shineonyou

i`m a young american girl spending the next three weeks in tokyo. i`m living in a guesthouse where everyone is friendly, but they`ve all been here a very long time and they`re all older and busier than me, so i don`t really have anyone to do touristy stuff with. i`m taking private japanese lessons three days a week, but i`m finding it hard to find the ambition to explore tokyo when i have to do it alone.

any advice or words of wisdom to help me stick it out and not go running back home?

TheWills

Hey there,
Why not try asking someone from your learn japanese class, after class be like hey wanna get some food and explore the city. Or simply start striking up a convo with someone at the guesthouse, hey Im so and so from here whats your name ? Find out about them what their plans are then if they say hey I wanna go to this place on monday simply say I was acually wanting to check it out myself do you mind if I come with ? Chances are they say yes, even if you dont wanna check the place out, you might make a friend who you can experience the city with some more!
Will

tegan_lala

School people are so friendly! Just say any japanes you know- no matter how little they will hink it's cute! Your're American so they will love you! Then hopefully their families will take you places and you can go from one family to the next...

shineonyou

i`m taking private lessons. the school didn`t have anyone for else gor group lessons because it`s the slow season. so i can`t strike up a friendship with someone else from my lessons.

i talk to the other people in the guesthouse in the evening, but most of them work during the say so i don`t feel comfortable asking them to do stuff with me.

i think i`m just going to go out on my own.

tegan_lala

Yop.. thats the idea! My Japanese teacher always suggested getting a weekly pass for the rail system and exploring it's cities and pretty mountains.. And remember: Japan is a very safe place!

tumblezweedz

Tokyo can be pretty intimidating, but please don't let that stop you from exploring! A good start might be to just resolve after class to catch the train to Ueno station (ask your teacher to explain whatever connections, and get them written down in Kanji so you can ask passers-by in the station (I did this frequently and was always graciously helped). Being a woman, I usually approached young women travelling in pairs, who often spoke a fair amount of English, as it turned out. Ueno's a good choice because there is a lovely park with five extensive museums and a zoo, so on the first day you might check out the garden or one museum, and then come back the next day to see something else in the same complex. Do this for several days, and you will feel more comfortable as you get familiar with the station, etc, and then you'll feel more confident about going somewhere new. If you can avoid travel during the rush hours, that will also help a lot, too.

Also, travellers tend to go to tourist sites, so have a coffee at the museum cafes and strike up conversations with other foreigners. They might only be in town for a few days, but they probably would enjoy company exploring too.

Good luck!

tumblezweedz

Just had another thought... Have you considered taking an organized tour of the city? Either by bus or walking, you might meet other visitors to the city, and it would help you get a little bit familiar with some of the areas you might want to visit again.

How about posting a note at your school, or if you're close to one of the unis, put one up near the English dept to meet English speaking Japanese, or near the Japanese language dept to meet other foreigners. Finally, check out your embassy's "goings' on" pages on line, there might be some activities that you can take part in, and you'll meet fellow countrymen.