there are blue traffic lights in japan?
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Usually they are green, but they are called blue (青). I also saw some actual blue traffic lights. Not on the street in the city, but when I was riding a bus from Hamahara towards Miyoshi, there was some ongoing road repair, and so one lane was blocked. There were temporary lights set up to let the cars from each direction pass alternatively. And the “blue” light was actually made up of blue LEDs. I tried to take a photo but I’m afraid I was too slow 
EDIT:
Found it!
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its actually really pretty!
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Actually Japan is the place where streets have no names…
It’s a different way of thinking about the city.
Instead of giving names to the empty spaces without houses, it is the patches of houses that got naming, and streets are just nameless.
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No, only green ones, like this one at Shinkyo Bridge
Up until recently, 青 covered both blue and green. Nowadays, all 青 lights contain a bit of blue to avoid confusion as to why they’re called 青 lights, but are mostly green. And they’re all called green lights in English, so older “blue lights” are also green lights.
(also i got this from a 5 minute google search. hopefully accurate though)
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I wonder, does Japan have a place where you can just… call a taxi? Never thought of it before, but in every country I’ve been, I usually just call the company and get one instead of trying to catch one randomly. Or is it not common?
Or uber?
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Calling a Taxi is a thing you can do.
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Ok good, because I keep hearing about people trying to catch them, and I wondered if it’s not really possible in Japan to just… call a taxi spontaneously. Like, I wouldn’t walk in the rain just to search for one, for instance. I’d just… call for one.
Sorry for the stupid question~ I’ve seen weirder quirks before in my life while travelling, so I wondered.
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Uber works fine in Toyko, resorted to that once after going out one night and realising that there isn’t 24/7 public transport.
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Railroads have blue “traffic” lights. They’re called “polar white” though. Slightly blue-tinted white lights. But those are not 青.
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I wouldn’t ever count on just waving one down like you see in the movies in New York. But big train stations and bus transfer hubs usually have a taxi stand where there are a few taxis waiting their turn and you can just grab the next one without calling ahead.
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Makes sense~ it’s pretty standard in most places I’ve been hehe.
Good to know!
Thanks for the info, you both!
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In Tokyo while that is true for side streets, main streets and major roads are named and there are signs at each major intersections (intersections where named streets meet/cross) showing the names of the streets. Those names are not used for the proper/formal address, but are used for giving directions. Especially when taking a taxi or telling someone how to get somewhere.
Also, some major/key intersections have a name as well that most anyone living in or familiar with that part of the city will know.
Addition: It occurred to me as I was walking home from work (and walking along a couple) that usually the main shopping streets around each station/neighbourhood will also be named. Pearl St/Matsuyamadori (although I have my own personal name for this one)/Star Road/Ichibangaidori around here.
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I’m not sure you spotted the reference that @YanagiPablo was making. 
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I sure did. One of my go to songs at karaoke. In fact, sang it just this past weekend.
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It depends on where you are, and to some extent when.
Within central Tokyo (or other major cities) during the day and up to around midnight, you can flag down a taxi, almost always within a minute, maybe two. Not on small side and back streets of course, you will need to walk to a main road, but that is generally never more than a 1 or 2 minute walk. Grabbing a taxi becomes a bit more difficult if there is a heavy rain (as many people that would normally walk where they are going will opt for a taxi instead). If you are near (2 or 3 minutes waking) a train station or somewhere where there is a proper taxi stand/queue, the taxis will almost always not stop. They are heading for the taxi queue and you will need to go there and queue up as well. In the hour or so following last train (especially anywhere in the vicinity of a main station or popular late night area) it can become very difficult to find an empty taxi. You will see lots and lots of taxis (probably 50% of the traffic you will see) but most will be occupied, and as it gets later many will be ending their shift and returning to base.
In less populated areas and out in the suburbs you will want to opt for calling a taxi.
