JAPANESE

HEADSTART

MODULES 1-5

FEBRUARY 1980

DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER

Note: Original images in this book have been replaced with

Creative Commons or public domain equivalent images.
The DLI was not associated with these changes. May 2012.

The Japanese words that appear in this text are written

according to the Hepburn System of romanization of Japanese.
Pronunciation of most of the letters presents no difficulty to
an American. Those letters or combinations of letters considered difficult to pronounce wi I I be explained in the Vocabulary Section of the modules. You may have difficulty with the
following:
I. When the letter n is the last letter in a word, it may
sound somewhat I ike the ng in "sing."
2. When double letters appear in a Japanese word, the sound
is repeated. Think of double letters as having a hyphen between
them and pronounce both letters distinctly.

a, e,

3. The letters marked with a bar,

nounced longer than ones without a bar.

i, and

0,

are pro-

4. When i and u are written with a slash mark through them,

they are slurred, or barely pronounced.
5. The letter 9 in the middle of a word is pronounced I ike
the ng in "sing" by natives of Tokyo.

i i

CONTENTS

MODULE ONE

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

... . . .. . ... .... .. .....

An Island Nation

......................................
Government ........................ , ............ .
Crowded for Comfort?
..........................

The Climate

The

Too

Some Ways to Show Courtesy

Invitations
How to Be a

.....................................
Good Guest ..............................

Foods

....................
What the Japanese Do for Fun ........................
Earthquakes .........................................
Travel within Japan .................................
Hoi idays and Festivals ..............................
Quiz ................................................
Bibl iography ........................................
..............
I . Objectives .................................
2. Vocabulary ..................... ............
3. Notes . . . . . ....................... ..........

MODU LE TWO:

Part
Part

I1

15

17

23

Conversations You Might Get Into

Part

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

28

30
35
36
38

44
48

49
49
50
52

Part 4. Fluency Drills .. 54

iii

MODULES 1-5
Part

Part

Part 7

CONTENTS

. . . . . . . . . .. . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .
Self-evaluation Quiz
.. . . . . . . .............
Review and Remediation . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . ....

Dialogues

.........
. . . . . . . . . . .. .. .... . . ..

65

70
71

Part 8. Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz

72

Part 9. Additional Vocabulary

73

DIRECTIONS

MODULE THREE:

74

Part I. Objectives

74

Part 2. Vocabulary

75

Part 3. Notes

78

Part 4. Fluency Dri lis

79

Part 5. Dialogues

90

Part 6. Self-evaluation Quiz

98

Part 7. Review and Remediation

10 I

Part 8. Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz

102

Part 9. Additional Vocabulary

103

MODULE FOUR:

105

EATING OUT

105

Part I. Objectives
Part 2. Vocabulary

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .

109

Part 3. Notes

112

Pa rt 4. Flue ncy 0 r i I Is

114

Part 5. Dialogues

123

Part 6. Self-evaluation Quiz

134

Part 7. Review and Remediation

136

Part 8. Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz

137

Part 9. Additional Vocabulary

iv

. . . .. . . . .. . . ......... .

138

MODULES

CONTENTS

1-5

MODULE FIVE:

SHOPPING AND REPAIRS

139

Part I. Objectives

139

Part 2. Vocabulary

142

Part 3. Notes

145

Part 4. Fluency Drills

147

Part 5. Dialogues

158

Part 6. Self-evaluation Quiz

169

Part 7. Review and Remediation

Part 8.

Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz

172

173

Part 9. Additional Vocabulary

174

JAPAN
~--Internatlonal

boundary

National capital
Railroad
Road

50

100

150 M

~-5'~~~~6'0--15rl~--K-o-m~:tes

__ 4

SEA

OF

fA

4 V

PACIFIC
OCEAN

~
CHEJU DO

EAST
SEA

PHILIPPINE

BONIN
olSLANDS

SEA
VI

:r

...
Co

VOLCANO
ISLANDS
IWOJIMA

Nam .. and bound ...y reprHentai on

.... not n _ . l y aulhor lall.e

vi

MODULE 1
CULTURAL BACKGROUND
AN ISLAND NATION
The Japanese cal I their country Nihon or Nippon. The two
names are interchangeable. Both mean, literally, "source of
the sun."
Because Japan I ies to the east of the Asian mainland, to
many Asians the sun seemed to rise each morning from Japan.
They, too, accepted Japan as "the land of the rising sun."
Into modern times the sun motif has remained a favorite
design among the Japanese, and the national flag is the
hinomapu, or "sun flag."
Japan has four ma i n is lands, p I us severa I hundred sma II
is I ands that dot the coast lines. Of the four ma i n is lands,
the largest is Honshu, followed in size by Hokkaido, Kyushu,
and Shikoku.
The fact that Japan is an island nation is significant in
any consideration of her past, present, or future.
Japan has had a well-knit, highly organized society for
many centuries. Much of the land area on each of the Japanese
islands is rugged and mountainous, and this probably kept the
earl iest inhabitants separated into smal I groups. But hIstorians say the Japanese had a sense of national identity at
least as early as the 7th century A.D., and they attribute
this in part to the unity that develops when a people realize
that their home is an island.
Because of the relative smallness of Hokkaido, Kyushu, and
Shikoku, and the narrow, elongated shape of Honshu, it Is
impossible to I ive in Japan at any great distance from the sea.
It is often pointed out that no place in Japan is more than
90 mi les from the sea, and most population centers are much
closer than that.
Because Japan is an island nation, the Japanese have known
many centuries of security from foreign aggression. Almost
all countries of Asia have at various times in their history
been conquered and dominated by aggressive neighbors. Many
Asian nations were battlegrounds very early in their history,
and experienced more invasions over the centuries. Japan, with.
the seas for protection, never experienced a foreign occupation
until after World War II.
But Japan's distance from the Asian mainland is not so
great that early inhabitants of the islands could not journey

Mikimoto Ginza Building, at Ginza Tokyo

Mikimoto is a famous pearl jewelry creator.

Image: Oiuysdfg
Date: 7 August 2007
cc-by-sa-3.0

The sea is one source of natural resources for the Japanese.

Japan exports much jewelry made from pearls.
2

AN ISLAND NATION

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

to the great centers of Asian civi I ization. There they could

learn firsthand about new developments in science and the arts
from the Chinese and Koreans, for example. At one point, Japan
is only about 125 mi les from Korea.
The Japanese of earl ier centuries, like thei r descendants
today, showed an eagerness to learn from other countries and
to "borrow" ideas and methods from other peoples if these
seemed workable in Japan.
Some have called Japan "a nation of borrowers," but the
term can be misleading. Historians note that the Japanese
were never mere copyists. Almost al I "borrowing" by the
Japanese was (and sti II is) a very careful process. The
Japanese rejected much from other cultures that they judged
unworkable for themselves.
Too, whenever a foreign idea or method was introduced into
Japan, the Japanese invariably adapted it to their own use,
often improving in some way on the original. Using many foreign ideas and methods, the Japanese have almost always arrived
at their own (often ingenious) ways of doing things.
Beginning in the latter half of the 19th century, the
Japanese learned primari Iy from industrial nations of the West
in much the same way they had learned from neighboring Asian
nations. As a result, Japan was the first Asian country to
become an industrial power.
It is often pointed out that Japan is altogether about the
same size as Cal ifornia. Even so, the progress Japan has made
in the past century has made her industrial output now the
th i rd I a rgest of a I I nat Ions of the wor I d, after that of the
United States and the Soviet Union. With progress, however,
have come problems. Japan's population, for example, has
grown to about 120 mi II ion people.
(About 20 mi II ion people
I ive in Cal ifornia.) Farmland in Japan was never abundant,
and with today's dense population Japan must depend heavi Iy
on imports of food. Natural resources on the Japanese islands
are I imited, and most raw materials for industry must be imported.
Modern Japanese, therefore, have compel I ing reasons to be
interested in the world beyond their islands. Probably even
more than their ancestors, they are alert to the possibi I ity
of learning from the rest of the world, and few peoples are
as keenly interested in world affairs and world opinions as
the Japanese of today.
Meanwhi Ie, the rest of the world is increasingly looking
to Japan. Japan's economic comeback following World War II is
3

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

AN ISLAND NATION

studied by the people of many nations. Durable, qual ity products made in Japan are purchased in al I parts of the world,
and greatly affect world economy. Japanese arts influence
artists on al I continents. Japanese scientists contribute
heavi Iy to worldwide research. Many people bel ieve the way
Japan adjusts to current problems wi I I help much of the rest
of the world solve problems of the 21st century.

Image: shibainu
Date: 15 August 2009
cc-by-2.0

Nissan Global Headquarters

The manufacture of durable, fuel-efficient automobiles is a

major Japanese industry.
4

THE CLIMATE

Japan is about as far north of the equator as the continental United states, and has a similar climate.
Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, has cold winters
with much snow. Cold temp~ratures last for about four months
each year, but because of the ocean winds, temperatures seldom
drop below zero degrees (Farenheit).
The climate is milder in central Japan, which includes
Honshu and the northern parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. The lower
two-thirds of this region, especially on the side facrng the
Pacific, receives summer monsoon winds, which bring fairly
heavy rainfall. Winters are usually mi Id and sunny.
The southernmost parts of Kyushu and Shikoku are the warmest regions of Japan. Here the winters are mi Idest (although
some snowfall occurs) and the summers are warm and humid.

No Image Available

Two symbols of Japan: a bul let train speeds through the

countryside of central Honshu, passing Mt. Fuji. The Japanese
cal I the impressive, once-volcanic mountain Fuji-san. Many
consider it the foremost symbol and landmark of the nation.
5

THE GOVERNMENT

Japan has a pari iamentary government. The nation's constitution gives the greatest power to the national legislative
body, the Diet (the Japanese term for this body is kokkai).
Like the U.S. Congress, the Diet is made up of two houses.
Japan is divided into electoral districts, each of which sends
representatives to Japan's House of Representatives (shugiin).
Japan is also divided into 46 prefectures, each of which sends
representatives to Japan's House of Counci lors (sangiin).
Additional members of the House of Counci lors are elected
from the nation at large.
The administrative branch of Japan's national government
is headed by a prime minister (sori-daijin), who is a member
of the House of Representatives and elected by it according
to party loyalty.
Like the U.S. Constitution, the constitution of Japan
contains a bi II of rights guaranteeing personal freedoms,
including freedom of speech, assembly, the press, and rei igion.
The Japanese constitution renounces war as a way to solve
international disagreements and I imits Japan's mi I itary estabI ishment to self-defense forces. Also, according to the constitution, Japan's emperor is merely a symbol of state who
owes his position to the wi II of the people.

TOO CROWDED FOR COMFORT?

First-time visitors to Japanese cities and resorts often

think they have arrived at the height of the Japanese tourist
season, because of the crowds they encounter. But throngs of
Japanese packed into publ ic places are an inescapable fact of
everyday I ife in modern Japan. The nation is crowded.
One of the most awesome experiences of the crush of heavy
population to be found anywhere in the world awaits the traveler who boards publ ic transportation in Tokyo during the rush
hours.
The Japanese themselves find crowded I iving conditions
often uncomfortable and sometimes oppressive, but they are
resourceful in deal ing with the problems.
Some of the ways the Japanese have adapted to the physical and mental stresses of crowding can be seen as purely
practical.
For example, golf has become popular in recent years in
Japan, and many Japanese share a passion for the game. However, in and around Japan's urban areas there is I ittle room
for the spraw ling go I f links that go I fers in other parts of
the world often take for granted. Of the complete 18-hole
courses that exist in Japan, most are controlled by exclusive
country clubs with high entrance fees.
Publ ic golf courses
ex i st, but not enough of them for a I I the go If enthus i asts
who want to use them, as is shown by the crowded conditions
on these courses. Golf, then, for many Japanese, has become
a game played most often on compact putting greens, to which
they have easier access than to golf courses. Many Japanese
golfers cl imb the steps of multi-tiered driving ranges and
practice the power strokes of the game by whacking a bal I
against nylon netting 40 to 50 yards distant.
Another practical solution to crowded I iving conditions in
Japan may be seen at big-city train and subway stations during
commuter rush hours. When the often already-crowded trains
pu II into the stations and the remote-controlled doors of the
coaches are opened to receive additional passengers, the rush
is truly on, as commuters waiting to board push and shove for
every bit of avai lable space to wedge themselves aboard the
trains.
Into the fray step uniformed employees of the railway
companies, whose function during rush hours is to put on white
gloves and simply push as many passengers as possible into the
waiting coaches, sardine-style, before the trains pul t out of
the stations.
7

Image: Zaida Montaana

Date: 18 December 2005
cc-by-sa-3.0

Tokyo Rail Station

Japanese subways and trains are efficient and prompt, but can
be extremely crowded during rush hours.

