To take a trip to Japan, is a tour guide necessary? Is English spoken?
Travel guide in Japan, is it necessary? Often readers of The Flight Club, ask us, whether to plan a trip [...]
Japan
Tour guide in Japan, is it necessary? Often readers of The Flight Club, ask us, whether in order to organize a trip to Japan, a tour guide is necessary or it can all be done by "organizational DIY."
In this article:
At present, the borders of the Rising Sun are still sealed, or almost sealed. In order to be ready to escape to Japan as soon as the borders are reopened and visit it when it is not yet overrun with tourists , you need to do your homework. In this article, we will briefly but appropriately answer these questions to rule out further doubts.
There are different factions of thought, and it is right to look at both with a keen eye and then understand whether we are overestimating the concept of freedom and expression or whether we want to rely on experienced hands.
Let us remember that we are living in a special historical moment, from June 10, 2022, it is indeed possible after two years of closure to return to Japan. The opportunity, however, lies in the fact that you have to be Accompanied as a group by a tour guide.
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It is still not quite clear what is meant by a group, after all, thinking about it might as well be 2 or 3 people. Therefore, beyond personal opinions on the matter, it is clear to specify it, because as of today we do not know when it will be possible to travel freely and with total peace of mind in Japan.
To return to the focus of this article, after putting it in context, let's go into whether it is really necessary in normal times to turn to a guide. Above all, we also understand whether English is a spoken language or there are bugs to consider.
To understand How to plan your trip to Japan after the reopening, read our article!
Pros and cons of having a tour guide in Japan
As in everything and every experience, we can find pros and cons, then the choice is undoubtedly personal.
Who is a tour guide? What does he or she do? First of all, we need to specify that a tour guide is a person, knowledgeable about a subject, in this case a country and accompanies us on a trip.
The tour guide must be familiar with the place and is often a native of the country or if not, can boast residence and thus knowledge of the places. A tour guide also speaks the local language and thus will be able to act as an intermediary if necessary between tourists and natives.
Having clarified what a tour guide is all about, we can delve into the pros and cons of hiring one for our trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Pros of hiring a tour guide
Well, the pros can be numerous:
- The security of having a close person who knows Japanese and can speak Italian;
- The idea of knowing and hearing stories of place that we would otherwise have to read for ourselves and put together into a single picture;
- Have clarifications regarding travel that could become faster with the tour guide;
- Reservation of even culinary experiences that would otherwise be difficult to book.
What are the cons of choosing a tour guide in Japan?
According to one's personality, having a tour guide who can push us inside the alleys of Tokyo can be as pleasing as it seems like a nightmare.
So if we are adventurous people who like to get lost in the dense streets of a city, it may not be for us. If, on the other hand, we are particularly anxious and controlling personalities, it might be an apt option, less stress and less anxiety.
- Everything already planned: time, when you hire a tour guide for your trip to Japan will be scheduled. For example in the case of group trips, such as those possible from June 10, the tour guide will always have to be in front of the group without leaving it for a moment. Time is precious, and when it is scheduled by another person, it may give us the idea that it is not "lived" enough.
- Money Money Money: obviously like all additional services, requesting a tour guide is expensive. In the case of group travel, it might be a shared cost and on the other hand in the case of single or couple travel, it obviously has a different cost. It depends a lot on the budget you have, however, it is still to be considered.
- Possible discomfort: sociability, is certainly not a trait that belongs to everyone. Many people are reserved and need privacy. Obviously, having a guide means having to rely on and use a service and then talk to and relate to another person as is appropriate. This could be a cons compared to many of the pros we talked about earlier.
- Don't learn how to relate to the Japanese: obviously choosing to hire a person, who will interface for you with the local people, you will not have much opportunity to be able to express yourself. The language factor could be important, and learning a few little words in Japanese or trying to speak in gestures or English certainly wouldn't hurt either!
We continue, then, with delving into the issue of language. Finding out then, whether the prejudice about the Japanese not knowing English is really to be confirmed or otherwise not a problem.
Is English spoken in Japan?
Many people also ask us if English is spoken in Japan, accustomed to speaking it in other parts of the world while traveling. The fact that English is not spoken in Japan is a false myth.
The new generation Japanese know English although unfortunately they are often ashamed to use it because of the pronunciation.
Usually, in large centers, to ask for information, it is not a problem to be able to find someone who speaks English. In contrast, in small towns, it might be a problem. Unlike other countries, however, in Japan it is easy to make yourself understood even with older people who do not speak English. Nonverbal and expressive language always helps!
By this, we do not mean that it is necessary to have a guide who speaks Japanese behind you, but for those who are terrified of not being able to express themselves, it might be a favorable idea for their trip.
Concluding
In conclusion, it is certainly not common for Japanese people to speak English, but they are always ready to help and often accompany tourists to solve a problem if it is within their capability! Instead, the idea of hiring a guide might also depend on one's personality and especially also on the trip one expects!
