This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by 
: Partir au Japon sans parler japonais?
Note that the person that speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (
), but , a French guy.
When I decided to visit Japan for three weeks, I asked myself at one point the question of the language. I speak English reasonably well, but my various readings on Japanese culture all came to the same conclusion: the Japanese are not very open to foreign languages. That's why for over a year I took classes in Japanese, so that I could be a little autonomous over there. So what is it really? And finally, is it really different from us in France?
It is easy to criticize and to say that some countries are not very good at languages, but we forget a little too quickly that France is far from being a good student. If, in hotels or restaurants in France, the language of Shakespeare is not a problem, in the street it is quite something else. And in Japan it will not be very different. But first, let me tell you an anecdote.
I flied from Bordeaux to Amsterdam, from where I took a flight to Tokyo. But I only had 50 minutes between the two airplanes in Amsterdam, so let me tell you that I ran as fast as I could, especially that the Schiphol airport is huge. And it happened what was bound to happen: I was on the plane bound for Tokyo, but my suitcase missed the plane in Amsterdam. The holidays were starting really well!
I was automatically notified by SMS when I arrive in Tokyo, so I went to the counter of the airline and I was told that my suitcase should arrive the next day by the next flight, and it will be delivered directly to my hotel.
I now had to explain this at the hotel reception. As I had just spent 15 hours flying, I was completely exhausted, so I did not want to make the effort of speaking Japanese. I asked the receptionist, a young Japanese woman in her twenties, if she spoke English. She answered with an air of annoyance that her English was very bad.
So here I go to detail my luggage problems in Japanese, that I left the phone number and address of the hotel. I hear her then congratulate me on my level of Japanese (me who thinks that I speak as well as a five years old child, I am a little flattered). I answer with the standard courtesy that I still have a lot to learn before I can speak properly. We continue our discussion about the room, and I see the director of the hotel who also comes to congratulate me for speaking Japanese so well. Wow!
This story could have stopped there, except that two days later I saw this same receptionist talking to another tourist ... in English ... I had been had!
So are the Japanese so closed to foreign languages? Not that much. They are mainly afraid of not being up to the task, of not being able to make themselves understood. But in big cities like Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka you will have no trouble finding someone who speaks English. But if you plan to get out of the beaten path, some words of Japanese will be welcome. Although, for a standard tourist, it is still better to have a good level of English than just a bad level of Japanese.
However, I do not regret having made the effort to learn this fascinating language. I could talk about that for hours, as it is a reflection of Japanese culture. But speaking Japanese allowed especially to create connections. As soon as people saw that I spoke their language a little, their eyes started to sparkle and they were delighted to see that I had made this effort. The revert of the medal is that they often thought that I spoke fluently, and so they started to talk to me like to one of their countryman. I had to temper them a little!
I have excellent memories of some meetings with Japanese people, such as with an adorable person who is managing a ryokan in Kyoto. When I arrived, I started talking to her in Japanese. She was surprised and I replied that her Japanese was still better than mine. From there, a complicity settled during these few days. Every night she asked me what I had visited and she even invited friends of her so we could all talk together. Those were unforgettable moments, a reward for the long hours of learning the language during the previous months.
Travel diary in Japan, by @japon
Tokyo, overcrowded city? Really? by @japon
Are the Japanese too disciplined? by @japon