Image: 663highland
Date: 1 June 2007
cc-by-sa-3.0

Okawabata River City 21 in Chuo-ku, Tokyo

High-rise structures provide additional space for I iving and

working in Japanese cities. They help the Japanese adjust to
crowded I iving conditions.
8

TOO CROWDED FOR COMFORT?

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

However, not al I space-conservIng measures in Japan are

modern innovations. Many things the Japanese do to save space
originated centuries ago when Japan was a far less crowded
nation.
For example, Japanese farmers have for centuries been
masters at getting the most use out of avai lable land space.
If you travel through the Japanese countryside, you can see
that practically every square inch of possible farmland is
cultivated. Many of the terraced fields that have been cut
into hi I Isides to create additional growing space date back
hundreds of years.
Some traditional Japanese arts significantly help modern
Japanese to adjust to crowded I iving conditions, since miniaturization and economy of space are important in Japanese
aesthetics.
Bonsai, for example, is the Japanese art of miniaturization of trees to the size of ordinary potted plants. Sometimes,
using bonsai and arrangements of stones, gravel, smal I ponds,
plants and shrubbery, Japanese gardeners can create, within the
confines of a smal I backyard, a representation of a great landscape which carries with it the comforting illusion of vastness
and distance.
Other traditional Japanese arts and ways of I ife may not
save space directly, but the Japanese make the mental and
emotional adjustments that help them thrive in their crowded
society.
Often, for example, foreign visitors do not at first
understand what seems to be a Japanese knack for selectively
disregarding the presence of persons and crowds. The abi I ity
to mentally shut out things that are going on around one whi Ie
focusing one's attention elsewhere can be of enormous value in
crowded I iving conditions, and the Japanese can be observed
doing thls frequently.
Some traditional Japanese arts may help to induce or encourage this state of mind, which some world travelers think
is uniquely Japanese.
For example, in kabuki, a traditional form of Japanese
theater, stagehands dressed in black (cal led kuroko) walk onstage during performances to change sets and props and assist
with costumes in ful I view of the audience.
In bunrak~, a
popular and traditional form of Japanese puppet theater, puppeteers make no effort to hide themselves behind curtains, but
instead appear onstage themselves. Japanese audiences can

TOO CROWDED FOR COMFORT?

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

enjoy these entertainments obviously untroubled by what to some

foreign visitors are distractions onstage which are at first
difficult to ignore.
According to some observers, the nature of traditional
Japanese homel ife also helps explain the Japahese abi I ity to
ignore many distractions.
Much Japanese housing remains wholly or partly traditional
in style, with the I iving space within houses and apartments
divided into rooms mainly by sliding,wall panels (shoji) made
by stretch i ng parchment-I ike paper (shoji-gami) over wood
frames.
Such households, with I iterally paper walls, provide
few opportunities for the kind of privacy avai lable In Westernstyle homes.
In spite of (or perhaps because of) this lack of
Western-style privacy in Japanese homes, the Japanese did not
become a nation of eavesdroppers. On the contrary, they seem
to have evolved instead a social tradition of disregarding or
tuning out the conversations of others, even when these could
be easi Iy overheard.

Image:
Date: 28 March 2008
Public Domain

Nagoya Expressway

Japan's highway system includes modern freeways, but the

Japanese depend more on public transportation than on private
automobiles.
(Note that farmlands reach right up to the highways. Such use of every possible square inch of land can be
seen in almost any aerial gl impse of the Japanese countryside.)
10

SOME WAYS TO SHOW COURTESY

The Japanese practice many formal ities and observe many

ru I es of et i quette among themse I ves, but genera" y they do not
expect foreign visitors to understand many of their customs and
ways of doing things.
As a rule, a gaijin (foreigner) can impress the Japanese
by being pol ite and reserved in his or her behavior.
If they
see these qual ities in a foreign visitor, most Japanese wi I I
quickly excuse social blunders or shortcomings.
However, it is precisely because the Japanese are wi II ing
to accord you spec i a I treatment as a vis i tor that they wi I I be
impressed if you show you are interested in doing some things
the Japanese way.
You probably could not master the intricacies of Japanese
social customs and courtesies even if you spent many years in
Japan.
You can, however, make many Japanese friends and experience
the best of J apa nese hosp i ta I i ty if you ma ke an ef fort to
understand Japanese ways and practice a few of them yourself.
The fo I low i ng notes may give you some ideas of th i ngs to
do.
Greet i ngs. Trad it i ona I I y the Japanese have greeted f r i ends
and strangers al ike by bowing to them. Don't be dismayed if a
Japanese does not e~tend a hand to shake when you meet or are
introduced.
If a Japanese does not initiate a handshake, but
instead bows to you, your best response would be to bow in
return. Actually, a distinct nod of your head should suffice.
Avoid trying to perform a low bow from the waist, since in
some situations some Japanese might regard thIs as pretentious
or mocking on your part.
When many Japanese do shake hands, they bow s light I Y at the
same time. The American who does this probably wi II impress
the Japanese with his pol iteness.
Shoulder slapping, embracing,and even enthused, pumping
handshakes are al I unrestrained greetings by Japanese standards,
and are to be avoided.

II

COURTESY

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Gifts. A Japanese may thank you upon receiving a gift or

favor from you just as people do in the United States. What
is different is that, in keeping with Japanese custom, he
remembers the occasion unti I the next time you meet--days,
weeks, or months later--and expresses his appreciation fully
again.
If you receive a gift or favor from a Japanese, you should
thank him as you would an American. However, if you can
remember to say a sincere thank you a second time, at your
next meeting, the Japanese wi II appreciate both your thoughtfulness and your observance of Japanese custom.
If you should present a gift to a Japanese, he wi I I probably put the gift aside and not discuss it. Don't urge a
Japanese to unwrap a gift-wrapped package whi Ie you look on.
The Japanese I ike to open gifts in private.
Conversation. When a Japanese person is speaking to you,
even if you are conversing in Engl ish, you would do wei 1 to nod
and say words of acknowledgment often. You wi II see how important this is to the Japanese if you watch them converse
among themselves. The pattern of much Japanese conversation
is one that Ii ngu i sts ca II a "conf i rmi ng" pattern. The Japanese often I ike to express obvious facts in only a tentative
way, and many sentences are ended with the Japanese equivalent
of "isn't it?" or "don't you agree?" Thus, when a Japanese
speaks, he is accustomed to getti ng frequent nods and' reactions
from his listener. A Japanese may not show it, but he may
feel uncomfortable in talking with you if you stare blankly or
show s i 9ns of not listen i ng to what is be i ng sa i d.
Handkerchiefs. Many Japanese carry handkerchiefs, but they
ca rry them for decorat i ve purposes, or otherw i se lim it the i r
use to wiping perspiration from the face and hands. The Japanese don't use handkerchiefs to blow their noses, and most
Japanese are apt to be si lently puzzled, and a I ittle disgusted,
to witness a foreigner return to a pocket or purse a handkerchief that has been used for this purpose. For blowing their
noses the Japanese rely on tissue paper, which they then throw
away as quickly as possible.
Tipping. Tipping is unnecessary in Japanese restaurants,
taxis, barbershops, hotels,and everywhere else. The American
notion of directly offering money as a reward for good service
is at odds with the relationship that most Japanese think should
exist between a guest and an employee whose job is service. The
Japanese do add moderate service charges to sUbstantial restaurant and hotel bi II s, and sometimes taxi drivers do wi II ingly
keep the change at the time of fare payment if the amount of
change is small. But as a rule you should refrain from
12

COURTESY

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

American-style tipping in Japan. The Japanese are especially

troubled by tips offered in an open, obvious, or showy manner,
and in general are not comfortable even with tips offered
quietly and discreetly.
Receiving Change. When making purchases in Japanese stores,
you may notice that Japanese clerks do not count change for
customers in the way American clerks do. Japanese clerks
usually count change as they remove it from the cash registers.
Then they hand the sum to the customer without bothering to go
through the count again for the customer's benefit. Japanese
customers make mental calculations of the change they expect to
receive, then cast inconspicuous glances at the money clerks
return to make sure the amount is correct. Giving and receiving
change in this manner results from the Japanese disdain for
flashing money in publ ic places. Clerks do not mind if you
check their accuracy by counting your change upon receiving it,
but avoid spreading bi J Is or coins across a counter top, for
example, or counting or otherwise handl ing your money in any
way that might invite attention.
Privacy. Because Japan is a crowded country, and because
o p po r tun i tie s for p r i va c y for" man y J a pan e sea rei i mit ed, the
Japanese reta ina so lid app rec i at i on for the p r i vacy that is
avai lable to them, and for good manners when intrusions become
necessary. Among the Japanese, foreign visitors should always
be on their best behavior where matters of privacy are concerned.
Like the Japanese, they should make frequent use of the expression sumimasen ("excuse me"). They should always knock at
doorways before enter i ng and a I ways avo i d i mpo lite I y i nterrupting a conversation or reacting to something t~ey might overhear.
In short, the Japanese are able to I ive in their country
partly because each Japanese is expected to mind his or her own
business and because others are expected to do likewise.

Image: Michiel1972
Date: 24 October 2004
cc-by-sa-3.0

Japanese coins of I, 5, 10, 50, and 100 yen

13

See the Bank of Japan website:

http://www.boj.or.jp/en/note_tfjgs/note/valid/index.htm/

Japanese paper money

14

INVITATIONS

It is not real istic to expect to be invited into a Japanese

home.
Such an invitation may be extended to you during your
stay in Japan, but the odds are against it. Many foreigners
who have resided in Japan for years have never been inside the
homes of close Japanese friends.
This is not because of rudeness on the part of the Japanese.
Rather, most Japanese are uncomfortable with the thought of
using their homes as places to entertain guests.
Some say a reason for this is that, even more than other
peoples around the world, the Japanese I ike to think of their
homes as informal places to relax from the tension and formal ity
of their social and working I ives. The Japanese generally seem
reluctant to think of their homes as something other than persona I or fam i I Y preserves.
Most Japanese homes are compact, and many householders
e s p e cia I I Y tho sew i t h sma I I 'c h i I d r en) may con sid e r the i r
homes too smal I and crowded for the kind of entertaining they
would I ike to offer.
Also, since entertaining guests very often includes serving
a meal, many Japanese feel that restaurants are better places
to entertain than their homes. One Japanese notion of hospita Ii ty is that dinner guests shou I d be offered a pi ent i fu I array of foods, and since preparation and proper serving of many
Japanese dishes require considerable care and timing, it
seems popularly believed in Japan that a better dining experience can be had at a we I I-run restaurant than ina home.
In any case, a Japanese who extends a dinner or party invitation to you probably intends to treat you to a meal in a
restaurant or take you to some publ ic place.
In some ways Japan may not be quite the male-dominated
society it has been historically, but Japanese men sti II assume
some privi leges frequently withheld from women. The Japanese
retain some views about equal ity of the sexes that could lead
to misunderstandings in some social situations involving Americans.
Notably, many Japanese men leave their wives at home when
they go out with friends for a night on the town.
Japanese
wives are sometimes expected to remain outside other social
activities in which their husbands participate. An American
might be mistaken in assuming that his wife is welcome to come
along on any invitation he receives from a Japanese. Although
15

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

INVITATIONS

a Japanese host may not say so, an invitation that he extends

might not apply to the wife of the individual whom he is inviting. American men whose wives are with them in Japan should
check with hosts before accepting invitations.
Also, an American in Japan should be specific in any invitations he might extend to Japanese.
If you expect a Japanese
to bring his wife to a dinner or party, be sure you have made
this clear to him. Some Japanese men and their wives are unaccustomed to attending dinners and parties together, and both
husband and wife might be uncomfortable if you insist that they
do so.

