Female Solo Travel in japan

Kyushu, Japan

Whether you’re a first time solo traveler or an experienced one, Japan is a great choice. In fact, it’s a wonderful option if you like to continue returning to the same country and dive in deeper. You can visit various regions in different seasons and it’ll feel distinct. From the Southern subtropical islands to the Northern island of Hokkaido, from the beaches to the mountain tops, there’s a vast world within Japan to see.

While safety as a whole can be subjective and is nuanced, Japan is considered a very safe country. If you forgot something at a restaurant or train station, you’re more than likely to get it back or find it turned in if you return to get it.

Public transportation is efficient, clean, and quiet (especially nice when cities can be over stimulating). Japan has excelled at technological advancements and getting around with digital transportation card or using contactless payment is straight forward.

There’s a wide range of accommodation options from capsule hotels to Japanese inns or ryokan to everything in-between. Japan is still economically accessible for many because the Japanese currency, yen, is still pretty weak to the US dollar, British pound, and Euro.

Tipping isn’t customary in Japan and is actually considered insulting in most cases. There are a couple instances where it is appreciated, but it’s never expected. This is because in Japanese culture there’s the way of life of omotenashi which is a deeper way of hospitality where you give sincere service without expecting anything in return. You will feel this from the moment you step on a flight to Japan on a Japanese carrier to a stranger who helps you with directions in the street.

Solo dining is quite common. There’s no need to feel odd even if you do at home. Japanese people are often dining solo. Some restaurants can be small and lunch times can be busier so solo diners made end up sharing a table. This has been my experience at a few noodle shops where they want to be efficient and be mindful of the limited time people who work in corporate get for lunch.

Traveling solo in Japan is an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone a bit whether its practicing Japanese phrases (learning Japanese is not required, but appreciated as it shows respect), or tasting a dish or ingredient you haven’t tasted before.

Fall is a gorgeous time of year to visit and winter in general won’t be as busy. Avoid the New Years holiday (roughly December 28th-January 5th) as many businesses are closed for some of all of these days and Japanese people will visiting family.

If you’ve been wanting to start traveling solo or love traveling solo and are thinking of your next trip, I hope you’ll consider Japan!