Can You Feed Yourself in Japan With No Japanese? 

I lived in Japan for 3 years pointing never failed me

I'm often in a country where I don't speak the local language. The pointing method always works.

When I was on vacation in Japan I noriced that every single person there always wants to help. And they won’t leave or stop before you’ve been helped. Japanese people are truly the best!

First time in Japan in 2001,(pre smart phones, so no translation apps), after a long day out we thought to just go to the Mc Donalds near our hotel, but it was closed, the only place around that was open was a small eatery,(shokudo), and the whole menu was those placards, like sign boards hanging on the wall with each item in Japanese. We just walked in and stood there with this "deer in the headlights look" like, what do we do now? The lady behind the counter looked at us and we just like shrugged and asked"UM, what do you have?..." then she kinda tilts her head and says"Beefu bowlu?" And we were like, "YES! two please!" OMG we were so happy!

In America, eating salmon out of a 7/eleven is REALLY risky 🤣🤣

When I was in Tokyo I ended up in a restaurant with no English menus or staff, but a local diner that spoke English translated the whole thing for me! I found that Japan was one of the easiest places to navigate without any knowledge of the language because of the kindness of people around

I went to Japan several times when I was in the service. The key is to remember you are a guest in their country and to be PATIENT and POLITE. If you are, people will often go out of their way to help you. If you get annoyed and impatient they will quietly disappear.

I’m not even going to Japan any time soon why am I watching this

Anime has prepared me for this day

The fact that you clean your own table is amazing. I do this anywhere I eat but only because Ive working in food service.

Media potrays Japanese people as very laid back and simple. But I've noticed they're very stylish, funky and cool at the same time. Japan is freaking awesome 😎

I confess. My first day in Japan I took a photo of what I wanted and showed it to the counter-girl. It was some kind of pork covered in breading and deep fried. It was a delicious lunch. I miss Japan so much.

Me in Japan : *Where are the subtitles* 😅

I went to a local tempura restaurant once. The menu was all Japanese and no picture. The owner was a lovely old couple. I just picked one with a middle price and smiled blankly when the owner said something... It turned out well, though. Delicious. Still don't know what I ate 😂

One of the best meals I've ever eaten was at a "restaurant" that operated out of an elderly woman's home kitchen in Greece. There was no menu, so she just lifted the lids off pots so I could see what was inside. I still couldn't choose, so I just shrugged, and pointed to her. She got the idea, and brought me some sort of stew. It was spectacular.

I have learned how to order Ramen solely through Naruto.

Be respectful and friendly , you will get by in almost every country 👍

Step 1 : Meet and find a japanese friend

"Easiest way to find food is to open your eyes" Blind people: 🤔

Back in the mid 80's - my father went to Tokyo on business and I got to tag along with him. In order to eat at places besides the hotel and McDonalds....Remember no cell phones back then for taking pictures and English wasn't very common.- I would draw the characters next to the plastic food in the little glass box outside the restaurants front door and hand it to the waiter. The look on their faces sometimes was priceless - Most of the time we got what we saw in the window. Fun trip and fun times.

I’m Japanese. We love you guys from abroad!! I hope y’all have a good stay in japan😊 Sorry for my poor English. P.S Thank you for a lot of good! ありがとう！ヽ(*＾ω＾*)ﾉ P.S part2 After 2 years I came back here and saw lots of warm comments. Im still learning English and gradually getting better . Now the Corona-virus epidemic is going on. I would like to see the return of such a happy everyday life, where people from overseas can fully enjoy sightseeing in Japan. (2021/08/24)

Most Asia country's restaurant does not need tipping. Why? It's obvious BECAUSE THE WAITERS DOES NOT WORK FOR THE CUSTOMERS. This is something I do not understand ever since I started studying in the US. Waiters work for the restaurant, so why are the customers who buy food, need to pay their wage? You don't go to walmart to buy grocery and end up paying tips to walmart employees for stocking.

I went to japan in 2016 and with little to none japanese and little to none english. 1. be kind and smile 2. do what locals do 3. be adventerous it was the best trip of my life and I want to travel again to the north this time. Your channel is so cool and informative, very inteligent and amazinly filmed and edited. Thank you for the videos. Greetings from Argentina.

