The Women’s Travel Group Goes to Japan in March 2018
Women traveling to Arab countries think seriously about clothes, decorum, attitudes. Going to South America? We concentrate on where we can go alone and where we might be pestered. Few women ponder the subject traveling to Japan. The first time I went to Japan was in the Spring of 1978. There were very few women at the hotel breakfast area. I dared not go out for dinner alone. When I did eat alone, the menu was a maze, as were the vending machines. Men in the business group had special evenings one did not ask about. Fast forward to today, what should women consider when planning a trip to Japan.
Today it is normal to travel solo or wander solo alone for a woman. Alyssa Ramos, another Huffington Post contributor, found eating alone was acceptable, ramen noodle shops are everywhere and like our fast food spots, are full of single women. Today few will stare at you, even if you are 6 ft tall and blond.
Language is still a barrier in Japan. However, women travelers describe how locals will whip out their phones to translate your English question into Japanese. Remember google translation yourself. Take screen shots of messages like “I am allergic to xxx” or “Is there a public bathroom or a change bureau or a taxi stand nearby”. We all know the must sentences of our travel lives. They usually revolve around bathrooms, money or being lost.
Japan is safe for women. Having said that, travelers warn about ultra crowded subways and crowded city streets. Big cities everywhere have street crime so don’t let the cleanliness and orderly-ness fool you. You need to carry some cash, most Japanese use cash rather than credit cards. ATM’s are around, remember you might need help accessing them as instructions might be in Japanese and you should forewarn your bank. As anywhere, keep your valuables close to your body.
Definitely carry on the plane, what you might need immediately. We largish American women might have trouble finding replacement clothes that are our size, and our budget. M in Japan might size up to L or XL, shoe sizes are in centimeters and Japanese are less busty than we are. Some excellent tips for clothes shopping are here.
But if you want to shop, treats await. Many international fashion houses in Japan are above our budgets or below our ages. Time Out offers a fine list of top 100 shops. Housewares, crafts, food items, accessories might be most appealing to us. If you like the chain Muji, you will shop in Japan. NY Magazine says you must shop in the pharmacies where there is a world of fabulous affordable cosmetics. Amazon has some on line if you want a heads up.
Sights are marvelous, from museums, to complete cities like Kyoto. Temples and gardens emanate spiritualism and peace. Palaces, mountains, shrines, castles, peace parks and Japanese gardens, tea ceremonies and neon lit cities. Get ready for concentrated ever changing experiences. Museums are startlingly modern or in ancient buildings.
Above all, you might keep asking yourself how did we get here from there? ‘There’ meaning WW2 and here meaning a friendly fascinating fast moving country. Japan poses daily questions to the traveler. It is important to travel with women you can discuss your thoughts with.
The Women’s Travel Group is going to Japan in March 2018. Our itinerary includes all the highlights, fine hotels, and much of you what other trips to not include. There are 2 rooms left at writing. The full details are here.