Image: inoue-hiro
Date: 15 March 2009
cc-by-sa-3.0

High-rise Apartment, Laurel Tower Umeda, Osaka City

Apartments provide housing for many famil ies in cities of

Japan.
16

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST

You may not receive an invitation to enter a private residence during your stay in Japan, but the following notes can
help you to be the kind of guest with whom the Japanese wi I I
be comfortable, whether you are visiting them at home or elsewhere.
Removing Shoes. Remember that the Japanese do not approve
of the wearing of shoes in some indoor settings. Most notably
they are offended by the thought of shoes worn inside their
homes, a practice that most Japanese associate with the tracking in of dirt, dust, grime, and mud from outdoors. The Japanese remove their shoes upon entering a residence, often at a
small alcove called a genkan.
The practice of removing shoes before entering extends to
some other places besides private residences, such as some
traditional-style restaurants. So whenever invited out, be
sure to note upon arrival whether guests have removed their
shoes, and be prepared to remove yours.
Bathing.
It is possible that if you visit a Japanese home
your host might extend to you an invitation to bathe. You should
not take this as a comment on any suspected lack of cleanl iness
on your part. Bathing, to the Japanese, can be an opportunity
to relax as much as to get clean. Offering a guest a refreshing
soak in the fami Iy tub is a courtesy the Japanese sometimes
of fer to guests whom they espec i a I I Y we I come.
Dining Customs.
Invitations to dine in Japan mayor may
not be invitations to eat Japanese-style meals. Many Japanese
are fami I iar with American dishes, and in an effort to please
an American guest they might serve at home, or order in a
restaurant, an American-style meal, especially if they are
uncertain whether a first-time American guest truly likes
Japanese food.
However, basic American-style meals, with, for example,
beef or fried chicken as a main course, are apt to be served in
Japan with Japanese dishes alongside, and a definite Japanese
attentiveness to the way in which the meal is served is likely.
If you are invited by Japanese to dine, prior knowledge of
some basic Japanese dining customs wi I I enable you to practice
some uniquely Japanese courtesies and table manners which your
hosts will appreciate, whether you are dining completely in
Japanese style or not.

17

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Here are some notes that can help make you a good dinner
guest in Japan.
Rice. Never underestimate the significance that rice can
have-rDr the Japanese. Of al I foods consumed in Japan, rice
is the most basic.

Gohan is the Japanese name for plain, steamed rice that

is ready to be eaten (the Japanese have other names for uncooked rice, for the rice plant itself, and for other rice
dishes).
Long-grained white rice is the variety most favored
by the Japanese for making gohan, and every Japanese acquires
a refined sense of taste for gohan cooked to just the right
softness and texture. To many Japanese a mea lis hard I y complete without at least one steaming bowl of gohan, and it is
so essential to Japanese eating habits that the word is sometimes used to mean food in general.
An indication of the significance of gohan is to be noted
in the fact that the Japanese words for breakfast, I unch, and
supper are each formed from combinations of the word for
"morn i ng" (asa), "noon" (hiru), or "even i ng" (yugata), and the
word gohan.
Breakfast is asa-gohan (often shortened to asahan),
lunch is hiru-gohan (or hiruhan), and supper is yu-gohan (or
yuhan) .
One popular box lunch sold in Japan consists of nothing
more than an individual portion of gohan served in a shallow
rectangular tray with a bright red plum placed in the center.
The arrangement resembles the national flag, and the meal is
known as a hinomaru bento, or "sun flag box lunch."
In times of food shortages and famine in the past, the
Japanese, I ike other peoples of Asia, have been known to survive for long periods on I ittle or nothing but rice.
When dining with the Japanese, there are two things about
rice that you should real ize.
First, with almost any meal served to you by Japanese,
even if it is not an altogether Japanese-style meal, you are
apt to receive a smal I bowl of gohan.
Second, you probably wil I never meet a Japanese who disl ikes
rice.
Here is some advice:
if you are one of those Americans who
are not particularly fond of plain, steamed rice, you would be
wise to use caution in revealing this antisocial tendency of
yours to the Japanese.

18

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

You definitely should not announce a distaste for rice

when a bowl of it is being passed your way.
True, most Japanese can accept that foreigners have tastes
different from theirs. But to the Japanese, not I iking rice
is unusual indeed. To add to the strangeness of this by sayi ng outr i ght that one does not like rice, espec i a I I Y when it
is being served during a meal, can be regarded as astonishingly
rude.
There is one blunder that foreigners sometimes commit when
dining with Japanese that can trouble their hosts even more
than refusing rice, and that is accepting a serving of rice
and then asking for the wrong thing to put on it.
Butter
rice when
I ike many
with rice

or sugar, for example, is commonly added to steamed

it is served in Western countries, but the Japanese,
other Asians, find the combination of either of these
to be almost sickening.

You wou I d do we I I to add noth i ng at a I I to rice that is

served to you by Japanese hosts unless it is something you
notice your hosts adding to theirs. Many Japanese are apt to
be si lently disturbed even if more than a few drops of soy
sauce (shoyu), probably the most favored condiment in Japanese
dining, is sprinkled upon a serving of gohan.
Portions.
It is the Japanese way to serve a meal using
severa I sma I I plates and bow I s for each diner, rather than
heaping servings of different foods on a single plate as in
the West.
In Japan, portions of foods served may be only moderate In
size, but the custom is to offer additional helpings when the
first serving has been eaten.
Because portions are not especially large, you are generally
expected to eat a I I of each serv i ng p I aced before you. The
Japanese see no virtue, only waste, in leaving uneaten food on
one's plates.
Decide to eat all the foods you are served, declining
additional servings of foods you might not I ike in favor of
add it i ona I serv i ngs of those you do like. Some Japanese tend
to regard fussy eaters, or people who disl ike more than a few
foods, as immature.
Compl iments. The Japanese may be reserved in expressing
themselves on many occasions, but they are extremely quick to
compl iment their hosts during meals on foods that are tasty or
wei I prepared. This appl ies to foods that the host has prepared or to restaurant foods that the host is paying for.
19

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

In Japanese, oishii means "tasty" or "del iclous," and the

word is often repeated around a table several times by wellmannered guests at a Japanese meal.
Appearance of food.
No people in the world are more concerned than the Japanese about arranging foods to be appetizing
and colorful on a plate.
It is sometimes remarked that the
Japanese eat with the I r eyes as we I I as with the i r mouths.
Almost always the Japanese make a special effort to make foods
look good to guests.
A comp I iment, therefore, about the appearance of a serving
of food before it is eaten can hardly fai I to appeal to
Japanese sensitivities.
Chopsticks. Silverware is usually available in Japanese
restaurants and in many Japanese homes if you request it, but
for eating Japanese-style meals the Japanese use hashi (chopsticks). You can learn to use hashi expertly with only a
I ittle practice.
For Japanese-sty I e mea Is, the Japanese genera I I Y need no
other utensi Is, since such foods are always cut into bite-size
morsels by the person who prepares them.
When using hashi, bite-size items should be raised from
the plate to the mouth, but the best way to tackle a bowl of
gohan is to pick up the bowl from the table. Hold the bowl
near your mouth with one hand and use your chopsticks with
the other. Gohan is cooked to a certain sticky consistency,
and eating it with hashi is not at all difficult.
You need no spoon for eating suimono (soup) served as part
of a Japanese-style meal. Pick up your bowl of suimono in one
hand and fish out with hashi any bits of mushroom, tof~ (bean
cake),or other of the ingredients that Japanese I ike to include
in suimono~ then sip the rest of the suimono from the bowl
itself. The Japanese quite readily resort to this practical
method of draining a bowl of its I iquid contents whenever it
seems necessary. The broth in a bowl of udon or soba (two
kinds of Japanese noodles), for example, is also sipped from
the bow I.
Thanking the host. Two expressions are almost always used
in Japan by pol ite guests who dine at the expense of a host.
When food is served, guests commonly say "itadakimasi~" an
expression of humble acceptance of the host's hospital ity.
When the mea lis fin i shed, guests common I y say "gochisosama," which is a pol ite way of saying that the food was good
and that the meal was a treat for which the guest is grateful.
20

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST

Attitudes toward drinking. Alcohol ic drinks, especially

beer and sake (Japanese rice wine), are popular with Japanesestyle meals.
If you are invited to drink when being served a
meal or on any other occasion, some knowledge of Japanese attitudes toward drinking may be helpful.
Among men, an invitation to drink sake or any other drink
is not an offer to refuse casually. Many Japanese can be
offended by refusals of such invitations, although they are
not apt to say so. Drinking and relaxed social izing are closely linked, in the minds of many Japanese men, and a refusal
to drink without some good excuse can be interpreted as a
rejection of their company.
The host's suggest i on. An Amer i can host may typ i ca I I Y ask
a guest to name the kind of drink he might prefer, and be
prepared to serve or mix any of several kinds of drinks. A
Japanese host, however, is more apt to suggest something specific that he would I ike to serve to you.
Whether a host's suggestion is to drink sake or something
else, you should regard the offer as something more than a mere
suggestion, and you should not announce a preference for some
other drink.
Refi lIs.
If you are being served any alcohol ic drink,
including beer, allow your host to pour your drink for you and
also to refill your gla'ss. Among Japanese it is generally
understood that a good host wi I I be attentive to the cups and
glasses of his guests. Therefore, at least allow your host a
fair opportunity to serve you.
If a guest should suddenly
pour a refi I I for himself, many Japanese might think he was
overeager. An evening of such behavior might convince many
Japanese that the guest was an undiscipl ined, compulsive boozer.
The pr inc i pie of a I low i ng hosts to attend to the serv i ng
of drinks and refi lis appl ies to some extent to the serving of
teas and other nona I coho Ii c beverages as we I I, and a I so to the
serv i ng of food.
But there is a un i versa I I Y understood element
of special discipl ine involved in the consumption of strong
drink, and in Japan it is best to show you have this discipl ine
in the way the Japanese understand.
Although the Japanese try not to insult a host by decl ining
to drink without some good reason, it is not necessary to continue drinking past one's comfortable I imit in order to be
friendly. A drink or two is understood to be enough for the
pur p0 s e s 0 f soc i a b iii t y, and 0 n e can dec lin e to d r ink mo r e
without offending.

21

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

On the other hand, despite the discipl ined way they generally go about the serving of drinks, many Japanese do enjoy heavy
drinking, as national statistics on alcohol consumption reveal.
Women in Japan are expected to refrain from drinking intoxicating amounts, but it is widely accepted in Japan that
men are free to seek re I ease from the tens ions of everyday life
by drinking heavi Iy. Probably more so than most Americans,
~ost Japanese can accept with understanding the behavior of
men who are drunk in publ ic.

Image: Paul Downey

Date: 5 November 2005
cc-by-2.0

Beer is a popular drink with Japanese-style meals.