It’s so easy, there are pictures everywhere and “mock food” on display at restaurants so you can see exactly what you are getting. People are so friendly, polite and willing to help. Love the country, it’s culture and people. had a wonderful holiday there about 3 years ago, the food is amazing, such a pleasure to visit this wonderful country, everyone should travel to Japan, at least once in their lifetime.👏👏🇦🇺

I've had no problems ordering or eating in Japan. If all else fails, just go to McDonalds. "Big Mac" is a universal language, understood throughout the world.

As a Japanese, my tip to first timer to Japan will be to buy Suica (IC card for public transportation) first, if you plan to take public transportations. It’s much more convenient than buying ticket everytime you take train or bus. Maybe it‘s already super normal thing to do, that I don‘t need to say it here. I dunno👋

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="379">6:19</a> I thought it would start playing Christmas songs. It sounds exactly like the beginning of Jingle Bells. No?

I remember I had a layover flight in Tokyo and my plane was late arriving and they actually held the plane for me and had a sign with my name on it waiting for me. Never in my life have I seen such hospitality! Japan is the best! ❤️

Yes you can. I lived there for 2 years or so, due to my dad's work, and I always walked around alone without being able to understand or read anything. I SURVIVED.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="380">6:20</a> I was expecting the Jingle Bells Tune. Disappointed...

Love that I'm watching this for no reason it's just so wholesome and interesting

I'm going solo to Japan next year, and the Ticket Restaurant seems like something I would want to try out. Also going to prepare myself with basic phrases, and educate myself on most phrases used.

Ok well, I now need some "Men's curry on the meadow." Really just sounds like a perfect meal.

My biggest tip is exectly to: Not be afraid to speak and ask japanese people for help, either ordering food, or directions on the street. Some of them know english, some don't but they are willing to help you no matter what. Some of them will even approach you, seeing that you are confused.

Went to a back alley restaurant once and their menu was all in Japanese with no picture. Had to take the grandma outside and point at the display. 😂😂

My biggest tip is to always look up while walking. The first time I visited, my mother and I were unaware of the restaurants in bigger office buildings and were confused why we couldn’t find what we were looking for. Definitely look up when you’re hungry, the sings are always put up against the walls fo buildings and tell you where to find which restaurant

-Ordering without knowing Japanese -Staff speaks English :0 -Staff doesnt speak English -Get help from brother :0 Great 10/01

Their 7/11s are waaaaayyyy better than here in LA😂, fancy ones!

I've been to Japan. That trip was awesome! I didn't face any problem. We have relatives living there. My sister-in-law is Japanese. During my stay I was able to understand many Japanese expressions of everyday use very quickly. It was the most memorable trip I've ever had. Looking forward to visiting there again soon.

I born in Okinawa Japan, since when I was baby 👶 I grown up in Hong Kong, Now I'm 49 years old, my nationality is Japan, I never live in Japan and I don't know how to speak Japanese, so this is the time I must move to Japan and live there 😊

We are not english speakers, not even as second language, but most educated people in my country are generally able to pick clues from english speakers if said speaker speak clearly. Thats why simple order on eatery or small question about the products on supermarket can be handled properly by the staff. The only real difficulty is that most foreigners speak very, very fast, in some weird dialects, and dont attempt to use hand signals.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="379">6:19</a> I was really thinking it was going to play "jingle bells" HAHAHA!

This video remind me of the first time I visit Japan as a child with my mom. Everything was so new to me and I enjoy every minutes in Japan. I just love Japan so much.

Don't be too picky an eater, you won't always know 100% what it is you're eating. But the pictures pretty much everywhere will give you a pretty good idea, and even if they go full Japanese on you, you will still somehow manage by just nodding and smiling. As everyone's experience seems to be, the Japanese are generally very helpful. I remember standing in a station trying to figure out which exit I needed to take, and a random old lady just grabbed me by the elbow and took me along with her into the elevator, she took me outside, and brought me to a map, nodded smiled and then walked off. It was adorable.

Short answer: yes. I was in Japan for 3 weeks and went to some pretty rural places and was still able to get food. Point and thumbs up boys point and thumbs up

OMG...taking a pic of the item outside. Genius! Doh! Such a great tip. Thanks for making this video. Was great to learn how to navigate it all.

