Do you need Japanese to travel around Tokyo?

On the main tourist circuits, English reaches without a problem:

• Metro and trains: all stations have names and panels in English. Metro maps are available in English for free at information offices. Google Maps works perfectly for navigating the network.
• Airports: Narita and Haneda have full signage in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. The immigration and customs staff speak basic English.
• Hotels: at any hotel above 2 stars in tourist areas, the staff speak English. Business hotels have a reception with functional English.
• Tourist attractions: the main museums (Tokyo National Museum, teamLab, Mori Art Museum) have audio guides and panels in English.
• Restaurant chains and konbini: the konbini (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson) have touchscreens with universal icons. Chains such as Yoshinoya or Sukiya have photo menus.

Off the most frequented tourist circuits, English becomes scarcer:

• Small traditional restaurants: many neighbourhood izakayas, local ramen places or midday teishoku have a menu only in Japanese, with no photos. This is where Google Translate with the camera is essential.
• Taxi drivers: they speak little or no English. Showing the destination on screen (Google Maps) is the standard solution.
• Neighbourhood shops: in non-tourist shops in Yanaka, Shimokitazawa or second-hand markets, the assistant probably does not speak English. With gestures and a calculator you get by.
• Clinics and pharmacies: if you need medication or medical care, English may fail. The pharmacy chains (Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Sundrug) have staff who sometimes speak basic English and translation tablets at the counter.

You do not need to learn Japanese if you carry these tools on your phone. That said, almost all of them work better with a connection: bring an eSIM or pocket wifi to have data whenever you need them.

Google Translate with camera mode

The real-time translation with the camera is the most useful function. You point the phone at a menu, a sign or a form in Japanese and the app overlays the translation on your screen. It is not perfect, but it identifies dishes, prices and instructions with enough accuracy. Download the offline Japanese language pack before leaving to use it without data.

DeepL

For longer or more precise translations (emails, hotel forms, complex signs), DeepL beats Google Translate for Japanese-English. Useful for understanding onsen instructions, accommodation rules or any more elaborate text.

VoiceTra

A free app developed by the Japanese institute NICT, designed specifically for travel conversations (transport, restaurants, hotels, shopping). It translates voice in both directions and shows a "back-translation" so you can check the message was understood well before showing it to your interlocutor. It works very well with short phrases from English to Japanese.

Google Maps

Not just for navigation: the app shows the names of restaurants and businesses with reviews in English. You can find "ramen near here" and see photos of the menu before going in. It is also the standard way to show a taxi driver your destination without speaking Japanese.

There is no need to memorise the alphabet. These phrases cover most everyday situations and the effort of learning them shows in the welcome you receive. Japanese people really appreciate the attempt.

Saying arigatou instead of "thank you" changes the energy of the interaction. And saying oishii when you finish eating at a small restaurant usually generates a genuine smile from the cook. Beyond the language, knowing some Japanese customs (no tipping, taking off your shoes, queuing) will help you as much as the words.

You do not need to read Japanese, but recognising a dozen characters at a glance saves you doubts at stations, toilets, doors and shops. These are the most useful for everyday life:

A practical trick: in public baths and onsen, the blue curtain or sign usually indicates men (男) and red women (女). And to convert any price you see with the kanji 円 to euros on the go, you will find the yen converter useful.