siranai mati de urourosuru yori, annaizyo de kiita hou ga hayai.

Because 知らない is modifying the noun 町.

In Japanese, a plain-form verb can come directly before a noun to describe it:

• 知る = to know
• 知らない = do not know
• 知らない町 = a town I do not know / an unfamiliar town

So this works like a relative clause in English. Japanese does not need a word like that or which here.

It means a town I don’t know.

Japanese often leaves the subject unstated when it is obvious from context. Here, the natural interpretation is that the speaker or listener is unfamiliar with the town.

A town itself cannot really know someone in the normal sense, so a town I don’t know is the intended meaning.

Here, で marks the place where an action happens.

So:

• 知らない町で = in an unfamiliar town
• うろうろする = wander around / roam around

Together:

• 知らない町でうろうろする = wander around in an unfamiliar town

This is the standard use of で for the location of an action.

うろうろする means something like:

• to wander around
• to loiter around
• to roam around aimlessly
• to mill about without knowing where to go

It often suggests a lack of direction or purpose. In this sentence, it gives the feeling of walking around trying to figure things out instead of taking a more efficient approach.

This is a comparison pattern:

• A より = than A / rather than A
• B ほうが … = B is more ...

So:

• 知らない町でうろうろするより、案内所で聞いたほうが早い。

literally means:

• Rather than wandering around in an unfamiliar town, asking at an information desk is faster.

This pattern is very common:

• 電車で行くより、歩いたほうが早い。 = Rather than going by train, walking is faster.

Because Japanese commonly uses the past plain form + ほうがいい / ほうが早い / ほうがまし when giving advice or comparing options.

So:

• 聞いたほうがいい = it’s better to ask
• 聞いたほうが早い = it’s faster to ask

Even though 聞いた is grammatically past, this pattern does not necessarily refer to past time. It is a set construction.

You can think of 聞いたほうが早い as:

• it is faster if you ask

not

• it was faster that you asked

In the comparison pattern A より B ほうが C, the が marks B as the thing being compared and judged.

Structure:

• A より = than A
• B ほうが = B, on the other hand
• C = the quality being compared

So in this sentence:

• うろうろするより = than wandering around
• 案内所で聞いたほうが = asking at the information desk
• 早い = is faster

The が helps mark the preferred or highlighted option.

案内所 means an information desk, information center, or help desk, depending on context.

Breakdown:

• 案内 = guidance / information / directions
• 所 = place

So it is literally a place for guidance/information.

In this sentence, it probably means a place where you can ask for directions or local information.

Because で marks the place where the action of asking happens.

• 案内所で聞く = ask at the information desk

If you use に with 聞く, it usually marks the person or target you ask:

• 係の人に聞く = ask the staff member
• 駅員に聞く = ask the station employee

So:

• 案内所で聞く focuses on the location
• 案内所の人に聞く would focus on the person at the desk

Both are natural, but they express slightly different things.

The object is omitted because it is understood from context.

In a sentence like this, 聞く usually means something like:

• ask for directions
• ask how to get somewhere
• ask for information

Japanese often leaves out objects when they are obvious. So 案内所で聞いたほうが早い naturally means:

• it’s faster to ask at the information desk
• it’s faster to ask for directions/information there

Yes. Japanese very often omits the subject when it is clear from context.

This sentence could mean:

• you should ask at the information desk
• we should ask at the information desk
• one should ask at the information desk

In English, you usually need to supply a subject, but Japanese often does not.

So the sentence has a general, practical-advice feeling:

• Rather than wandering around in an unfamiliar town, it’s faster to ask at the information desk.

This sentence is written in casual/plain style:

• する
• 聞いた
• 早い

That does not necessarily make it rude. Plain form is very common in:

• explanations
• textbook example sentences
• casual speech
• written statements
• internal thoughts

A polite version could be:

• 知らない町でうろうろするより、案内所で聞いたほうが早いです。

The meaning is the same; only the level of politeness changes.

Yes, in many contexts 町 and 街 can both relate to town or city streets, but they are not always exactly the same in nuance.

Very roughly:

• 町 often refers to a town, district, or administrative area
• 街 often emphasizes the built-up city area, downtown, or streetscape

In this sentence, 知らない町 sounds very natural as an unfamiliar town/place area. Using 街 might shift the feeling slightly toward an unfamiliar urban area, but the core idea would still be understandable.