The best tip I can give is to point at what you want and also try to ask for help , you will be surprised how friendly Japanese people are, they always tried to help me even when I didn't understand , one lady asked me where I was from to know my native language then used her phone to translate from Spanish to Japanese 😁😁

I spent a few weeks in Japan and got by with only "Yes" and "thank you very much". Most people who took my order didn't speak any English, but they seemed to understand at least the basics. What made it really easy was the fact that everyone who took my order went out of their way to make sure both they and I understood what I was ordering. That whole country gets an S+ for customer service.

Oh, forgot to mention the barefoot scene! We were at a super sento (public bath house), so not having any shoes or socks on isn't as weird as you might think. It's definitely a must to have no shoes. Whether you want to wear socks or not is completely up to you, either way is fine.

as someone with severe social anxiety who was legitimately planning on trying to survive for a week off of vending machines, this is so immensely helpful and i would die for you

I am so in love with the entire series about Japan! Thank you very much for bringing the culture, the society and the life there to our homes!

I've been wanting to go to Japan for awhile now, people seem genuinely friendly 😃

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="379">6:19</a> I was totally expecting Jingle bells. But I guess it's not Christmas yet

I've been to Japan two times now (5 weeks in total), by myself. And besides the small talk, I can't really speak any Japanese. But everyone was SO helpfull! I usually did go for the places that had pictures with the food, or to the chain restaurants that had the ticket machines. And like you said: I just look at the locals and try to do what they do. But still, mostly it was just awkward smiling from me and the staff whenever we would figure out whatever I would want to eat. And I would just eat whatever I would get in the end. Fun experience.

“Men’s curry on the meadow” should not be underestimated for how good it tastes

I´m from Brazil and I visit Tokio in 2017, great experience, I know just a few words in nihongo = japanese and was a great experience Nice people (the young people and the seniors too)and very polite. I love it.

Just got back from Japan after 3 weeks. Ordering food isn't a problem because almost all menus have photos that you can point to. The tricky thing is knowing what's inside stuff, so if you're avoiding meat or pork you might want to learn those words because the menus often don't list the items in English. The Japanese are friendly, patient people so don't be intimidated. Just do your best and you'll be fine.

Man, I like your videos. There is a calmness to it which is very soothing.

I was alone in Japan for 2 days before being able to meet up with my Japanese friend and I was able to get by using Google Translate! I was able to ask locals questions and translate menus/packages using my phone camera. Anyone I asked for help from using the translate app was super kind and helpful!

Only been to Japan twice, but in my limited experience, the waitresses prefer that you point to what you want. Most of the menus I was given had pictures. Heck, they were making the native guys do the same thing. lol One place had a machine where you picked out the food you wanted (Pictures, of course) and you paid the machine, took your receipt to the table and the waitress would come pick it up. A little while later, she would bring the food. Almost no interaction required. Was pretty neat.

I would say hit the call button once and only once until the staff comes by. I made the mistake of not knowing what the button did and kept on pushing until the staff came by and took it out of my hand. I can laugh about it now, but it was quite embarrassing.

