I will be going to Tokyo in September and plan on visiting Disneyland. BIG THRILL!!!! I do not speak a lick of Japanese and was wondering how much of a language barrier there will be in the parks?
I mean, will I be able to understand the dialog in the HM? Do the face characters speak English? Will the shows be in English and Japanese? Should I just take a quick class at Berlitz?

funny you should mention HM. I have an HM CD which includes the full tracks from all the parks and while I haven't listened to them all completely, it appears that TDL is the only one completely in Japanese. even DLP is in English.

i haven't the slightest on your questions, just had to interject that.

i hear Mickey speaks perfect English though.

funny you should mention HM. I have an HM CD which includes the full tracks from all the parks and while I haven't listened to them all completely, it appears that TDL is the only one completely in Japanese. even DLP is in English.

i haven't the slightest on your questions, just had to interject that.

i hear Mickey speaks perfect English though.
The DLRP one was in French:confused:

oh.. hmm.. well on the CD, it's in English. it has this stereotypical voice, which I want to call Renfield-like, altho i'm not sure what that means.

the TDL one is all Japanese though.. and oddly enough, it seems all the vocals are on the left side.

You'll get by just fine, like I have on my trips. All CMs are bilingual, as is all the signage. Ride sountracks and narrations are in Japanese, which is downright funny on rides I've memorized in English like Pirates and Haunted Mansion. It did pose somewhat of a problem in TDS where the attractions were all new and very reliant on story-telling, but not enough to really dampen our enjoyment.

The Japanese (especially at Tokyo Disneyland) are exceptionally polite, but you should try to learn at least 15-30 phrases before you go. You'll enjoy yourself more. I was embarrassed when a huge American (or Canadian?) tourist entered a crowded store on Main Street yelling "DOES ANYONE SPEAK ENGLISH?! DOES--ANYONE--SPEAK-- ENGLISH?!" Everyone turned to look. When an English-speaking employee answered her, this tourist just had a shopping question. Why couldn't she at least have learned to say, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" in Japanese?

PLEASE do a trip report after you return and report on the Magic Kingdom and DisneySea attractions and food.

don't you know? the louder and slower you speak words, the more likely people who don't speak your language are able to understand.

at least they didn't ask if anyone spoke american.

actually, at world showcase, i tried using the basic phrases when i was taking kids around to the kidcot stations and I kept saying Domo to this older Japanese lady who kept looking at me like I was nuts, but she had no problem responding when I say sayanara. i kept kicking myself wondering if domo was appropriate. it's a tricky language to say the least. i'm semi-working on swahili myself. i don't envy anyone who's submersing themself in another country (although I'm not sure TDL qualifies for that).

not to be presumptuous, but there seems to be plenty of japanese visitors to DL. seems like a good place to start.

Well, "Domo" is usually part of a larger phrase, like "Domo Arigato" (very much thank you).

I received some weird looks myself when leaving out some key words when I traveled to Japan last Fall.

To the Original Poster: my advice is to study the language a bit. It enhances the experience. I even got a thrill recently while watching Miss Universe. Miss Japan starts out, "Watashi wa" and I shouted back at the TV:

Watashi Wa!! I! I!

Hey, I know that! That's so cool!

(that was the only part of her speech I understood).

I had fun with the Pimsleur program. It's all on CDs, no written materials, and just a half-hour a day. The 10-lesson intro set is about $20 at Barnes and Noble.

There's much more about this in my report in the Trip Reports / Tokyo section from November, under my pen name "Alan Taylor". Especially Day 3.

Enjoy your trip -- hey maybe Tower of Terror will be open when you're there. I understand it will have a different story to it -- something about an eccentric millionaire who collects exotic antiquities. One night while giving a party in his hotel, he disappears. Now you are going on a guided tour of his hotel. Expect max theming, and lines a lot scarier than the ride.

One more thing: I've heard they have an experimental English translation device at the 3D show in the Arabian Coast area. The CMs sometimes approach English-looking people and ask if they'd like to try it. Some kind of virtual reality thing.

Even though the language barrier does detract from some of the rides, the 2 parks are still very enjoyable. Have a great time!

Here's a few important phrases in Japanese to remember:

Tasukete! (Tah-skeh-teh!) = Help!

Sumimasen, Nihongo ga dekinai kedo... (Soo-mee-mah-sen, Nee-hone-goh gah deh-kee-nie keh-doh...)(let it trail off) = Please excuse me, I can't speak Japanese...

Eigo ga dekimasu ka? (Ay-goh gah deh-kee-moss kah?) = Do you speak English?

Onaka suita... (oh-nah-kah swee-tah...) = I'm hungry...

Nodo ga kawaita... (noh-doh gah kah-why-tah...) = I'm thirsty...

Arigato. (ah-ree-gah-toh) = Thank you.

Arigato gozaimasu. (ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee-moss) = Thank you (more formal).

Domo arigato (doh-moh ah-ree-gah-toh)/Domo arigato gozaimasu = Thank you very much.