22

FOODS

If you are unfami I iar with Japanese foods, you should

sample the dishes and styles of cooking for which Japan is
world famous. Simple thrift might be one initial reason for
you to do so.
Some American tourists return from Japan with tales of
outrageous restaurant prices. The cost of dining out can
indeed be high in Japan, but many Americans go wrong by dining
on steak and other favorite American foods during their stay
and do not consider the possible scarcity of such foods In
Japan.
Knowing how to dine inexpensively in Japan begins with
knowing some basic facts about Japanese eating habits.
You should know, for example, that the people of Japan rely
heavi lyon seafood as a source of protein. The Japanese have
always had easy access to the sea, and they lack abundant grassland for grazing animals. Beef, por~ and other meats have not
been as important to the average Japanese as to the average
American, and traditionally meals with meat were served only
on special occasions in Japan.
The Japanese depend a great deal on rice; potatoes and
some of the Western array of foodstuffs made from wheat flour
are not quite as common in Japan as In the United States, and
can cost more in Japan.
Japanese tastes are changing, and more Western foods are
available in Japan today than ever before. Sfil I, foods made
from nontraditional ingredients can cost more than native
Japanese dishes.
One way to obtain many American-style foods without paying
very high prices is to patronize the American-style fast-food
restaurants which have become very popular among the Japanese.
In recent years, many Japanese seem to have acquired a
taste for such American del icacies as hamburgers, donuts,and
fried chicken, and several American fast-food franchise restaurants have spread their empires to Japan to meet the Japanese
demand for these items. You wi II probably find almost as many
fami I iar fast-food outlets in cities of Japan as in the United
States.
The products served at Japanese fast-food restaurants may
have a few interesting differences from the American versions,
but essentially they are the same, and so are the prices.
23

FOODS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Apart from the food at fast-food restaurants and at some

American-style coffee shops (ktssa-ten), American fare in Japan
can be extremely expensive. For that matter, most of the
international restaurants of Japan, which special ize, for
example, in the foods of France, Italy, or Mexico, while not
exactly hard to find in the larger cities of Japan, are also
quite expensive. Some Chinese restaurants in Japan are exceptions. Many of these are quite expensive, but many others
are not, since Chinese food is quite popular among the common
people of Japan.
It is true that the Japanese themselves pay heavi Iy for
some of the exotic specialties of Japanese cooking served at
first-class restcurants. And, as in the United States, some
restaurants in Japan can be very expensive simply because of
the luxurious surroundings that they offer to diners.
An entire category of luxurious restaurants, bars, and
other places of entertainment in Japan is priced far beyond
the range of ord i nary wage earners, and rea II y exi sts on I y for
cl ients with expense accounts or some other source of nearly
unl imited spending power. Some Japanese businessmen wield
. expense accounts that would boggle the minds of their counterparts in other countries. Some of the most generous expense
accounts to be found anywhere in the world are part of the
salary structure for managerial positions in Japanese business
and industry, and those who have them are famous for making
ful I use of them to entertain business associates and guests
in lavish style, unmindful of the costs.
If your spending power is I imited, one way to get by least
expensively in Japan is by taking your place alongside Japanese
diners at the unpretentious neighborhood restaurants (shokudo)
which you can find throughout the nation.
In shokudo, as wei I
as anywhere, you can decide for yourself how you feel about the
world-respected cuisine of Japan by sampl ing a range of basic
dishes that includes at least the following:
S~kiyaki is probably the Japanese dish best known outside
Japan.
It consists of thin sl ices of meat, usually beef, simmered with tof~, mushrooms, onions, and vegetables in a thin,
dark broth conta i n i ng soy sauce and sake. S~kiyaki is usua I I Y
cooked, and sometimes served, in a shal low iron pan, and the
Japanese enjoy eating it with a beaten raw egg alongside Into
which the cooked items are dipped before they are eaten.

Tempupa means foods that have been deep fried, and the
Japanese way of doing this is considerably more del icate than
the "french frying" practiced in a typical American restaurant.
Before deep frying, tempupa items are dipped in a I ight batter.
A favorite tempupa item In Japan is shrImp (ebi), although other
24

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

FOODS

kinds of seafood, and sometimes chicken, are also used. Deep

fried along with these are mushrooms, chunks of onions, chunks
of sweet potatoes, and sl ices of peppers and other vegetables.

Domburi litera I I Y means "bow I," but when a Japanese orders

tanin-domburi or oyako-domburi, he is asking for a bowl of gohan
topped with an omelettel ike mixture of cooked egg, meat, and
vegetables. Tanin-domburi is topped with a beef-a~d-egg mixture (ingredients considered "unrelated," the I iteral meaning
of tanin); oyako-domburi is topped with an egg-and-chicken mixture (ingredients considered "parent and child"). Other kinds
of domburi are tendon (fried shrimp on rice) and katsudon (pork
cutlet on rice).
The Japanese I ike marinated meats cut in thin sl ices.
Teriyaki is marinated beef; yakjtori is marinated chicken.
These are often skewered and roasted and then served on sticks
six or eight inches long.

Udon and soba are names for two popular types of long
noodles which are generally served hot in a thin broth with
bits of meat and vegetables and seasoning. Udon is noodles
made from wheat flour; soba is darker-colored noodles made
from buckwheat flour.
A large bowl of udon or soba is a convenient, inexpensive, and therefore popular lunch in Japan.
S~shi can be any of a variety of bite-size portions of
pressed go han to which bits of seafood or pickled vegetables
have been added. Sushi is served cold. A few drops of mi Id
vinegar generally find their way into most recipes, usually at
some point in shaping the rice.

Some varieties of sushi are wrapped in a thin skin of dried,

pressed seaweed cal led nori and are ~nown as makizushi.
Among
favorites in this category are kappa-maki (topped with bits of
cucumber), tekka-maki (topped with bits of tuna),and ebi-maki
(topped with shrimp).

Sushi is often bought in carry-out orders of a half-dozen

or several dozen pieces, often colorfully arranged in a
spec I a I I Y made sha I low ca rton. SJ;ishi is a de I i cacy in the true
sense among Japanese, and a decorated box of it is often presented as a smal I gift, not unl ike a gift box of chocolates.
Americans often balk at sampl ing sashimi, which is raw fish
cut into sl ices. Only choice cuts of very fresh, prime fish
are used for sashimi, and it is served with a zesty dip containing mustard and horseradish. Many foreigners quickly
acquire a taste for this Japanese favorite.
Bes i des be i ng genera I I y ava i I ab lei n most shokudo, most of
these foods can be tracked down individually in equally reason25

FOODS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

ably priced shops which special ize in preparing them, usually

to the exclusion of other menu items.
In Japanese, ya added
to the end of a word can mean "store" or "shop," and when it
is added to names for foods such as soba, yakitori, or s~shi
(soba-ya, yakitori-ya, sushi-ya), the new word in each case
means a shop that spec i a Ii zes in prepari ng that food.
At one time it was the Japanese way to dine only on low
tables raised I ittle more than a foot from the floor, with
diners seated on floor cushions (zabuton).
Woven straw mats
(tatami) covered the floors of most rooms in Japanese houses,
including rooms used for dining.
Some Japanese retain traditional furnishings for dining at
home, but increasingly in modern Japan the use of Western-style
tables and chairs seems to be considered more convenient.
Among restaurants, only the more expensive ones, notably the
traditional countryside inns (ryokan), are apt to strive to
provide al I furnishings and decor associated with traditional
Japanese dining. Most shokudo and specialty shops are outfitted much I ike American restaurants, with tables, chairs, and
counters.
With almost any food the Japanese serve hot tea (o-aha).
Both soft drinks and mi Ik are consumed in Japan, especially by
young people, but they generally do not complement traditional
dishes, in the Japanese view.
Among adults, cold beer or warmed sake is popular with most
evening meals that consist of Japanese dishes, but the drinking
of either is usua II y done before or after the food is served,
and less often throughout the meal.
The Japanese serve sake from small ceramic flasks called
o-ahoshi, and the warming of sake is usually accomplished by
immersing the sake-fi I led o-choshi to its neck in hot water until
its contents are heated. Warm sake is poured into small ceramic
cups called sakazuki for drinking.
Apparent I yin the interest of clean I i ness, the hashi that
the Japanese seem to like best for informal public dining in
specialty shops and neighborhood restaurants are the disposable
kind, made of wood and wrapped or sealed in a paper envelope.
These d i sposab I e hashi usua I I yare jo i ned together at the top
and are to be snapped apart to be used.
Among traditional foods of Japan is a category of pastries
and sweets (o-kashi), but even the sweetest of these lacks the
sugary richness of most Western desserts. O-kashi usually are
served only as snacks, most often with tea, and rarely in connection with meals. Except for occasional servings of fruit,
the Japanese do not serve desserts with traditional meals.
26

FOODS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Many Japanese do not seem especially interested in desserts as

a finish to a meal consisting of Western-style foods, and seem
to think that such desserts as pie or ice cream are really
better as between-meal snacks.

Image: Tomo/shishamo72
Date: 29 August 2009
cc-by-2.0

Two young guests at a Japanese inn enjoying their dinner, which

is served in their room. The kimono they are wearing is furnished by the inn.

Image: PatriceNeff
Date: 24 January 2004
cc-by-1.0

One type of dinner served at a traditional Japanese restaurant.

The dinner includes shrimp tempura, raw fish, salad, boi led
vegetable, clear soup, and dessert. Chopsticks are in the
folder in front.
27

CONVERSATIONS YOU MIGHT GET INTO

Because you speak Engl ish, some Japanese might regard you
as a loarning resource. Engl ish is by far the most popular
foreign language studied in Japan, and many Japanese begin
studying Engl ish in junior high school and continue studying
it in universities. Other Japanese enrol I in private language
schools that special ize in Engl ish, and in Japanese magazines
you can see advertisements for home-study courses in Engl ish
conversation.
Don't be surprised if a Japanese introduces himself to you
on the street and asks if he may practice the Engl ish he has
learner. This happens frequently to Americans in Japan, and
some Japanese have been known to offer Americans their services
as on-the-spot tour guides around Japanese cities in exchange
for the opportunity to sharpen their English-speaking ski I Is.
Except perhaps when they want to pracfice their Engl ish,
most Japanese probab I y wi I I be very interested in any effort
on your part to use their language. They will gladly help you
in your attempts and encourage you with compl iments.
In fact, some
guage abi I ities a
happi Iy surprised
make a great fuss
they may be.

Americans find Japanese praise of their lanbit overwhelming. Some Japanese may be so
to hear you speak Japanese that they wi I I
about your language ski lis, however limited

For examp Ie, the fo I low i ng exchange might occu r on a street

in Japan between a Japanese and an American inquiring about the
location of a subway station.
American:

Chikatetsi no eki doko desi kat

Japanese:

Oh! You speak Japanese '!.!!..!:.::L well! Where

did you learn?
(said in Japanese or
possibly in English)

If you ordinari Iy become embarrassed by too much praise

(or even if you don't), politely using one or two of the
fo I low i ng phrases can be a grac i ous response on your part.
Response:

Ie~

Response:

Nihongo wa sikoshi sh-Jka dekimasen. (" I

have only a I ittle Japanese language
ability.")

Response:

d~ itashimashite.
mention it.")

("No, don't

Mada s~koshi shika benkyo shite imasen.

("I have not yet studied much.")
28

Image: Cristina Bejarano

Date: 13 November 2010
cc-by-2.0

Ginza pedestrian zone in Tokyo

Traffic congestion in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district has led

to day-long bans of vehicle traffic, making the streets avai lab I e to pedestr i ans on I y. The Japanese ca I I th i s hokosha
tengoki, which means "pedestrians' paradise."

29

WHAT THE JAPANESE DO FOR FUN

American influence on Japanese ways of I ife has been very

strong. An American in Japan can hardly fai I to notice that
the Japanese enjoy themselves by doing many of the same things
Americans do. Mi II ions of Japanese seem to like American popular music, television shows, and movies fully as much as simi lar
Japanese enterta i nment. Like Americans, mi II ions of Japanese
love basebal Ii they spend summers preoccupied with Little
League games and with the ups and downs of their favorite professional teams and players.
However, a Japanese who enjoys these things may also enjoy
participating in Japanese festivals of ancient origin, and
may enjoy practicing or appreciating arts and crafts deeply
rooted in Japanese tradition. The same Japanese may also enjoy such pastimes as photography and golf, which are very popular in modern Japan, and he may I ike to frequent paahinko parlors, playing the vertical pinball machine game which mt II ions
of Japanese enjoy.
As in few other countries, I ife in modern Japan combines
the very old with the very new, and foreign influences with
tradition. No one can get to know the Japanese very wei I without knowing about their diversity, and some insights can come
from knowing how they have fun.
Sports. 8aseba I lis actua I I Y the most popu I ar spectator
sport in Japan. Among the Japanese it is known by two names.
Probably the more common name is yakyu, which means "field bal I,"
but many Japanese call the game by its American name, which
they pronounce besuboru.
Japan's profess iona I baseba II teams are aff i It ated with
two major leagues, the Pacific and the Central. Salaries paid
to the top players are greater than the earnings of top American professionals. Teams in Japan represent cities, as in the
Un i ted States, as we I I as large corporat ions, and compete in
day and night games, in doubleheaders, and in championship
series playoffs. Japanese fans enjoy pro baseball in all the
ways that Americans do, showing team loyalty by turning out in
I arge numbers for I oca I games, by listen i ng to rad i 0 descr t ptions of games, or by watching network telecasts.
Japan's basebal I season begins and ends at about the same
time the season begins and ends in the United States, getting
under way in the spring and closing in the fall.
During May
and June a number of games are usua I lyra i ned out by monsoon
showers, sometimes making the season a week or two longer than
scheduled.
30

FUN

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Sumo is a traditional Japanese wrestl ing contest that seems

to attract virtually no interest outside Japan, but among
Japanese the sport fo II ows close I y after baseba I lin spectator
popularity.
Sumo wrestlers train to achieve great body proportions and
weight in addition to strength. After ceremonious introductions,
man-to-man grappl ing takes place in a small circular ring.
Japan's networks televise sumo year-round at regular intervals, covering six major sumo tournaments, each held annually
in a different region of Japan and each lasting 15 days.
Japanese masters teach martial arts such as judo, karate,
and aikido to the world. Many Japanese enjoy watching and
practicing these very disciplined, traditional forms of unarmed
self-defense.
On the other hand, to judge from the number of telecasts,
the Japanese also enjoy watChing brawls known as kick-boxing
contests, in which combatants use their feet for kicking as
we I I as gloved fists for punch i ng. The Japanese seem to have
learned this sport by seeing'it practiced in Thailand.
The Japanese have accepted the game of vo I I eyba I I as a
spectator sport in ways yet to be equa II ed by sports fans in
the Un i ted States and in other countr I es. When Japanese vo I I eyba I I teams trave I ab road, they se I dom find worthy compet it ion
anywhere.
Japan was host to the 1972 Winter Olympics and is unquestionably the winter sports capital of Asia. Ski ing is among
Japan's currently most popular and fastest-growing sports.
It
is one that you can learn, practice, and perhaps most easi Iy
enjoy as a participant, along with the Japanese.
Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, receives heavy snowfal I every winter and has many fine ski ing slopes. The
Hokkaido ski season begins in November and lasts through April.
Many Japanese find the mountains of western Honshu more
accessible, however, and most weekend skiers, who sometimes jam
the train stations in Tokyo during winter mo~ths, are en route
to the ski resorts located there. The ski season is shorter in
Honshu, usually lasting from December to March.
The Japanese learned skiing mainly from Europeans, and one
European institution that the Japanese seem to I ike especially
is the ski lodge, where skiers can get together each evening
for singing, dancing, and beer drinking in a friendly atmosphere.

31

FUN

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Notable Japanese additions to ski lodge amenitIes are

nearby hot springs for bathing. Onsen is the Japanese word
for natural warm-water springs, which exist in large numbers
not only in the mountains but also throughout the islands.
Bui Iding ski lodges near onsen, so that skiers can conveniently
relax, warm themselves, and recover from fatigue in traditional
Japanese fashion, is an example of how the Japanese can happi Iy
combine foreign ideas with their own and achieve unique results.
The actual number of onsen in Japan is estimated at about
13,000, a I though not a II of them are of temperatures su I tab Ie
for bathing.
Many onsen, however, are of temperatures that could hardly
be more ideal for bathing, and the waters of several hundred
of them have high minerai content reputed to be of health value
to those who regularly immerse themselves in them. Therefore,
both the good, clean fun of bathing and the supposed curative
properties attract many Japanese to onsen, and resort towns
cal led onsen maahi have grown up around some major hot spring
locations to accommodate the visitors who flock to them.
Bathing.
The Japanese place a high value on personal
cleanl iness, but the fact that bathing amounts to something of
a national pastime in Japan does not result from concern about
mere clean I i ness.
I n a bath (o-furo), most Japanese seek a I so
relaxation and warming rei ief from the chi I I of winter or the
sweltering heat of summer. Sometimes, in public bathing (Bento),
a bath provides an opportunity for socializing.
There is one significant difference between bathing as
practiced in Japan and in the United States. The o-furo itself
is not a sudsy affair of the sort that Americans sl ide into,
but rather is a leisurely soak in clean, clear water heated to
a few degrees warmer than most American baths. The bather
should rinse himself before entering a bath. After a good soaking, he comes out and gives himself a thorough soap-and~water
scrubbing and rinsing. Then he re-enters the tub to enJoy the
del ight of hot water soaking.
Traditional-style Japanese bathtubs are constructed from
wooden slats, although nowadays prefabricated plastic tubs are
obtainable at less cost.
In Japanese homes, a room for the
bath is a room set apart from the rest of the household.
It
is not the same room in which the tol let is found. Most Japanese seem to regard the Western practice of instal I ing a bathtub
and a toi let in the same room, within a few feet of each other,
as strange indeed.
Publ ic bathing is not what it used to be in Japan. At one
time publ ic bathhouses flourished in the large Japanese cities,
where apartments were bui It without space for private bathing
faci I ities. Apartments are sti II sma II in Japan, but the more
32

FUN

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

affluent Japanese today seem less wi I I ing than the Japanese of

a few generations ago to I ive in homes without private baths.
Some good publ ic bathhouses remain in business today, however.
At bathhouses, separate faci I itles are used by men and women.
After scrubbing and rinsing, patrons soak together in a large
bath which may equal a swimming pool in size. Bathhouse
patrons are almost al I regular customers.
Other leisure-time activities. The Japanese watch a lot
of television, and many homes have two or more sets, including
at least one color set. Even an American who understands little
or no Japanese can find Japanese television fascinating.
For
one thing, Japanese telecasting is remarkably sharp and clear,
and the visual experience alone is interesting. Also of interest are the several American television series that are broadcast in Japan after having been dubbed into Japanese. Some of
these are quite popular in Japan, among Japanese in all walks
of I ife. For example, during a 1975 visit to the United States,
Japan's emperor reportedly expressed a special interest in
meeting the actor who portrayed his favorite pol ice detective
hero in an American television series.
To an American, Japanese comedy, drama and adventure series,
quiz shows, and commercial advertising may have a fami I iar look,
brought about by American influence on Japanese television entertainment. But many interesting differences also exist,
making Japanese television a unique hybrid.
Also, an American interested in the Japanese language can
hardly fai I to improve his ear for spoken Japanese by tuning
in on Japanese television.
Although it may not seem compatible with watching a lot of
television, the Japanese also read a lot. Japan is among the
nations in which I iteracy among adults is highest. No people
in the world have more interest in the printed word than the
Japanese, and few equal the Japanese in the number of books,
magazines, and newspapers bought and read. Many Americans
have come away from Japan impressed by the number of people
they saw pract i ca I I Y everywhere who were absorbed in read i ng.
The Japanese might be the most photography-minded people
in the world. Maybe because Japan manufactures some of the
world's finest cameras and photography equipment, most Japanese
own cameras and are fond of taking pictures, if only souvenir
snapshots.
If photography is not among your hobbies, you might consider taking it up in Japan. The Japanese wi II welcome your
interest in photographing national monuments and scenic locales,
and you wi I I find many Japanese themselves doing this.
33

FUN

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

You wi I I
I ike to pose
proached and
photograph a

probably notice during your stay that the Japanese

for group photographs. Often a stranger is apasked if he wi I I kindly use a member's camera to
group of friends.

As wi I I ing as the Japanese often are to pose, many are

troubled by photographers who attempt candid shots, and regard
such attempts as infringements on their privacy.

Image:
Date: 31 May 2008
cc-by-3.0

Used cameras in Tamba City, Hygo prefecture.

Some of the world's finest cameras are made in Japan.

34

EARTHQUAKES
True to popular bel ief, earthquakes (jishin) do occur often
in Japan. However, a visitor is not I ikely to experience a
severe one.
In the course of a year a dozen or so quakes may
be serious enough to rattle household or office furnishings,
but even these are more I ikely to occur in the countryside than
in the urban areas where most people I ive. City residents also
have the assurance that major construction in Japan's urban
areas has for the past several years been carried out according
to some of the world's finest earthquake-proofing technology.
More startl ing to some Americans than an earthquake itself
is the Japanese reaction when a tremor is felt. Many Japanese
promptly evacuate rooms, stand between doorjambs or duck under
desks or tables in a reflexive reaction to what might happen
in a severe quake. Many Japanese are trained from chi Idhood
to take such precautions, and although they may appear panicstricken to Americans, they are really reacting only out of
habit.
Obtain specific recommendations about what to do in the
event of an earthquake both at your place of work and in your
I iving quarters. Don't be fazed by the reactions of others if
an earthquake should occur.

35

TRAVEL WITHIN JAPAN

Japan has impressive stretches of superhighway, and many

Japanese own private automobiles. Most, however, rely on publ ic
transportation. With gasol ine and other petroleum products
priced three or more times as high as in the United states,
most Japanese cannot afford to operate private automobiles,
even though mass production of well-made, fuel-efficient cars
is a major Japanese industry.
J a pan e s e pub I i c t ran s p 0 r tat ion i s fa mo u s for its e f f i c i en c y
World-famous "bullet trains" connect some major population
centers. They are recognized as the world's fastest passenger
trains, reaching speeds of up to 130 miles per hour. Other
trains make rai I travel possible to practically all parts of
Japan and also offer courteous service and comfort.
Interurban
train, subway, and bus service is generally extensive in all
sizable Japanese cities.
Although publ ic transportation is plentiful in Japan, and
runs dependably on schedule, commuter transportation in the
larger cities can be extremely crowded during rush hours. The
trains that I ink distant cities also can be quite crowded duri ng Japanese ho I i days.
Japanese workdays in most offices and factories begin and
end at about the same hours as in the United States, but commuter rush hours in the large Japanese cities can begin an hour
or so earl ier and end an hour or so later than in U. S. cities,
since larger numbers of Japanese commuters must be accommodated,
and many Japanese commuters reside far from their places of
emp loyment..
Naturally, if you can avoid travel I ing during big-city
rush hours in Japan, it is wise to do so.
If you must board a
crowded commuter train, do what the Japanese do: try not to
carry packages or other objects, clutch in front of you whatever you must carry, and try to avoid wearing fragi Ie clothing
that might be easi Iy torn.
Serious rush-hour traffic snarls pose problems for taxi
passengers and for drivers in large cities of Japan. Americans
who might wish to drive in Japan should note, too, that the
Japanese practice of driving on the left side of the road is
one to which some Americans have difficulty adjusting, and
traffic signs written in Japanese are a formidable obstacle to
safe driving for anyone who is not competent in reading
Japanese.

36

Image: OiMax
Date: 11 November 2007
cc-by-2.0

Shinkansen traveling through Yurakucho, Tokyo

Downtown Tokyo.
In the foreground is a train of the Shinkansen
superexpress line.
37

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

The Japanese celebrate 12 national hoi idays each year. As

with national hoi idays in the United states and elsewhere, in
Japan these are days set aside to honor persons or institutions
or to commemorate events of great significance in the I ife of
the nation. Japanese government offices, schools, banks, and
some private businesses remain closed on national holidays.
In addition to national hoi idays, the Japanese celebrate a
calendar of matsuri (festivals) every year. These are not
officially sanctioned by the Japanese government as national
events. Almost all matsuri began as regional celebrations, and
remain so, with only a few celebrated throughout Japan. However, many matsuri are we I I known among a I I the peop I e of Japan
and receive considerable national attention. For local folk in
some parts of Japan, an annua I matsuri can be the I ivel iest,
most eagerly awaited,and most carefully planned celebration of
the year.
Japan's national hoi idays and some important matsuri are
given chronologically in the following listing.
January 1-4. New Year's Day (January I) is a national
hoi iday, but festivities last through January 4. The Japanese
term for the ent ire ho I i day i nterva lis sh~gats'Ji, and it ran ks
h i g h i n imp 0 r tan c e a mo n g ann u a Ice I e bra t ion s for a I I J a pan e s e
Shogats1A can be translated literally as "the just-right month,"
and many Japanese I ike to think of this hoi iday as the time to
reflect on hopes for the coming year. Shogats'Ji activitIes are
both solemn and festive. Most workers who are not employed in
vital publ ic services are given the entire four days off.
Stores are closed, and a quiet settles over much of Japan.
Many Japanese dress in their best kimono during shogatsi, which,
for many of them, is the only time of year when this traditional
clothing of Japan is worn.
Jan u a r y I 4 S now f est i val ( y u k i -m at sur i) at To k0 mac hi.
Picturesque snow huts resembl ing igloos are bui It by chi Idren
for this festival in Nilgata, in central Honshu.
In the
evening these are I it by candlel ight and hoi iday meals are
served.
January 15.
Japanese name is
and women who at
reached) age 20,
in Japan.