Yes, you can call a taxi. Although these days everyone uses one of the taxi hailing smartphone apps. GO is the most popular one, but there are a few others
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I skipped Romaji from the beginning and used a virtual japanese keyboard on my Macbook or the Flick input on my Iphone. I actually only use the app now because it is soooo easy when you get it!
The reviews might be a little bit slower in the beginning but I am only at level 4 in Wanikani and super fast on the flick keyboard already. Give it a try!
Oh yeah I hate these counters for days also! Day 1, Day 2 …for the life of me…I can never remember them after a few weeks.
I go to Japan in April and had no class and no grammar so far. I learned like 80 Kanji and I am already in South East Asia since a few months and it is nice to see the characters even in chinese restaurants for example. Feels rewarding!
Thanks for mentioning again that Katakana is important. I learned the first three columns now but just started again. I got lazy because for Wanikani you really only need Hiragana in the beginning so yeah…
But hey! Hats of for being so consistent! And thanks for the post.
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A few notes bow.I have not been for years and both apps and my Japanese are better so I hopefully can add to this later in the year. I think it is useful to know what you are going to do. Being able to read local maps to the extent of finding where you want to be is useful. Things like onsen 温泉 
and temples 神社、
have kanji and typical icons that are useful when travelling around. Getting local maps at local tourist information etc are essential. Never rely on the Rough Guides etc, except maybe for some ideas…
I agree you would be better spending an afternoon learning katakana than a few more kanji. Tokyo tends to have the familiar Romaji characters as well.Anything at all will help. I knew someone who survived for 3 years who had no clue of them, two years in Kyushu,and was able to find the suggested place to eat in a small town street so quickly I just looked askance until I realised it was the only thing in romaji/ English letters! I wonder if there is an app for this.
General kanji, especially I recall 銀行、Bank and underpass proved useful. Look at the full Emoji set, these are mostly of Japanese origin and for the warnings etc you see around, some of the kanji from the full emoji set are useful to learn, and you can do this on 
、post to google for translations…
The post office and other institutions have their own characters that will help; subway and private lines are often inside depato or through malls, it can be useful to learn all these…Any kanji help confidence I was happy to read the sign for rice om a shop the first night I was in Tokyo, but I was going to be bulk buying rice until I got my own place…Always useful to know what you are eating, I bought a fish card game with kanji on them in a tourist shop, as this is what I eat almost always in restaurants, could order that way thereafter,
In Okinawa kanji in placenames often map to different sounds, so keep your English guides to hand.
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神社 are shrines. Temples are 寺. The identifying icon used for those on maps is 卍. 
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yeah, I know about 60 kanji at this point but only this much katakana… though I can get most of the daukon because iff I know キ is ki, then i just remember that ギ is gi since thats what it is in hiragana. i know romaji but i dont want to rely on it since i want to be able to ACTUALLY read/write japanaese.
i dont know train station/subway/mall kanji only 入口と出口
I know how to order in Japanese though, I know Vocab for onigiri, water, miso soup, udon, exsume me, please, how much does ___ cost, one(thing), two(thing, three(thing), four(thing), meal set, curry, coffee, uhm, oh, and I know the kanji for 水 so I’m all set in ordering items im pretty sure!
don’t restaurants give tourist a different menu anyway, that’s like altered with different levels of spices anyway? tourists get the tourist menu which i diefentily would because i in no way look asian and im hispanic 
id just ask for the Japanese menu anyway, すみません、あの日本語のメニューがありますか? which i beileve is right? not quite sure
I’m not sure if I’m going to visit Okinawa, anyway but i have to plan where me, my mom and sister is going to go so i have to do all the directions and mark on a google doc/map where the places are buy the train tickets and everything. i don’t exactly know how the trains work, i know NNYC subway but that’s a whole different country and stations. and i need to buy them either in person/online so i have to learn the dialogue for that and if its worth getting a train pass
lots os planning on my part and im literally the one that gonna have to ask llocals for directions
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