Nihon/Nippon (Nee-hone/Neep-pone) = Japan

Nihonjin (Nee-hone-jeen) = Japanese (people)

Nihongo (Nee-hone-goh) = Japanese (language)

Nihon ga daisuki desu! (Nee-hone gah dye-skee dess) = I love Japan!

Takai (tah-kye) = Expensive

Nihon de, zembu ga takai na? (Nee-hone deh, zem-boo gah tah-kye nah?) = In Japan, everything is expensive, isn't it?

Here's some more to learn... (http://www.jref.com/language/japanese_common_phrases.shtml)

(and this one's just for fun:

Otchan! Kono pan nambo? SANJUUMAN EN? (oat-chahn, koh-noh pahn nahm-boh? sahn-joo-mahn en?) = Old man! How much for this bread? 3000 YEN??? )

Thanks everyone! You have all been a great help. I wasn't serious about the Berlitz class but I did pick up a conversational language package. It is pretty cool so far and it focuses on everyday dialog. "Where is the restroom?", "How much do this cost?", "Help!, I'm being mugged". You know the normal stuff. :)
I am really excited and I will report back on how things went. Several co-workers/friends have asked for the same info. I hadn't thought that I would be able to get to Disney Seas but it looks like I will be able to visit there also.

And we were at Tokyo Disneyland in May. Don't speak a word of Japanese and we still had great time. So don't worry. The Japanese are very friendly. Tokyo is a big but clean and tidy city. Just remember when you get to the front of the line, hold up two fingers because they want to know "How many in your party?"

Most of the attractions are very similar to DW but all in Japanese -- Jungle Cruise, It's a Small World, etc. Plus there are some neat attractions that are unique to Tokyo.

Don't worry. Have fun!

Hi I'm working at Tokyo Disney Land!!
Almost Japanese are studying English at school.So.Every cast(worker) can speak easy phrase.

ex:Where is the restroom? Where is the cinderela castle?
When will the parade start? and so on....

If you want to speak difficult question,please go to Main street house wher is the person who can speak English. and The person who can speak English puts a pin to the chest. Please chek it!

Disneyland and Disneysea have many events on September. Halloween!5th Anniversary at disneysea! Tower of terro open on september 4!
Please enjy it! I looking forward to see you at disneyland!

This is my favorite site.All information is new!Dont miss it!
http://www.jtcent.com/main.php

now there's a phrase everyone should learn in japanese.. 'what time is the 3:00 parade?'

and to think they actually don't mind telling you where the restrooms are in TDL. it's like a whole other country over there.

very nice site too, thanks... who is that chef in the meet & smile photos?

and to think they actually don't mind telling you where the restrooms are in TDL. it's like a whole other country over there.

Have you had a different experience when asking that question at U.S. parks, because I've never seen a CM provide anything but a cheerful, helpful answer to their most popular of all questions.

there's a thread in the disneyland forum written by a CM who complained about people asking him that.. it's called 'this needs to be said' or something like that

there's a thread in the disneyland forum written by a CM who complained about people asking him that.. it's called 'this needs to be said' or something like that

I saw that thread too. That person should not be a Cast Member. But considering some of the CM's that I have seen lately, they must be hiring from the states correctional systems most recent work release program. Scary!

Hey!, maybe they're gearing up for the Halloween season?!

Reminder: Attack the post, not the poster.

Let's move on from that issue, shall we?

The most important one:

"Toire?" [toh-ee-reh] as in "Where is your restroom/toilet?"

You can use a full sentence, but just say, "Toire?" and they will know what you mean.

Don't talk slowly and loudly. Well, slow isn't too bad, but loudly is considered very rude. You can try to enunciate your words a bit, but most people can get by easily with about 10 phrases.

There are various phrase cards and things you can take with you, too.

The most important one:

"Toire?" [toh-ee-reh] as in "Where is your restroom/toilet?"No. When inquiring about restrooms in Japan, that is NOT the most important phrase. The most important phrase is "Where is the WESTERN toilet?"

Trust me on this. ;)

Although learning a little Japanese may even pay off when you return to the states. I'm actually a little surprised at how handy "arigato gozaimasu" has come in since we've returned.

AVP

Don't bother learning how to say "do you have an English menu."

If they didn't give you one when you sat down (somehow they'll know you're not Japanese) then they don't have one. So it is a phrase you'll only ever use when it won't be helpful.

We visited Tokyo Disney in May. We don't speak a word of Japanese beyond (phoenetic spelling) ko-nee-chee-wa. We were only 2 of about 6 "westerners" in the entire two parks those days we were there -- both of us very tall and very western. Literally stood out head and shoulders over most everyone else. My husband was too tall to fit in the rear cars of one of the roller coasters. So the CM had to stop loading, try to figure out his height then moved us to the front car where there was a little leg room. I got great pitcures of the CM measuring his height. Very funny.

We were treated wonderfully. Smiles and hand gestures are helpful. And when you get to the front of the line at any attraction, you know they alwasy ask how many in your party so just hold up 2 fingers and you're set to go. We stayed at Mira Costa, beautiful and very expensive. Very beautiful, very convenient. And some CM do speak some English. But English is not as widely spoken in Japan as it is in China, something we found to be a surprise.