Adult's Day (a national holiday). The

seijin no hi, and the day honors young men
some time during the year wi I I reach (or have
the age of adulthood and the legal voting age

38

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

February 1-5. Snow Festival (yuki-matsuri) in Sapporo.

Since the beginning of this festival in the 19505, the people
of this principal city of Hokkaido have every year been constructing elaborate snow and ice sculptures in their downtown
Odori Park. Nowadays about 200 such sculptures are created
for this festival, some of them small and finely detailed,
others massive. Colored I ighting effects are added during
evenings, and shows and events are staged.
February II. National Foundation Day (a national hoi iday).
Ca II ed kenkoku no hi in Japanese, th is day ce I ebrates the
founding of Japan by the legendary Emperor J immu in 660 B.C.
March 3. Doll Festival. The Japanese call this celebration hina-matsuri.
It is held nationwide and is also known as
Girls' Day.
It is celebrated with displays of ceremonial
dolls (not toy dolls), for which the Japanese word is hinaningyo. Many households display sets of dol Is which depict
Japan's emperor, empress, and imperial court. Hina-ningyo are
often fami Iy heirlooms. Parties are customari Iy given by
young girls on this day.
March 21 or 22. Vernal Equinox Day (a national hoi iday).
The time of the vernal equinox--that time in spring when days
and nights become of exactly equal length--is of rei igious
significance to some Japanese, reminding them of Q dividing
I ine between I ife in this world and the afterl ife. Graves are
visited and decorated on this day, and for some Japanese it is
a I so a day to ref I ect on the wonders of natu re, espec i a I I y
grow i ng th i ngs. The J apa nese name for th i s ho I i day is
shumbun no hi.
Apri I 8. The Birthday of Buddha. The Japanese name for
this celebration is hana-matsuri~ which I iterally means "flower
festival." Many Japanese adhere to the teachings of Buddha,
and on this day they attend celebrations in temples and participate in street processions.
A~ril 29.
The Emperor's Birthday (a national holiday).
Japan s Emperor Hirohito was born on this day in 1901 and has
been serving as emperor since 1926. Although his role in Japan's
modern government is ceremonial, to many Japanese he is the
symbol ie father of the nation. On th is day thousands gather
at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to greet him during a scheduled
pub lie a p pea ran c e . The J a pan e sen a me for T his hoi ida y i s
tenno tanj obi.

May 3. Constitution Day (a national hoi iday). This day,

wh i eh the Japanese ca I I kenpo kinenbi~ commemorates the day
in 1947 when Japan's postwar constitution took effect.
(The
constitution was signed the previous year and is often referred
to as the Constitution of 1946.)
39

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

May 5. Chi Idren's Day (a national hoi iday). This hoi iday,
kodomo no hi in Japanese, honors the ch i I dren of Japan and ca II s
attention to proper gratitude of chi Idren to parents.
Boys' Day Fest i va I (i n Japanese, tango no sekk-p.). The
fifth day of the fifth month is also the traditional date for
this festival, from which the Children's Day holiday has been
adapted. For many Japanese, May 5 remains Boys' Day, the time
when fami I ies honor their male offspring and wish them healthy,
successfu I I ives. Throughout Japan, fami I ies with young sons
hoist "carp streamers"--Iarge cloth or paper representations
of this respected fish--which bi I low in the wind. The Japanese
name for these streamers is koinobori, and they are seen at
many other times of the year also.
July 7. Star Festival (tanabata-matsuri). This festival,
celebrated in many parts of Japan on the seventh day of the
seventh month, has grown out of an ancient Chinese legend about
two lovers destined to meet somewhere among the stars of the
Mi Iky Way on this day throughout eternity. This is a very old
festival in Japan, and in the city of Sendai, in northern Honshu,
it is celebrated on an especially large scale (although this
famous Sendai celebration usually takes place during August).
Many traditional papercraft ski lis are used to create the
streamers, I anterns, pompons, and origami (fo I ded paper figures)
associated with this day in Japan. Poems written on colored
strips of paper (tanzakA) are seen hanging on branches at the
gates of houses and gardens on this day_
July 13-15. O-bon (or Bon) Festival. The Japanese name
for th i s important fest i va I does not trans I ate into Eng Ii sh,
and th i s th ree-day event is often ca I led, for conven i ence,
"the festival of lanterns." This celebration began as a Buddhist hoi iday and remains significantly Buddhist, although not
exclusively so. Partly it is a solemn festival, a primary purpose of which is to encourage the nation to reflect upon
ancestors, since it is a Buddhist bel ief that spirIts of the
departed return to mingle with the I iving on these days. But
there is also joyous celebration arising out of the bel ief that
such return visits from the afterl ife are possible, and one
important part of the festival is a happy bon-odori (dance
event).
July 17-24. Gion Festival in Kyoto. This commemorates the
del iverance of the city of Kyoto from an almost devastating
plague in A.D. 869. According to legend, Japan's emperor at
that time ordered that a display of 66 spears, representing
Japan's 66 ancient provinces, be erected at the Yasaka Shrine
in Kyoto's Gion section. The measure brought a miraculous end
to the p I ague, and the fest i va lis ce I ebrated in Kyoto with
street processions, elaborate floats,and the wearing of costumes of ancient-style clothing.
40

Image: Robert Young

Date: 18 April 2006
cc-by-2.0

Ancient and modern architecture can be seen in Kyoto, where

Toji Temple has been a landmark since the eighth century A.D.

41

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

Augu st 6-7. Kanto Fest i va lin Ak i ta. A kanto is a bamboo

pole some 30 feet in length with crossbars from which colorful
paper lanterns are hung. On festiva I nights, bearers parade
through the streets of this city in northern Honshu balancing
kanto with as many as 50 I it lanterns attached. Music and
drums, including festive taiko brass drums, also playa part
in the celebrations.
September 15. Respect for the Aged Day (a nat i ona I ho I i day)
A day set aside to honor Japan's elderly. This has been a
national holiday only since 1966, although respect for the
elderly is a social value of long standing in Japan. The
Japanese name for this day is keipo no hi.
September 23. Autumna I Equ i nox Day (a nat i ona I ho I i day)
The Japanese name for this hoi iday is shubun no hi. Like Vernal
Equinox Day in March, this holiday recognizes a time of year
when days and nights become of equal length.
It has the same
impl ications as Vernal Equinox Day.
October 10. Hea I th-Sports Day (a nat i ona I ho I I day). The
Japanese name for th i s ho I i day is taiikJ1, no hi.
It is a day to
recognize the importance of athletics and physical fitness in
the health of the nation.
October 14-15. "Roughhouse Festival" (mega kenka) in
Hlmeji. A mikoshi is a portable, but very heavy, shrine often
carried in Japanese parades.
In this festival, teams of
mikoshi bearers push and jostle each other along the streets
of this southern Honshu city in an effort to gain front position in the annual procession. Mikoshi competition of this
sort occurs in other parades in Japan, but this festival is
devoted to it on a grand scale.
November 3. Cu I tu re Day (a nat i ona I ho I i day) The Japanese
name for this hoi iday is bunka no hi. This is a day set aside
to promote culture in all aspects.
November 15. "Seven-Five-Three" Hoi iday (sh;lahi-go-san).
In Japanese tradition, the ages seven, five, and three are
turning points in the lives of boys and girls. Children of
these ages are dressed in their finest clothes on this hoi iday
and are taken by their parents to shrines. This is a day for
parents to show pride in their chi Idren and to review their
hopes for the i r ch i I dren' shea I th and happ i ness.
November
The Japanese
ho I i days and
kinpo kansha

23.
Labor Thanksgiving Day (a national hoi iday).
borrowed the American Thanksgiving and Labor Day
comb i ned them into th is one, wh i ch they ca I I
no hi. The essence of the two American hoi idays

42

HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

remains much the same in this combined Japanese version: the

honoring of laborers and of the commitment to hard work, plus
gratitude for material blessings.
December 25. Christmas. Christianity is not a dominant
religion in Japan, but its influence is strong. Most Japanese,
however, enjoy Christmas as a gift-giving occasion. For this
purpose, the Japanese have adopted many of the customs of
Western countries to celebrate Christmas, including simi lar
hoi iday decorations and Christmas trees. Many Japanese companies choose this time of year to award employees the second
of two annua I bonuses customar i I y pa i d to workers in Japan.
Chrisimas shopping sprees have become as common in Japan as in
the United States.
December 31. Omisoka means "the I ast grand day." The
Japanese end the year by concluding business transactions,
pay i n 9 deb t 5, and ex c han gin 9 yea r - end g i f t 5 No 0 die s hop s are
at their busiest, supplying the traditional demand for noodles
to celebrate the end of the year. Many Japanese stay awake
unti I midnight to hear temple bells toll 108 times, according
to custom, and some go to shrines and temples for an early
start on New Year's festivities.

Image: scarletgreen
Date: 19 September 2008
cc-by-2.0

The distant to~ii gate (partially hidden by tree branches)

marks the seaward approach to Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima
prefecture.
Its base is flooded beneath Inland Sea waters at
high tide. To~ii are well-known symbols of Japan: they serve
as entrances to shrines and other places considered holy in
Shinto, the native religion of Japan.
43

QUIZ

Ma rk each of the fo I low i ng statements either true or fa I se.

Then check your answers with the key.
False
True
I.

Because Japan has become a

crowded nation, most
Japanese have lost much of
their concern for the privacy of others.

2.

A Japanese acquaintance wi II
more I ikely invite you to a
meal at a restaurant than to
a meal prepared and served
at his home.

3.

Japan has been invaded and

conquered several times in
the last 1,000 years.

4.

If you invite a married

Japanese male to attend a
party or dinner, he will
surely assume that his
wife is welcome to attend
along with him.

5.

The Japanese are so quick

to learn from the peoples
of other countries that
they seldom feel the need
to devise their own way
of doing things.

6.

If you don't I ike plain

steamed rice served to
you by a Japanese host,
you should ask for butter
or sugar to put on it.

7.

Japan was the first Asian

nation to become an industrial power.

8.

The Japanese carry handkerchiefs to blow their

noses.
44

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

QUIZ

True
9.

A J a pan e sew j I I pro b a b I Y

want to open a giftwrapped package upon receiving it whi Ie the

person who gave the gift
looks on.
10.

Eng lis his the fore i g n

language most commonly
studied by the Japanese.

II.

The Japanese are qu ite

open in compl imenting
hosts on foods that
are well prepared.

12.

The land area of Japan

is about equal in size
to that of Ca I ; forn; a.

13.

If you buy a bowl of

Japanese noodles it is
okay to sip the broth
from the bowl itself.

14.

Baseball is a very
popular sport among
the Japanese.

15.

You will probably offend

most Japanese if you
make mistakes in trying
to speak their language.

16.

Most Japanese won't

expect you to be we I I
informed about their
wa y s 0 f I i f e

17.

Photography is a good
hobby to pursue in
Japan.

18.

The traditional arts

of Japan help modern
Japanese adjust to
crowded I iving conditions.

45

False

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

QUIZ

True
19.

A waitress in a typical
Japanese restaurant wi II
probably think you are a
cheapskate if you do not
leave her a 15 percent
tip.

20.

You should allow a Japanese

host an opportunity to refi I I your sake cup for you
instead of ref ill i ng it for
yourself.

21.

To refuse to eat a number

of foods impresses many
Japanese as a sign of
sophistication.

22.

Leaving uneaten food on

a plate is apt to be considered a serious social
wrong by most Japanese.

46

False

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

QUIZ KEY

Key
I

False

12.

True

2.

True

13.

True

3.

False

14.

True

4.

False

I5

False

5.

False

16.

True

6.

False

17.

True

True

I 8.

True

8.

False

19.

False

9.

False

20.

True

10.

True

2I .

False

II

True

22.

