I was thinking of heading to Tokyo Disneyland, but all the Japanese I know is off a sushi menu! For those who have been, how much Japanese do I need to know to survive the parks? I've seen photos of the parks and there seems to be a lot of signage in English and Japanese.
I don't think you would have to know any... there are a lot of people in WDW that don't know a word of English and they seem to make out alright.. I would just make sure you have a pretty good concept on their currency!!!
I don't know how you would check on this, but I saw a lot of Asian tourists at WDW with headphones on while walking around. I did try to ask one of them (since I saw more than one group with the same headphones) and they sorta said English tape to me.
Maybe Disney Tokyo has something similar to help you with some things. I also would think that most of the signs - if not already in English - would be pretty easy to figure out using a Japanese/English dictionary.
But I would recommend learning how to say a few things, such as:
"Where is the bathroom?"
"Thank you"
"What is in that?"
you know, important things. ;)
I cannot wait to get to Tokyo DisneySea myself. I would think you would need to know enough Japanese for TDL as you would need to know French for DLP. I would learn some key phrases, and then just wing it with a book and a smile. :)
The one thing u have to remember before u go to Japan, is they almost all know english, since it is taught for the most from the time they are small children. So i would think you would be alright. Knowing disney i am sure u will have no problems there.
You should be able to get around without any trouble. However, there are some attractions that are voiced in Japanese only. While most Japanese love to practice their English, it does not hurt to learn a few phrases in Japanese to help the process of getting around.
There is a great trip report on http://www.mousesavers.com/ :yes:
http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/images/spacer.gif
I lived in Japan for 5 years and went to TDL almost every summer. I was only a pre-teen then and had a solid foundation with my Japanese. The rest of my family knew only a few phrases. I would honestly say that you don't have to know too much.
I would reccommend learning a few phrases like "Where is the bathroom" and "how much is..."
I haven't spoken Japanese in years, as South Carolina isn't a Japanese demanding state but if you all would like, tomorrow when I am more awake, I can type out a phrases that you may or may not need.
TDL is very English friendly though so you don't need too much Japanese knowledge.
-JoKeR
P.S. - "Eigo" is English in Japanese. Eigo ga hanase wa doko desu ka? would roughly be Do you speak English? (pronounced : I-go gah hanasA wa dOkO des ka) capital letters represent long vowel sounds.
Alright. As a teen who was raised in Tokyo until 8 (both my parents are Japanese... so naturally I went to Disney Resort in Japan a lot) I will tell you all about Tokyo Disney Resort.
First off, VERY sadly, our English is not that great. The pronunciation is... eh. Unless someone is very lucky and goes to an international school (like I did), it's very unlikely that they can actually speak English that can be understood by "foreigners".
But! The park itself is pretty English-speaking-person-friendly. All the rides have little tidbits in English, like the pre-ride shows and everything. And Disney--I say language doesn't really matter in Disney anyway!
Just ask for the English map, and work your way around. If you need any more guidance, you can always email me. I am an expert (if I may say so myself... I have a million references in my head) on these parks and if you need any recommendations or suggestions, you can trust me.
Have fun if you do get a chance to visit, I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot!