Japan travel
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Japan travel · Page 21
Japanese at a Theme Park: Tickets, Queues and Ride Rules
Theme parks in Japan run on signs and short announcements, and most of the stress of a visit comes from not knowing whether a ride is paused, full or simply busy.
6 min readJapanese at a Karaoke Box: Booking a Room, Time and Drinks
A karaoke box visit starts with a quick-fire exchange at reception, and the questions come in the same order almost every time, which makes it easy to prepare for.
6 min readJapanese on the Shinkansen: Seats, Cars, Ekiben and Announcements
Buying the ticket is only the first part of a shinkansen trip. The rest happens on the platform and in the carriage, where signs, numbers and announcements do most of the talking.
6 min readJapanese at a Yakiniku Restaurant: Cuts, Grilling and Tabehōdai
At a yakiniku restaurant you cook the meat yourself, so most of the Japanese you need is about choosing cuts, ordering in rounds and keeping the grill working.
5 min readJapanese at an Okonomiyaki Restaurant: Ordering and Cooking It
At some okonomiyaki restaurants you cook at your own hotplate, and at others staff cook for you. Knowing which kind of shop you are in changes what you need to say.
5 min readJapanese at a Ski Resort: Lift Tickets, Rentals and Lessons
Big ski resorts in Japan often have English support, but rental counters, small resorts and the ski patrol are where a little Japanese makes the day much easier.
5 min readHow to Ask Someone to Take a Photo in Japanese
Asking a stranger to take your picture is one of the most common requests travellers make, and in Japanese it takes one sentence and a smile.
5 min readJapanese at a Capsule Hotel: Check-In, Lockers and House Rules
Capsule hotels are simple to use, but they come with more rules than an ordinary hotel, and most of those rules are posted in short Japanese signs.
5 min readJapanese at a Kimono Rental Shop: Booking, Dressing and Returning
Kimono rental shops dress you, style your hair and send you out for the day, and nearly every part of that involves a short exchange with staff.
5 min readJapanese at a Manga Cafe: Membership, Booths and Time Packs
Manga cafes and internet cafes are cheap, private places to rest, read or work, and the first visit is mostly about registration and choosing a booth and time plan.
5 min readJapanese for an Onsen Town: Day Baths, Yukata and Meals
An onsen town is more than one bath. It is streets, day-use baths, foot baths and snack stalls, and each comes with a few useful phrases.
5 min readJapanese for a Sushi Restaurant, Counter to Bill
The hardest part of a sushi counter is not the etiquette; it is that the menu is a list of fish names you have never seen written down.
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