True

47

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Many excel lent books on Japan are avai lable in libraries

and bookstores, including books by Western authors and translations of books originally publ ished by Japanese authors.
Book-length studies are avai lable on many specific aspects of
Japanese culture and periods of history. The fol lowing books,
however, are recommended for their general interest to foreign
residents in Japan and for their easy availability.
Condon, John, and Kurata, Keisuke, In Searah of What's Japanese
about Japan. Shufunotomo Company of Tokyo, 1977. An interesting study of many facets of Japanese culture, with photographs,
by a professor at the International Christian University in
suburban Tokyo.
De Menthe, Boye, P's and Q's for Travelers in Japan.
Shufunotomo Company of Tokyo, 1974. A I ively book of informal
advice, especially good for first-time visitors, by an American
with a long career in Japan.
Forbis, Wi I I iam H., Japan Today. Harper and Row, 1975. Subtitled "People, Places and Power," this is a useful inside
account of Japanese I ife and thought by an American journal ist
who has special ized in covering Japan.
Nagasawa, Kimiko, and Condon, Camy, Eating Cheap in Japan.
Shufunotomo Company of Tokyo, 1977. A visually appealing
guide about foods and restaurant ordering in Japan with many
color photographs.
Retschauer, Edwin 0., Japan: The Story of a Nation. Knopf,
revised 1974. A concise history of Japan from earliest to
recent times by one of America's foremost scholars on Japan,
a former U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Reischauer, Edwin 0., The Japanese. Harvard University, the
Be I I knap Press, 1977. An author i tat i ve look at J apa nese
behavior and culture in connection with recent history.
Seward, Jack, The Japanese. Wi I I iam Morrow & Co., 1972.
thoughtful and entertaining look at the Japanese by an
American who I ived in Japan a long time.

Vogel, Ezra F., Japan as Number One. Harvard University Press,

1979. Subtitled "Lessons for America," this is a critical
analysis of Japan's economic, successes in recent years by a
sociologist special izing in Japan.

48

MODULE 2
GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS
I.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this module you wi II be able to

I.

greet someone with the appropriate expression in

the morning, afternoon, and evening;

2.

introduce two persons to each other;

3.

respond appropriately when being introduced;

4.

say "good-bye."

49

PART 2

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

2.

VOCABULARY

The system of writing Japanese used in this course is

called the Hepburn system. Pronunciation of most of the letters
presents no difficulty to an American. Those letters or
combinations of letters considered difficult to pronounce wi I I
be explained in this section of the modules.
In Module 2 you may have difficulty with the following:
I.
When the letter n is the last letter in a word,
it may sound somewhat like the ng in "sing." Listen:
Miura-san
2.

When double letters appear in a Japanese word, as in

Think of double letters
as having a hyphen between them and pronounce both letters
distinctly.
Listen:

konnichiwa 3 the sound is repeated.

Kon-nichiwa
3. The letters with a bar above them, 0 and a 3 are
pronounced longer than ones without a bar. To help you hear
the difference, I isten to a pair of Japanese names:
Sako

Sato

4.
When i and u are written with a slash mark through
them, they are slurred, or barely pronounced.
Listen to the
difference between the i and the i in hajimemashite.
Now
I isten to the difference between the u and i in the name

Kurus"'.

50

PART 2

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

ohay~

gozaimas~

good morning

konnichiwa

good day

kombanwa

good evening

kochirawa

this (person)

- sa n

Mr. ; Mrs. i Miss

des.t1

is; am; are

hajimemash/te

how do you do

dozo yorosh/kt1

pleased to meet you

kochira koso

the pleasure i s mine

dewa mata

see you later

j ~ mata

see you later

No Image Available

When two Japanese meet, they may bow formally to each

other. Generally, a distinct nod is sufficient for an
American.
51

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

3.

PART 3

NOTES

I. The phrase ohayo gozaimaBn litera I I y mean s "i t i s

early." This greeting is not generally used after about
ten o'clock in the morning.
Konniahiwa literally means "as for today."
It is used from
about ten o'clock in the morning unti I dusk.
Kombanwa means "good evening" and is used in the same way as
its Engl ish translation.
2. Although Americans customari Iy follow a greeting by
"how are you," the Japanese equivalent, o-genki deB,! ka, is
not used by persons meeting for the first time. The phrase
is used by friends who have not seen each other for some time.
3. The ending -Ban is added to a person's name.
It
may usually be translated as "Mr.," "Mrs.," or "Miss."
-Ban is used after a person's first name or last name.
Note that -Ban shows the speaker's respect for the person
he is speaking to or about. The speaker, therefore,
never uses -Ban with his own name.
For example, you would
call your friend Tanaka-Ban, but he would refer to himself
simply as Tanaka.
4. The expression hajimemaBhlte literally means "meeting
you for the first time."
It should be used only when
introducing yourself or being introduced.
5.

Each time you greet someone in Japan with

ohay~

gozaimas~,

konnichiwa,
kombanwa,
and each time you say, in introductions,
hajimemashlte,
d~zo

yoroshlk~,

koch ira koso,

dewa mata/j~ mata,
you should nod your head.
Your Japanese acquaintance may
bow to you more ceremoniously, bending from the waist.

52

PART 3

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

6. At a party or on the street, when you recognize at

a distance someone you know, you should first nod as a
gesture of recognition. As you approach or are approached
by the person, you greet him. Generally, one does not
shout and greet another person at a distance in Japan,
except in some intimate groups, such as young students.

Japan - Ex-soldiers bow to greet birth of emperor's grandchild

53

Photo: Bain News Service, publisher

Library of Congress Collection
Date: 12 January 1926
LC Call Number: LC-B2- 6502-3 [P&P]
Public Domain

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

4.

PART 4

FLUENCY DRILLS

I. Japanese, like English, has an expression for "good

morn i ng"--ohayo gozaimasi.
It is used unt i I about ten
o'clock in the morning.
If someone says ohayo gozaimas~,
it is customary to answer ohayo gozaimasi. Now you wi I I
hear the expression three times; repeat after hearing it
each time.
ohay~

gozaimasli

ohay~

gozaimaski

ohayo gozaimasd
You meet Mr. Naka on the way to work in the morning:
Naka:

Ohayo

gozaimas~.

YOU:

2. From ten o'clock in the morning unti I dark, the most

common greeting is konniahiwa. Konniahiwa is also the
standard response.
Listen to two Japanese people greet each
other around lunchtime.
Naka:

Konnichiwa.

Imai:

Konnichiwa.

Now Naka greets you at three in the afternoon:

Naka:

Konnichiwa.

YOU:

54

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

3.
After dark the greeting is kombanwa, and you answer
with kombanwa.
Listen to two Japanese people greeting each
other when they meet after supper.

Naka:

Kombanwa.

Imai:

Kombanwa.

Now Imai greets you at 8:30 in the evening:

Imai:

Kombanwa.

YOU:

4.
Japanese has only one word for the English words
"Mr.," "Mrs.," and "Miss." That word is -san.
It always
follows the name of a person spoken to or about. Never use
-san after your own name.
I n Japanese "Mr. Oka" is Oka-san.
But Oka-san can also be "Mrs. Oka" or "Miss Oka."
In
this exercise you wi I I be given five Japanese names,
and you wi II add -san to each.

EXAMPLE:

Suzuki

YOU:

Takahashi
Tanaka
Watanabe
ItO'
Kobayashi

55

Suzuki-san

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

5.
If you add the word desi to a phrase I ike Sato-san,
you form a sentence <Sato-san des'Ji) meaning "this is Mr./
Mrs./Miss Sato."
(The "this" is implied, or understood.>
In thi s exerci se you wi II hear names, such as Sato-san and
Matsumoto-san, and you wi I I make a complete sentence with
each by adding des~.
EXAMPLE:

YOU:

Nakamura-san

Nakamura-san

des~.

Yamamoto-san
Kate-san
Yamada-san
Uchida-san
Sasaki-san

6.
Now you wi I I add another word to the sentences you
made in the last exercise. The word koahirawa means "this
person," but is better translated simply as "this." Koahirawa
is added at the beginning: Koahirawa Sato-san des'li means "This
is Mr. Sato." Whi Ie koahirawa Sato-san des~ is a sl ightly
more formal way of saying Sato-san des~, the two sentences
mean exactly the same thing and can be used interchangeably.
Now you wi II hear the shorter form, and you wi II add koahirawa
at the beginning.
EXAMPLE:

Suzuki-san

des~.

Kobayashi-san
Watanabe-san

des~.

Yamamoto-san

des~.

Kate-san

YOU:

des~.

des~.

Yamada-san

des~.

56

Kochirawa Suzuki-san

des~.

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

7. You have already learned that des7A. means "(this) is"

in a sentence like Tanaka-san des7A..
Des~ also means "(I) am"
when used with a name without -san:
Therefore, Tanaka des7i
means "(I) am Tanaka."
If your name were Miller and you
wanted to say "I'm Mi Iler," you would say MiZZer deB7ti.
Remember that you should never use -san after your own name.
Aft~r hearing each of the following phrases, give the Engl ish
equivalent.
EXAMPLE:

YOU:

Saito desl1.

I'm Saito.

Tsuda desl1.
Matsumoto

des~.

Hattori desl1.
Ikeda desl1.
Hotta desl1.
Now identify yourself using your real name:

8. When you are making introductions, you may use one

of two opening sentences: the shorter Imai-san, Sato-Ban
desi or the longer Imai-san~ koahirawa Sato-san desi.
In
th is exerc i se you wi I I use the short form to introduce two
people.
EXAMPLE:

Johnson and Tanaka

Yamada and White
Suzuki and Ikeda
Clark and Sato
Watanabe and Mi Iler
Yamamoto and Ito

57

YOU:

Johnson-san,
Tanaka-san desk1.

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 4

Now you wi I I use the long form, koohirawa

des#, to introduce two people.
9.

EXAMPLE:

YOU:

I ke d a and Mil Ie r

-san

Ikeda-san, kochirawa
Mill er-san des!&.

Takahashi and Brown

Nakamura and Matsumoto
Parker and Sasaki
Suzuki and Johnson
Yamada and Watanabe

10. When you are being introduced, there are basically

two situations that can occur. To illustrate these situations,
let's say that you are Mr. Smith.
In the first situation,
someone wi II say "Mr. Smith, this is Mr. Tanaka"; and in the
s e co n d, s om eo new i I I say "M r. Tan a k a, t his isM r. Smit h "
The general rule in introductions is that the first person
mentioned in the introduction speaks first. The first situation, where you (Smith) are mentioned first, is the simplest
for you because al I you have to say is d020 yoroshiki.
Let's see who says what:
Oda:
Smith:
Tanaka:

Smith-san, Tanaka-san des!&.

D~zo

Mr. Smith, this i s

Mr. Tanaka.
Pleased to meet you.

yoroshl kt1.

The pleasure i s mine.

Kochira ko so.

This time, you take Smith's line.

Oda:

Smith-san, kochirawa
Tanaka-san dest1.

Pleased to meet you.

Smith:
Tanaka:

Mr. Smith, this is

Mr. Tanaka.

Kochira koso.

The pleasure is mine.

58

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

I I.
In the situation where your name is not mentioned
first, the introduction can go several ways. The person
whose name was mentioned first can say several things.
It
may go like t his:
Oda:
Tanaka:
Sm it h:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san
Dozo

des~.

Mr. Tanaka, this is

Mr. Smith.
Pleased to meet you.

yoroshlk~.

The pleasure is mine.

Ko chi r a ko so.

If the person who is to speak first says dozo yoroshtki, "pleased

to meet you," then you should say koahira koso, "the pleasure is
mine."
In fact, if you look back to Dri I I 10, Y0U wi II see the
same sequence:
"pleased to meet you" ---- "the pleasure is
mine."
Now you play the role of Smith.
Oda:
Tanaka:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san
Dozo

des~.

Mr. Tanaka, this is

Mr. Smith.
Pleased to meet you.

yoroshlk~.

The pleasure is mine.

Smith:

12.
In introductions, some Japanese may use another
expression when their names are mentioned first. They may
say ha jim e mas h t t e, "h 0 w do you do."
I nth a t cas e, you (S mit h )
say dozo yoroshtk7i, "pleased to meet you."
Oda:
Tanaka:
Smith:
Tana ka:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san desti.

