After having 2 friends back out of a trip to Kyoto, Japan, I decided to go anyway and travel solo for the first time. In September 2019, I boarded my flight with Emirates from Birmingham airport and begun my Journey to Kyoto, which took 18 long hours as I did a 2 hour stop over in Dubai.

Yasaka Shrine, Gion

The panic didn’t kick in until I arrived at the Daiwa Roynet hotel near Kyoto station. I lay on the bed feeling absolutely exhausted and then it dawned on me; I was in Japan on my own. This was followed by a plethora of anxiety induced thoughts, which I had evidently been burying during the flights and the train journey from Kansai airport. I called my friend, who instantly calmed me down and reminded me of the opportunity I had. I could either sit and panic in my hotel room or go and enjoy myself. Obviously, I chose the latter, well… I chose the latter for 90% of the trip. I had to save room for at least 10% worth of panic attacks.
I do not regret travelling solo whatsoever, and thoroughly adored my time there. I urge anyone to take up the opportunity to travel solo at least once in their life. You learn a lot about yourself and its quite nice not having to consult someone else for what to have for dinner!
Before I waffle on any further, here are 5 things I noticed and experienced in Japan as a solo female traveller, along with some advice if you are considering going alone (which you absolutely should).

1. No one cares that you’re on your own.

Seriously, no one cares. Doing activities on your own in Japan is very normal. Many restaurants I went into, had specific seating arrangements for people who are eating alone, as this is quite a common thing to do in Japan. On my first day, I was so conscious about taking photos, especially of myself, because I was worried people would be looking at me. However, after observing the sea of tourists at Fushimi Inari shrine, I realised that nobody was paying any attention to anybody else. Everyone was taking selfies, filming themselves and not being in any rush to move until they got the perfect shot.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

2. Eating alone is normal

Many restaurants in Japan cater for those eating alone. They have specific areas for the lone diner, and some ramen restaurants even have small booths for one person, where your meal is brought to you through a serving hatch. I believe in the UK, where I am from, eating alone would perhaps be considered sad and lonely, however in Japan this is not the case. A life of solitude is common amongst Japanese people who often eat, travel and live by themselves and is not seen as a sign of loneliness. So, if you decide to make a reservation for one, you would not be judged.
With that being said, if you still feel self-conscious about entering a restaurant on your own, Japan’s convenience stores offer fantastic meal options as a cheaper alternative. Going to convenience stores were honestly one of the highlights of my trip. I loved trying different things for breakfast and lunch every day. They have hot foot options at the counter, such as steamed meat buns, croquettes and spring rolls (all of which are delicious). You can also find bento boxes and rice balls (onigiri) in the fridge section alongside a variety of other things which the cashier assistant will happily heat up for you in store. They will ask you ‘Atatamemashouka?’ which means ‘do you want it heated up?’. You can reply with a simple ‘onegaishimasu’ which means yes please or ‘daijoubu desu’ to say ‘it’s okay’ if you don’t want it heating up. These are also great options if you are travelling to Japan on a budget.

My first convenience store breakfast; Bento Box, Melon Pan, Peach Yoghurt drink and Onigiri.

3. It’s cheap to travel in Japan

Leading on from this, it’s easy to budget your food and travel expenses in Japan (obviously raiding the Daiso store doesn’t come into this budget)! The Japanese diet is generally very healthy, and you can get a decent meal for cheap. Public transport is also cheap, it actually runs on time and the trains are absolutely spotless. This makes things more manageable when travelling alone as you have no one else to rely on for money. You can buy something called a Suica card (or Icoca in Kansai region) at train stations which is a prepaid card that you can use on trains, subways and buses. You can top this up with money when you need to. Of course, I picked the Hello Kitty card when the train station attendant asked me which design I wanted.

My Hello Kitty Icoca travel card, train ticket and information card

4.  Japan is a safe country

Is it safe to travel to Japan alone? Yes absolutely! Japan has very low crime rates, making it the perfect place for solo travellers. I felt comfortable walking around at night, which is something I would never do in the UK. Obviously, I can only speak about my experience in Kyoto, other areas of Japan might be different but Japan as a whole is a safe place to be. Please still take general precautions when walking around on your own, but I did not feel uncomfortable or experience any harassment during my time there.

Streets near Kyoto Station in the evening

5. As a foreigner, you will stand out

Following on from the safety point, if you are evidently a foreigner, you may get stared at, particularly on trains. I have very pale skin, and I did notice I was being stared at quite a lot on public transport, purely because I stood out with having a pale, western face. I think this may have been out of interest rather than rudeness, but it did take me by surprise. However, the benefit of being alone is you are less noticeable than a group of foreigners. Groups will more likely be stared at than someone sitting alone. This will also depend on whether you are in a main tourist area like Tokyo or a less touristy area. I found most of the time, once I caught them staring, they looked away almost instantly.

Other things I noticed in general, was the extreme politeness of the hotel staff. If I was to walk past a housekeeper in the corridor, they would literally stop what they were doing and turn the vacuum cleaner off just to bow to me and greet me. I started to feel bad that they had to do that every time they saw a hotel guest, I would often walk the other way, so I didn’t disturb them. I also found that there was an even split of female and male housekeepers. In the UK, I’d say majority of housekeeping staff are female, so this was a surprise to see.
Another thing I noticed was that you rarely saw people eating anything on the street or on public transport. I’ll be honest, I am hungry all the time and love to snack but when I took a couple of bites out of a sandwich whilst waiting for the train, I noticed a group of young women staring at me. It may have just been because I was a foreigner but either way, I panicked at put it back in my bag! But please don’t let that put you off; this was my experience, you could whack out a sandwich at a train station and not have a single person stare at you.

Nijo Castle

To summarise, Japan is a beautiful country, and I would completely recommend going, whether that would be as a solo traveller or with someone. It is very safe to travel alone there and is a wonderful place to experience a mix of tradition and modern life, eat amazing food and stay at ridiculously clean hotels regardless of your budget. I hope you create your own experiences and memories and have the trip of a lifetime.
From Danielle, Yoreki LTD

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