Shopping In Tokyo

Found this one night while exploring Shinjuku

• there is no (real) English
• virtually no one speaks English
• phrase book is essential
• Japanese are (generally) very helpful & friendly

I adore Japlish, I really do

There will be a person here and there who will want to practice their English with you, but for the most part, English is not found there.

During my first trip to Tokyo I could not find Mandarake in Akihabara despite having the address and literally standing RIGHT IN FRONT of the building.  What?  Did I think that “Mandarake” would be on the signage?  You bet I did.  But it wasn’t.  Well, it was… just not in Romaji.  I finally recognized the characters from the receipts I’d been accumulating from my Mandarake purchases in Ikebukuro.  The moral of the story?  Don’t expect English or Western characters.

A Mandarake receipt

As a tip, print out any shop logos or names in Japanese from their websites before you go and carry these around with you.  It will help you recognize the characters when you’re searching.  Toranoana in Shinjuku took me about five minutes to find — signage is not always huge and in neon.