Going to Japan alone

[Belton]

Behave sensibly as you would in the US. don't worry.

Japan really is safer overall.

There are lurid crimes in the newspaper (such as the Mainichi Shinbun) but they report *everything* it seems to me. a co-worker setting fire to a juniors long hair, various drunk driving arrests.
Attacks by strangers seem very uncommon. (in the case noted above the murderer was known to the young woman) muggings are uncommon. gangs of schoolkids are not something to be wary of. There aren't areas of social deprivation you can wander into by accident. The homeless in parks and under bridges live in a very orderly fashion and I've never seen them begging. lost belongings are returned not pocketed. There is no graffiti on the subway. There are lots of employees about. On the train and subway the partition to the drivers cabin is glass. convini's are open 24/7 and seen as a refuge when you do feel uneasy. kobans and beat cops are common.

I've been in a sentou in Kageshima where there were Yakuza. There is no way I could go to a place where similar type of person would be in England or Ireland and not feel incredibly threatened and unsafe. I wouldn't even stray into the neighbourhood.

In Hiroshima, people were in the Peace park at night. No sense of it being unsafe.

In Kyoto I saw lone women praying at a shrine late at night.
Lit up to an extent but a very lonesome and eerie place.

When I think of London... the maps in Japanese guides pointing out the dangerous areas. which aren't even the places I wouldn't let them go or the places I won't go. The series of stabbings of kids by kids in London. A riot in a shopping area after 2 police asked a young girl to pick up some litter she dropped! One cop was treated for bite wounds. Women can be hassled in the daytime. People fight when they're drunk. Drug dealers operate in plain sight near my subway station. There's a craze called "Happy Slapping" where kids assault random strangers and post video of it online...

Come to cheerful happy (expensive) London!!

Believe me Japan is comparatively safe. Rural Japan is beyond safe.

[nyappyrebecca]

Thank-you for the advice. I do read everything that's been said. I am thinking about looking into homestay. I am trying to find a good travel agent to help me with this.

[binz]

First up, I agree with everything Psy mentioned.
Although I'm no expert on the city and plenty of others here know the place better than me, I have been to Tokyo a couple of times by myself and had an absolute blast but be warned, you will get lost, it's inevitable. But so what, every one gets lost there, it can be frustrating but also loads of fun, it's a great way to discover new things and see new places. But if you want to get back on track, so to speak, just keep walking until you find a train station or catch a taxi to the nearest one and go from there. Also, in my experience, Japanese people are incredibly helpful if you approach them for help.
Anyway, my personal tips for Tokyo off the top of my head that aren't mentioned in the list below, though I may well be stating the obvious at times....avoid the trains during peak hour [though the subway system isn't as complicated as some people make out,] announcements are also in English (usually), don't try and be polite and give way in fast moving crowds in the stations or on busy streets, you'll just cause problems, my advice is to look straight ahead and go for it, if there's a festival on, go to it, hang out in swanky department stores and be amazed and then eat some great, cheap food from the basement food courts [who knew the Japanese made the world's best potato salad?], and buy some chocolate whilst you're there, then go the bathroom and try all the buttons on the toilet but only while you're sitting down! if you see a 100 yen shop go in and buy stuff you didn't know you needed, ditto the Don Quixote stores, they are nuts, go to Yoyogi Park on a Sunday, visit Odaiba, Ginza, Ikebukuro, Ebisu, Koenji for tons of interesting little shops, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Meguro, Shiodome, Omotesando+Aoyama for luxury window shopping, Ueno and the Ameyoko market by the station but avoid the zoo in the park, ew-w-w-w, wander around Yanaka and check out the cemetery, hell, go anywhere it's all fun, buy watermelon on a stick, buy chicken on a stick, buy unagi on a stick, be prepared to get stared at but think nothing of it, you'll get used to it, be prepared to have someone fall asleep on you on the train, wonder at the cycling skills of young mothers with kids on the front and back, if someone offers you free tissues on the street take them, you'll need them, if there's a tray on the counter of the shop you're in put your money on that, check out j-pod's 'survival phrases' series before you go, ditto whatever lesson is it on how to reply when people tell you how good your Japanese is [don't say thank you, like I did, oh the shame], taxi doors open and close automatically [so don't upset the driver by trying to open them yourself, like I did], eat cheap ramen, eat cheap pasta at Pronto, excellent books at Kinokuniya behind Takashimiya in Shinjuku or 2nd hand at Good Day books in Ebisu, or if you're really into books go to Kanda Book town, be prepared to take countless photographs.....etc etc. But Tokyo is a truly fascinating place and it's possible to have an awful lot of fun very cheaply, it's certainly cheaper than Sydney where I live. Oh yeah, and try natto.

My favourite youtube Tokyo clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izq7Xqi48nA

First thing to do, buy one of these, it will make catching trains around Tokyo so much less hassle than buying tickets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suica

Handy web site, loads of information.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/to ... 10001.html

More info.
http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/index.html

Pick up a free copy of this when you arrive.
http://metropolis.co.jp/default.asp

Loads of info about art galleries, exhibitions etc.
http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/

The guide book I would recommend.
http://www.timeout.com/travel/tokyo

The Tokyo street directory I would recommend.
http://www.kodansha-intl.com/books/html ... 25036.html

If you've got lots of money, here's a map for shopping.
http://www.superfuture.com/city/city/city.cfm?city=1

Watch the sunset and the city lights come on from here. Amazing.
http://www.roppongihills.com/tcv/en/

Or here (free).
http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/outline.htm

A must see museum. Particularly the Honkan gallery.
http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pag ... ocessId=00

If you miss your cat.
http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/archives/008028.html

If you miss your dog.
http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2 ... now-d.html

Guide to parks/gardens. Ueno, Hama Rikyu and Skinjuku Gyoen being my favourites.
http://www.tokyoessentials.com/parks.html

Great post mate