers have a command of English. When I’ve heard them use English, it was simple and broken. This confusion with transportation and the struggle to understand those who can help leads to frustration for foreign travelers.

It is worth your time to plan out your routes the night before. Look up the places you want to go, estimate the time needed to get there (plus some buffer time), and write this down so you can show someone if you need help.

Inevitably, whenever I feel confused and am not sure which route to take, I humble myself and ask for help. There are even times when a random Japanese person sees the confusion on my face and offers to help.

Ticket reservation offices in the train stations are usually the best place to ask for help. Sometimes, they even have multi-lingual staff in the bigger stations.

Regarding phone apps, it can be a waste of time looking for a transportation app you can understand. I’ve found that simply using Google Maps works quite well. As long as you have access to data, Google Maps provides rather accurate and detailed directions for public transportation in Japan.

What Should You Do Next?

None of the potential frustrations you might experience when you visit Japan should stop you from going. The great experiences you will have far outweigh the few frustrations you’ll face.

My goal in sharing these potential frustrations with you is to help you prepare for them. If you aren’t surprised by these things but instead know in advance that they may be something you’ll have to deal with, the struggles will become smaller even before you go.

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