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the comments. Here's my responses to a few of them. Title is kind of misleading. Sorry, totally didn't mean to confuse anyone. This title is an attempt to continue the first video I did about How to Survive Your First Hour in Japan. The number one question was how to get fed, so hence the title How To Survive Hunger in Japan. Some were wondering about food programs for the needy, and I actually have a video on that, it's part 4 of my Homeless in Japan series. Using Japanese or English to order. My original intent of the video was to teach about 30 or so Japanese words or phrases to help you order things in Japan. After experimenting with my brother and his wife, I realized that in popular tourist destinations like Tokyo and Kyoto, you don't need Japanese to get by. And in some ways, if you were able to properly say a few things in Japanese, it may make things more confusing as the staff would assume you have some basic Japanese when you only know a few key phrases. So for the purposes of helping a first-timer with no Japanese, I thought it best to show that you really don't have anything to fear when it comes to ordering and eating food. That being said, I still have a whole video's worth of content where key Japanese phrases about ordering and eating food could be taught. Any interest in that? Is it rude to not learn Japanese and go to Japan? I think it's always nice to learn some key things, like how to say hello and thanks. However, I think no one in Japan would expect you to learn basic Japanese before visiting. Because even if you studied for a month solid in a Japanese language school, you wouldn't be able to smoothly order in Japan using only Japanese is any restaurant. You could definitely do well in certain specific situations, but you would be stumped in certain places, as there would be no way to know all the kanji necessary (unless you're a fluent in Chinese) and there's simply so much vocabulary associated with food. My feeling is that no one will think it rude that you don't speak Japanese. If you're polite and try to follow the customs I don't think you'll run into any issues. Japanese are very forgiving to foreigners that make mistakes, but it is true that they would be offended if you're clearly not trying to follow Japanese etiquette on purpose. Food prices. I think food is quite affordable in Japan. Taxes are generally included in the price and there's no tipping. You can easily get a decent lunch for ¥500- ¥1,000 or dinner for ¥800-¥1500. Of course you can spend more or less, but I think that's a fairly decent range you can work with. If you ate a konbini, the cost would be much less. Tips for vegetarians, vegans, people on a special diet, etc... I've never had to do this, so I can't give any solid advice. I know there are a lot of people have posted content about this on RU-vid, so I'm confident a quick search on RU-vid will yield a lot of good results. One consistent tip I saw people offer was to have printed cards with both Japanese, English, and an illustration that you take with you that specify your food restriction, whether it be no meat at all, no pork, or no peanuts. Still the best advice I can give is observe the locals and do what they do. See how they order, see how they eat their food, see how they pay. Just copy that as best as possible. And that can be said for you entire trip, whether it's being quiet on the train, waiting in a line, or keeping your garbage with you. One other place I didn't mention was grocery stores. Like convenient stores, they have a lot of grab and go food. It'll be of higher quality than the konbini. Also, if you go after 7pm, the bentos, meal sets, and other ready-made items will be discounted. Okay, last tip that I'll pass on from other commenters. One good thing would be to learn about all the different types of Japanese foods. This may be something we make a video about. You have noodle dishes like ramen, udon, and soba; or meat dishes like yakitori, tonkatsu, or yakiniku; or rice dishes like tempura don or onigiri; or fish dishes like, well, sushi, but I think all of you know that. There are many types of dishes that'll be popular to locals in Japan that you may not encounter in a Japanese restaurant in your home country.

Your video quality is insane. And the narration is on point too. Good job.

You just blew my mind! Thank you for sharing this!

Traveled there for a while. Using English, Chinese and comic only Japanese, I managed to survive and enjoyed the trip a lot. What I like the most is even when you talked to someone who don’t know English at all, they’re still pretty patient and trying to understand you through body language. Not just say that they can’t speak English and walk away. Also, pretty decent food anywhere. Like they are all at least good. While in US, I always walk into restaurants that have good decoration but really bad food and expect me to pay 30 bucks for dried chicken breasts plus 20% tips. In Japan, I feel like I must tip them because the service is so damn good. I tried once, but the waiter actually returned the money and said that he’s just doing his job.

I wish N. America had restaurants like this: No tipping. No server bothering you. (because they want a tip) Did I mention no tipping ?

Good tip with the "kore onegaishisamu" when pointing to a menu, I would use that all the time, or if the menu wasnt infront of me and I knew the name of the dish I would say for example "chicken katsu onegaishisamu". Once I remember trying to ask for the bill but they brought me a beer instead, still worked out, who could say no to a beer. I miss Japan!

This video is really interesting. Its a ideal to visit Japan someday. In my opinion, the ideal is knowing something of japanese (of course), but if you don't speak you could find ways to order food. Like gaijin (foreigner) in Japan we can communicate with the people. Its a matter of attitude and enjoy our trip!

Japanese are friendly and happy to help

I miss Konbini so much..... I'm Japanese and studying in Australia. Although I really enjoyed cafes here, still I often miss Konbini food...😂

This was very relatable and helpful.Thanks. 👍

This was so helpful! Thank you

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="498">8:18</a> omg the grandma holding hands with her daughter on the right is so cuteee😭

American convenience stores have no where near as much food as Japanese ones omg. Like for the most part all the have is candy, chips, drinks, and sandwhiches - not a lot of variety, but I guess it depends on where you live :/

Oh man, seeing this video really brings back memories of my trip there with my friends. Really miss soaking in the atmosphere there. It was really blissful.

am loving this series of videos, really nicely done and helpful, well done

I literally started learning japanese so that one day when i actually go there, i can get by without too much of a hassle... I really would love to visit this country.

It's pretty improbable that one would end up hungry in a foreign country because of a language barrier.

this is a well designed video and very helpful. congrats on your popular channel. keep up the great work

Your brother and his family ordering were so cute-thanks for that. Like you I have lived here many years and it all become second nature but the flash back of when I first got here was a good memory.

