Female Travel Advice
- Female travel writers
- Australia: Brisbane recommended hostel
- Australia: Byron Bay recommended hostel
- Australia: Sydney recommended hostel
- Australia: Magnetic Island recommended hostel
- Australia: Melbourne recommended hostel
- Canada: Vancouver recommended hostel
- New Zealand: Christchurch recommended hostel
- New Zealand: Wellington recommended hostel
- South Africa: Cape Town recommended hostel
- UK: London recommended hostel London Bridge
- UK: London recommended hostel Russell Square
- USA: Seattle recommended hostel
- Telling the folks
- Which one?
- What to put in
- What to leave out
- Hair
- Beauty products
- What to wear
- Placements
- Work as an au pair
- Au Pair work
- Women's travel health
- Periods
- Accommodation tips
- Our recommended hostels
- Clothing
- Politics
- Female travel in Muslim countries
- Contact with locals
- Suncare
- Public transport
- Alcohol
- Self defence
- Worst-case scenario
- Lasses' guide to India
- Lasses' guide to South East Asia
- Lasses' guide to South Africa
- Lasses' guide to shopping in Egypt
- Lasses' guide to shopping in Thailand
- Lasses' guide to Europe
- Lasses' guide to Kenya
- Lasses' guide to shopping in Malaysia
- Lasses' guide to travel in Africa
- Lasses' guide to shopping in Iceland
- Lasses' guide to Japan
- Top tips for Thailand
- GapLasses' travel tips
- Interview with... Hilary Bradt, female-travel guru
- Vegetarian travel
- Useful phrases & links
- Go, girl!
- Tuk tuk adventure
- ...yourself
- Guide to solo female travel
- ...your mates
- ...your boyfriend
Messageboards
Independent Travel & Backpacking >>
- Round the world travel
- General
- Jobs overseas
- Female travel
- Lads room
- Careergappers
- About to go!
- Travel tips
- Travel money and finances
- Fundraising
Volunteer, Eco Travel, Languages & Study >>
3-IN-1 SAFETY DEVICE
This gadget is a smoke detector, a distress alarm and a powerful LED torch
Find out more >>
GOT AN ARTISTIC STREAK?
Share your love for arts and crafts with American kids on summer camps
Find out more >>
Female travel in Japan Hannah Simmons writes...'The first thing people said when they heard I was going to Japan as part of my round the world trip was 'Wow, you’re brave'. There were times when - thinking about the language (I speak no Japanese) and the squat toilets - I felt inclined to agree. However, I figured that the toilets were part of travelling and that a country that had the World Cup in 2002 must at least have basic English. In fact, hotels and tourist information centres had perfect English, putting my slight London twang to shame. Most hostel staff speak English as do all tourist information staff, and all train announcements are made in both languages.  Once off the beaten track, though, language can cause problems. When trying to book a hotel in Hiroshima (still a fairly major destination) I thought I’d try out a traditional Japanese ryokan. When the receptionist answered the phone I asked if she spoke English; all I got was a reply in Japanese. Not wanting to hang up rudely, I said 'Thank you, good bye' and got a reply in perfect English. That is the only downside with Japan. Whilst most people are very welcoming, friendly and want to practise their English on you, a small minority will resent you being there. When queuing for the subway I would join the back of the queue. On more than one occasion, the next person would then stand just in front of me and slightly to the side, and the queue would continue there. They would then push in front of me onto the train. At first I thought it was just me imagining things but when talking to others it became apparent that others had experienced this.As for my other concern, all the hotels I stayed in had Western-style toilets and even public toilets usually had one Western toilet if you looked for it. On the Shinkansen (bullet trains) they have both a Japanese-style and a Western-style and it says on the door, in both English and Japanese, which is which. With Japan being so westernised it doesn’t really matter if you leave anything at home. Electrical equipment such as hairdryers, straighteners and mobile phones are available all over the place and very high quality. It is a good idea to take a lot of money though. Prices, whilst not being as unreasonable as many would have you believe, are still on a par with London. One money-saving tip is to buy a Japan Rail pass - this gives you unlimited travel across the whole JR network. Unfortunately, it does not cover the Tokyo subway.  Click here >> for more about Japan Rail Passes With regards to clothes, unlike most of the rest of Asia, there is no need to cover shoulders and knees or to wear a wedding ring. The only real recommendation is flip-flops. Shoes need to be taken off when entering someone’s house and many hotels and hostels, or when visiting a temple, and ones that slip on and off are definitely the easiest. It’s also a good idea to take an umbrella if you will be there anywhere near the rainy season. I didn’t and I regretted it. The rain was so heavy that it got through my new, waterproof shoes. There are a few other etiquette tips it’s worth taking note of... - Don’t put your chopsticks upright in your food as this is a sign of death. - There is no tipping, although the Japanese are getting used to it so they wont say 'no'! - Also, it is the Japanese custom to bow. I was never quite sure if there was a correct way to do this but I found that as long as you obviously attempted it and gave people a friendly smile they’d offer you a handshake as a sort of compromise.  Japan is great for shopping if you’ve got enough money. In Tokyo, the main shopping districts are Shinjuku and Shibuya, both easily reached by subway. For those interested in music, or who are supposed to be buying weird and wonderful musical instruments for friends (don’t ask), there is actually a music district - Ochanomizu. In Kyoto, one of the better-known areas is Shijo. Here you can buy just about anything and prices are fairly reasonable. It’s all under cover as well, so it makes a great escape when the rain sets in. I managed to spend an entire day there and I’m not the greatest fan of shopping. One thing to look out for is some of the things written on T-shirts. They obviously make sense in Japanese, but things get lost in translation and some end up looking like they were made just by printing random words...If you want to try on traditional clothes but don’t really want to buy them, some hostels will allow you to do this. At the hostel I stayed at in Kyoto, you could try on a kimono and shoes for free. Click here >> for this hostel Japan is a very beautiful country and Osaka is one of only a few places where, if stood in the right place, you can get a view of an old castle with a backdrop of very modern skyscrapers. It is a safe country and one in which I had no real hassles as a solo female traveller. Obviously, this does not mean that you don’t need to take precautions but no more than you would at home.'  Click here >> for more Japan information Click here >> for gap year placements in Japan Click here >> for jobs in Japan |
Adverts |
Favourites
Digg
Furl
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Google
Reddit
More Services >>
