Rodrigo Coelho
Planning to tour Kyoto by ourselves, but don’t know how we’re going to navigate the public transport system as we don’t speak a word of Japanese.
We want to see the major temples/shrines/castles like Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Nijo-jo, etc. How widely is English spoken in Kyoto? Are there signs in English?
Rodrigo Coelho
Japan
It’s actually really easy, you don’t need to speak Japanese and there are signs in English. As the sightseeing spots are quite spread out, you’ll be using the buses a lot to get around.Just get a Kyoto Bus Navi (a paper map of the city's bus system, including most of the attractions and how to get to them, an English version exists as well) and a 500 yen day bus pass, and you're set. Kyoto buses display the stop name in English as well, so you won't miss it.