I’m Japanese. I think this video is really helpful for visitors😊😊

Recently there are many English menu in Japan specially in Tokyo, so I think someone who even doesn’t speak Japanese, should be okay. but if you go to the countryside, it’s totally different story..

One of the better video tours on RU-vid!

Such a great video. Our family of 4 travelled to Japan from Australia last year. Was a wonderful experience. The food was AMAZING. And we only knew a handful of courtesy words. Such as origato gozaimash, oishi, sayonara, sumimasen and Hai. A beautiful country with beautiful people. This video helped with a few more tips for when we next visit. Stay safe, and thanks for your videos 🙂

LOL @ the part he piles up tempura. I think the biggest tip is to omit any unnecessary words when ordering or asking something. For example, you should say "tempura udon please" instead of "can i get tempura udon please" as it can create more confusion. they mean the same thing but more wordy/polite. using enough words to get your point across without sounding rude is key to effective communication in japan. also, body language and pointing will take you very far honestly.

Well this was randomly informative... I LIKE IT

Thank u for this. Well produced and presented! Subscribed!

Your videos are so well done and informative. Thank you.

I was in Fukuoka and Tokyo earlier this year. And I feel like I will never be hungry while staying in Japan. Too many good food at every street corners, and almost everything at convinient stores are absolutely delicious and cheap. I miss Japan 😭

This is so nostalgic. I remember the struggle i had during the first few days of my 14day solo travel in your country last December.hahah! The plan was that as much as possible eat at those authentic local restos/eatery. Upon arriving i realized there were so many to choose from. I saw department stores, food shops at train stations, those building that have floors dedicated to restaurants, every street corners and boy i got overwhelmed. The worst, i was intimidated ‘cos aside from arigato and konnichiwa i knew nothing about your language. So many times i tried to enter one but the moment i see that customers inside were locals i just backed out. Haha. (i am very shy person and im still working on it now that i want to travel). I know the japanese are nice people but i just dont wanna embarrass myself. Most of the time i would end up getting konbini food or those fastfood chains that got english menu or machine operated for ordering/paying so i dont have to talk (food areare all oishi also btw so no complaining). Then on my 5th day i decided to try this small udon stall in Piss Alley, Kameya, i think. Oh the courage i had to pull to ask the chef because i know they only have 3 options on their menu. I asked in english and was so relieved that he smiled and responded in broken english and pointed out the difference of each selection. Haha i was so happy eating my soba because atlast i am eating fresh local authentic japanese food! So my advice: Just go for it! Japanese people are nice so even if you dont know whats in the menu theyll be more than happy to help you. And all japanese food are OISHI so i think you can never go wrong! Haha!

Thank you! Very Helpful! Love your videos!

This is the perfect video to see before the next olympic games !!

Yes, Japanese food is awesome! Being polite and respectful and gesturing/pointing to what you want is 80% of the effort in any foreign country. Also, following local customs is helpful too.

The best tip really is "watch what the locals do". :) I speak Japanese, but the first time I headed out to get some food by myself, I didn't really know what to do. I didn't know that I had to press a button for someone to come, or that I had to go up to the counter to pay. And it's different depending on the place you eat at, so - just watch what everyone else is doing! ;)

Thank you, this video is so helpful.

This channel is preparing me for ma trip to Japan next year 🇯🇵🇯🇵🙂

best tips is just to try it, try and fail. That is how i best learned how to get food and get around in Japan. Also as was pointed out in the video, take note of how the Japanese people go about it and copy them. There are plenty of good guides out there with phrases and word guides to help you get better with the whole "food/restaurant" part in Japan, so just studying these and take those guides with you on your mobile phone so you can easily refresh your memory with the phrases and words.

First timer? #Be polite and respectful, that often gets you much further than simply demanding or not caring about the local culture. # Dont smoke just anywhere. # Dont be afraid to try new things, no matter what your pre-concieved notions might tell you. Even tiny white fishies can be delish! (or eating an entire fried fish... Including skin, tail and head!) # And please, shut up while taking the train or atleast try not to scream at eachother. I might be rude but not any more than you'd be doing that on a buissy comuter train.

Taking photos of the food you want is a great tip, I'll try that next time. Thanks

Excellent video! Thanks for the help!