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Comment by johnwalkr | Hacker News Reader

I live in Tokyo. These apartments (9m^2) are definitely not the norm, a typical tiny apartment is 20m^2 and a typical university dorm room for 1 person is 15m^2. They are just a bit more choice on the new/close/small, old/far/larger list of housing options; they are not a widespread trend. Also, the old/far/larger options are in livable neighborhoods with good public transit. Transit is usually paid by your employer, so it makes sense that the people in the video have non-traditional jobs without that perk. Roommates are not a popular option, but other than that I find Tokyo to be quite good for low end apartment options compared to say Vancouver (do you want a close moldy basement suite with a roommate or a far moldy basement suite and car dependency?).

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I work remotely as a game developer been saving a bit of money living outside a big city in the US. Tokyo/Japan has always been a dream destination for me figure if I don’t visit in the next few years while I’m flexible I may never.

Any suggestions for someone visiting that does not speak Japanese?

Smartphone with google translate should help you with most situations, but be quick and familiar with it! Rent a sim card/data plan for Google maps (or your preferred alternative). Don't be shy about asking for help. Subway staff, police officers, etc. Do master the simple basics such as Where is X, This please, etc. There are restaurants that will not have an English menu and your translation app may or may not work, however many restaurants will have displays of food with prices, and you can take a photo and simply show the photo! Shinagawa is more international, and thus you'll find more English speakers, but don't limit yourself to that Ward.

Your question was specific to Japanese language barrier, but one external suggestion: August is pretty miserable in Tokyo unless you're acclimatized to hot and humid environments, try to avoid that month.

If you're literally talking about "visiting" as in a vacation or short trip, you'll find that English works just fine and you'll be able to do/see pretty much anything, perhaps with the occasional hand gesture or momentary confusion.

> English woks just fine

Umm, no. People do not speak English unless it's hotel or airport but you have plenty of signs written in English to support moving around. People will try if you ask simple questions though.

Umm, yes. Or more properly, English plus hand gestures. We're not talking about defending a doctoral thesis here. We're talking about getting around, shopping, and eating. Every subway station has signage in English. You can point to things on a menu. Proof: millions of tourists go to Tokyo every year and very few speak Japanese.

Hey, Japan is awesome. Visiting in the winter, excl. Xmas and New Year is the best. Japanese knowledge is not needed in Tokyo. Outside, the smaller the place the less likely they will speak English. You can get around with Google Translate. Food is cheap and outstanding. Travelling is not so much - you have to be creative. :) Check some articles here https://www.youcouldtravel.com/destinations/japan if you want to visit. Also happy to help if you have questions + lots of info online. Good luck!

It's very easy to get around, not speaking Japanese is not a huge barrier for visiting. It's also probably not as expensive as you think. As this discussion shows, there is a whole range of sizes/prices for apartments, the same is true for transportation, food, events and hotels. For a trip, I'd recommend $150/day/person but a smaller amount is possible with comprimises.

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