Useful Survival Phrases/Words While in Japan

(𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯)

日常生活 (にちじょせいかつ) – everyday

敬語 (けいご): formal speech (used in business and customer service)

いらしゃいませ: welcome

ご覧くださいごらんください): please look (what salespeople usually say)

レストラン – restaurant:

何名様ですか？(なんめいさまですか): How many people? (before you are seated at a restaurant)

お客さん (おきゃくさん): customer

おしぼり: warm wet towel (to clean your hands before eating)

別々 (べつべつ): pay separately (simple way)

別々払えますか？(べつべつはらえますか): Can we pay separately?

Types of Restaurants

回転寿司 (かいてんずし): conveyor belt sushi that you pay by the plate number and color 

食べ放題 (たべほうだい): all you can eat restaurant 

飲み放題 (のみほうだい): all you can drink bar

コンビニ (konbini) – convenience store:

袋 (ふくろ): shopping bags (the workers don’t say かばん)

お釣り(おつり): change

温めますか (あたためますか): Do you want your food warmed up?

They will sometimes ask you if you want store points for that you can build up on you tap card or LINE and you can respond:

はい (hai): yes

大丈夫です (だいじょうぶです): I’m fine (polite way of refusing/no thank you)

結構です (けっこうです): I’m fine (polite way of refusing/no thank you)

駅 (えき/eki) – 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

入り口 (いりぐち): entrance 

出口 (でぐち): exit

_番線 (ばんせん): (number) train line 

ホーム: train platform 

左側 (ひだりがわ): left side (train door opening)

右側 (みぎがわ): right side (train door opening)

ご注意ください (ごちゅいください): please be careful (common train PA)

ICカード: tap cards

PASMO

スイカ/Suica

Tap cards are for trains/subway/buses, but can also be used like a credit card for vending machines or at convenience stores. Now apparently they have apps you can use in addition to the card.

In Tokyo, the JR line is separate from the other companies, so if you have to go to the Odakyu, Keikyu, etc. you have to leave the JR exist and re-enter the gates for the other lines. It’s very expensive to travel by train in Japan because you pay an entrance fee and fee for how far you travel. Bus is a single entrance fee. 

Also most of the tourist attractions can be found along the Yamanote Line (green line). If you ride the Yamanote Line often enough, you’ll start to memorize the order of the stations unknowingly, like remembering Shibuya and Harakuju are always next to each other.

The Chuo Line runs through Tokyo and will take you to other places on outskirts of Tokyo like Kichijoji or Mitaka.

The signs are written in Japanese and English, so don’t worry if you can’t read kanji.