What on time means
The stated time is when the activity begins, not when you arrive. For a meeting at two, that means being seated, with your materials out, before two.
This is the distinction that catches people out. Arriving at 13:59 and then spending three minutes finding the room, taking off a coat and opening a laptop is treated as being late, even though you arrived before the hour.
The margin most people work to is five to ten minutes, which absorbs the small frictions of a building you do not know.
| Occasion | Target arrival | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Client meeting | 10 minutes early | Wait in reception, not the room |
| Internal meeting | 5 minutes early | Seated and ready |
| Job interview | 10–15 minutes early | Arrive at the building earlier |
| Restaurant booking | On time | Late by 15 may lose the table |
| Meeting a friend | On time | A message if delayed at all |
| Medical appointment | 10 minutes early | Paperwork takes time |
Arriving too early for a client meeting is also awkward. Waiting nearby and entering reception ten minutes before is the usual compromise.
When you are going to be late
The message goes out as soon as you know, not once you have worked out exactly how late you will be. An early message with a rough estimate is better received than a precise one sent from the doorway.
Keep it short: the fact, an estimate, an apology. Explanations can wait until you arrive.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 申し訳ありません、少し遅れます。 | Mōshiwake arimasen, sukoshi okuremasu. | I am sorry, I will be slightly late. |
| 電車が遅れており、十分ほど遅れそうです。 | Densha ga okurete ori, jippun hodo okuresō desu. | The train is delayed; I will be about ten minutes late. |
| 十四時十五分頃に着く見込みです。 | Jūyoji jūgofun goro ni tsuku mikomi desu. | I expect to arrive around 14:15. |
| お待たせして申し訳ありません。 | Omatase shite mōshiwake arimasen. | I am sorry to have kept you waiting. |
| 先に始めていただいて結構です。 | Saki ni hajimete itadaite kekkō desu. | Please feel free to start without me. |
| ご迷惑をおかけしました。 | Gomeiwaku o okake shimashita. | I apologise for the inconvenience. |
Transport delays
Train delays are the accepted exception, and the system supports it. When a line is disrupted, stations issue a certificate confirming the delay, handed out at the gates without any need to explain yourself.
Workplaces and schools accept these as a matter of routine. Asking for one is normal behaviour, not an unusual request.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遅延証明書をください。 | Chien shōmeisho o kudasai. | May I have a delay certificate? |
| 人身事故で止まっています。 | Jinshin jiko de tomatte imasu. | It is stopped due to an accident. |
| 振替輸送はありますか。 | Furikae yusō wa arimasu ka. | Is there alternative transport? |
| 運転再開はいつ頃ですか。 | Unten saikai wa itsu goro desu ka. | Around when will service resume? |
| 別のルートで向かいます。 | Betsu no rūto de mukaimasu. | I will come by another route. |
| 三十分ほど遅れる見込みです。 | Sanjippun hodo okureru mikomi desu. | I expect to be about thirty minutes late. |
Delay certificates are also available from the operator's website for some lines, which is useful if you have already passed the gates.
Rescheduling
Moving an appointment is not the problem people fear. What matters is doing it early, proposing alternatives rather than asking an open question, and apologising once rather than at length.
Offering two or three specific slots turns a request into a decision the other person can make in one line.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日程を変更させていただけますでしょうか。 | Nittei o henkō sasete itadakemasu deshō ka. | Might I ask to change the date? |
| 急な予定が入ってしまいまして。 | Kyū na yotei ga haitte shimaimashite. | Something has come up unexpectedly. |
| 来週の火曜か水曜はいかがでしょうか。 | Raishū no kayō ka suiyō wa ikaga deshō ka. | Would Tuesday or Wednesday next week suit you? |
| ご都合のよい時間をお知らせください。 | Gotsugō no yoi jikan o oshirase kudasai. | Please let me know a convenient time. |
| 直前のご連絡で恐縮です。 | Chokuzen no gorenraku de kyōshuku desu. | I apologise for the short notice. |
| ご調整いただきありがとうございます。 | Gochōsei itadaki arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you for accommodating the change. |
The habits that make it work
Punctuality in Japan is less about discipline than about planning margins, because the transport system is reliable enough that people build tight schedules around it and a single disruption cascades.
The residents who never seem to be late are not moving faster; they are leaving earlier and holding a fallback route in mind.
- Check the route the night before, not on the platform.
- Add ten minutes for any building you have not visited.
- Know one alternative line for your regular commute.
- Keep the other party's phone number, not just their email.
- Send the message from the platform, not the taxi.
Saying it under pressure
The awkward part is not knowing the phrases; it is producing them while standing on a stopped train with a meeting starting in eight minutes.
That is a speaking problem rather than a vocabulary one, and it responds to rehearsal. Practising the delay call and the apology on arrival with an AI Sensei in Unihongo's 3D classroom, until they come out without assembly, means the one time you need them you are not also translating.
Two phrases fluent beats twelve phrases known. Pick the delay message and the arrival apology, and drill those until they are automatic.
The apology on arrival matters as much as the message. Say it once, sit down, and move on.