Mr. Tanaka, this i s

Mr. Smith.

Hajimemashlte.

How do you do.

Dozo

yoroshlk~

Pleased to meet you.

The pleasure i s mine.

Koc hi ra koso.

59

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

By now you may have noticed a pattern to these expressions:

Haj i mema sh/te.

How do you do.
i s f 0 I lowe d by
D<5zo yorosh/k~.
Pleased to meet you.
which in turn is followed by
Kochira koso.
The pleasure is mine.

Let's run through that last introduction again, and this time
you play Smith.
Oda:
Tanaka:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san desrl.

Mr. Tanaka, this i s

Mr. Smith.

Hajimemashlte.

How do you do.

Pleased to meet you.

Sm i t h:
Tanaka:

13.

Oda:
Tanaka:
Sm i t h:

The pleasure i s mine.

Kochi ra koso.

Another variation on this theme might be as follows:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san

des~.

Mr. Tanaka, this is

Mr. Smith.

Hajimemashlte.
Dozo yoroshlkrl.

How do you do.

Pleased to meet you.

Kochira koso.

The pleasure is mine.

Notice that, when Tanaka says hajimemaBh/te~ d020 yoroBh/ki

in one mouthful, all Smith has to do is follow the sequence
and say koahira koso. This time you play Smith.
Oda:
Tanaka:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san

des~.

Mr. Tanaka, this i s

Mr. Smith.
How do you do.
Pleased to meet you.

Hajimemashlte.
Dozo yoroshlk~.

The pleasure i s mine.

Smith:

60

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 4

14. The only exception to the introduction pattern occurs

when the person named first begins by saying his own name.
It is quite common for Japanese people to do this when they are
being introduced.
Whenever this happens, simply say what the Japanese said, using
your own name.
Listen to this exchange:
Oda:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san

des~.

Mr. Tanaka, this i s

Mr. Smith.

Tanaka:

Ta n aka des~.
Hajimemashlte.

I'm Tanaka.
How do you do.

Sm it h:

Smith desli.
Hajimemashlte.

I'm Smith.
How do you do.

This ends the introduction, and there i s no need to fo I low

with dozo yorosh:lk'J1. and koahira koso.
Now you try it:
Oda:
Tanaka:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san

des~.

Tanaka de s.t1.
Hajimemashlte.

Mr. Tanaka, this i s

Mr. Smith.
I'm Tanaka.
How do you do.

Smith:

I'm Smith.
How do you do,

Did you remember not to use -san after your name?

15. The same rule appl ies no matter what Tanaka says
after identifying himself.
then you say

If he says
Tanaka

des~.

Tanaka desli.
Tanaka
D~zo

Hajimemash/te.
D~zo

yoroshlk0.

Hajimemashlte.
yoroshlk.t1.

des~.

61

Smith des~.
Hajimemashlte.
Smith des0.
Dozo yoroshlk0.
Smith des0.
Hajimemashlte.
Dozo yoroshlk~.

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

Take Smith's part again:
Oda:
Tanaka:

Tanaka-san, Smith-san

des~.

Tanaka des~. Hajimemash/te.

O<5zo yorosh/krl.

Mr. Tanaka, this is

Mr. Smith.
I'm Tanaka. How do
Pleased to
you do.
meet you.
I'm Smith. How do
you do. Pleased to
meet you.

Smith:

Before going on, let's review the patterns:

a.

If your name is mentioned first, you automatically say

dozo yoroshtk/t, "pleased to meet you."

b.

If the other person's name is mentioned first and that

person says hajimemashtte, "how do you do." then you say
dozo yoroshtk-p., "pleased to meet you."

c.

I f the other person says dozo yoroshik-p.l "p I eased to meet

you," then you say koahira koso, "the pleasure is mine .. "

d.

I f the other person says hajimemashtte., dozo yoroshtk/t,

"how do you do. pleased to meet you," then you say
koahira koso, "the pleasure is mine."

e.

If the other person starts by identifying himself, then

you should identify yourself and go on to repeat whatever
the other person said after his name.

62

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 4

16. Now the introductions are over, and you are ready
to leave. You should nod your head and say dewa mata
or ja mata, meaning "see you later."
In the following situation, take the part of Smith:
ada:

Smith-san, kochirawa
Tanaka-san des~.

Smith:
Tanaka:

Mr. Smith, this is

Mr. Tanaka.
Pleased to meet you.

Kochira koso.

The pleasure is mine.

Smith:

See you later.

17.
If you say dewa mata, the people you have been talking
to wi I I probably repeat the expression or use some other word
or gesture to say good-bye.
If someone else says dewa mata
first, you should reply dewa mata.
(Of course, dewa and ja
are interchangeable.)
You have just been introduced to Tanaka, who then bows and
says ja mata. You should nod and say

63

PART 4

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

18.
In this exercise you will hear 14 expressions
which could be used during introductions. Reply to each,
pretending to be Mr. Brown.
EXAMPLE:

Brown-san, kochirawa
Tanaka-san desti.
DO'zo

yoroshlk~.

Hajimemashlte.
Dewa mata.
Hajimemashlte.
Dozo yoroshlkti.
Tanaka des!&.
Hajimemashlte.
Brown-san, I to-san deski.
Ja mata.

Ikeda deski.
DO'ZO yoroshlkki.
DO'ZO yorosh/kki.
Hajimemashlte.
SaitO' desti.
Hajimemashlte.
DO'zo yoroshlkki.
Hajimemashlte.
DO'zo yoroshlkki.
Koch ira koso.
Dewa mata.
Brown-san, kochirawa
Suzuki-san desti.

64

DO'zo yorosh/kti.

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

5.

PART 5

DIALOGUES

Yamada:

Ohay~

gozaimasd.

Good morning.

Brown:

Ohayo

gozaimas~.

Good morning.

2.

Jones:

Konnichiwa.

Good day.

It~:

Konnichiwa.

Good day.

Uch i da:

Kombanwa.

Good evening.

White:

Kombanwa.

Good evening.

Konnichiwa.

Good day.

3.

4.

Sakai:
King:

5.
Tanaka:

Good day_

Yamada-san, kochirawa
Smith-san des~.

Mr. Yamada, this is Mr. Smith.

Yamada:

Hajimemash/te.

How do you do.

Smith:

D~zo

Pleased to meet you.

Yamada:

Kochira koso.

The pleasure is mine.

Sm i t h:

Dewa mata.

See you later.

T & Y:

Ja- mata.

See you later.

yoroshlkti.

65

PART 5

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

6.

Suzuki-san,
Parker-san des~.

Miss Suzuki, this is

Mr. Parker.

D~zo

Hajimemashlte.
yoroshlkn.

How do you do.

Pleased to meet you.

Parker:

Kochira koso.
Ja'mata.

The pleasure is mine.

See you later.

S & S:

Dewa mata.

See you later.

I ked a:

Sait~-san, kochirawa
White-san desn.

Mr. Saito, this is Mr. White.

Sait<5:

Sait~ desn.
Hajimemashlte.
D~zo yoroshlkki.

I'm Sa i to
How do you do.
Pleased to meet you.

White:

White desn.
Hajimemashlte.
D~zo yoroshJkt1.
Ja- mata.

I'm White.
How do you do.
Pleased to meet you.
See you later.

Tanaka-san,
Johnson-san

Mr. Tanaka, this i s

Miss Johnson.

Sat~:

Suzuki:

7.

8.
Wi I so n :

Tanaka:

des~.

I'm Tanaka.
Pleased to meet you.

Tanaka destf.
D~zo yoroshlkki.

Johnson: Johnson desn.

J~

mata.

I'm Johnson.
Pleased to meet you.
See you later.

J~

mata.

See you later.

D~zo

W & T:

yoroshJk~.

66

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 5

9.

Davis:

Ito-san, kochirawa
Harris-san des~.

Mr.

Itcr:

Dcrzo yoroshlkt1.

Pleased to meet you.

Harris:

Kochira koso.
Dewa mata.

The pleasure is mine.

See you later.

Ito, this is Miss Harris.

10.

Hattori: Jones-san, Saeki-san

de st1.

Mr. Jones, this is Mrs. Saeki.

Jones:

Jones dest1.
D"'zo yoroshJkki.

I'm Jones.
Pleased to meet you.

S ae k i :

Saeki dest1.
O<5'zo yoroshlkt1.

I'm Saeki.
Pleased to meet you.

Jones:

Ja'mata.

See you later.

H & S:

J~

mata.

See you later.

I I
Kat~:

Gordon-san, kochirawa
Hotta-san des~.

Mr. Gordon, this is Mr. Hotta.

Gordon:

Gordon deski.
O<5zo yoroshlkki.

I'm Gordon.
you.

Hotta:

Hotta dest1.
D~zo yoroshlkt1.

I'm Hotta.
you.

Gordon:

Dewa mata.

See you later.

K & H:

Dewa mata.

See you later.

67

Pleased to meet
Pleased to meet

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 5

12.

Uchida:

F~kuda-san,

Jenkins-san
F~kuda:

Miss Fukuda, this is

Mr. Jenkins.

des~.

Hajimemashlte.
Dozo yo ro s hI kk1.

How do you do.

Pleased to meet you.

Jenkins:
Uchida:

The pleasure is mine.

J~

mata.

See you later.

Jenkins:

See you later.

13.

Lewis:

Mrs. Walker, this is

Mr. Suzuki.

Wa I ker:

Dozo yoroshl kk1.

Pleased to meet you.

Suz u k i :

Ko chi r a ko so.

The pleasure is mine.

Wa I ke r :

Jam a t a

See you later.

Lew J s:

See you later.

14.

Yamada:

Freeman-san, kochirawa
Ts~chida-san

des~.

Freeman:

Mr. Freeman, this is

Miss Tsuchida.
Pleased to meet you.

Tsl/chida: Kochira koso.

The pleasure is mine.

Freeman:

See you later.

68

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 5

15.

Smith:

Fujiwara-san, kochirawa
Jones-san des.1.

Mr. Fujiwara, this is

Mrs. Jones.

Fujiwara:

Hajimemashlte.
Dozo yoroshYk.1.

How do you do.

Pleased to meet you.

Jones:
Fujiwara:

The pleasure is mine.

Dewa mata.

See you later.

Jones:

See you later.

16.

Clark:
Saito:

Saito-san,
Wi I son-san

Mr. Sa ito, t his i s

Mrs. Wi I so n

des~.

I'm Sa i to.
Pleased to meet you.

Saito des~.
Dozo yo ro s hI k.1.

Wi I so n :

17.
S ae k i :

1 'm Wi 1 so n.
Pleased to meet you.

Tstfchida-san,
kochirawa Lewis-san

Mr s. Tsuchida, this i s
Mr. Lewis.

des~.

Ts~chida:

Ts~chida

de s.1
Hajimemash/te.
Dozo yorosh/k.1.

1 'm Tsuchida.
How do you do.
Pleased to meet you.

Lewis:

Ts~chida:

I'm Lewis.
How do you do.
Pleased to meet you.
See you later.

Dewa mata.

See you later.

Lewis:

69

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 6

18.

Samson:

Davis-san, kochirawa
Ftikuda-san deski.

Pleased to meet you.

Dav is:
Fld'kuda:

The pleasure is mine.

Kochira koso.

See you later.

Dav is:

6.

Mr. Davis, this is

Mr. Fukuda.

SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

You wi"
hear 20 s i tuat ions. Respond to each in
Japanese. Use your own name when appropriate. After
you respond, the correct answer wi I I be given on the tape.
On a separate piece of paper, keep track of which items
you miss and which you answer correctly.

70

PART 7

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

7.

REVIEW AND REMEDIATION

If you missed any items on the quiz, review the Fluency

Dri II s indicated below.
If you missed more than four items, it would be a good
idea to review Fluency Dri I I 18 and the entire Dialogue
section. Once you have reviewed the recommended exercises,
take the Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz, Part 8
If you missed four items or fewer in the Self-evaluation
Quiz, you may go on to another module without taking the
Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz.
you should review drill(s)

If you missed item

....

2
3

10

...

5, 6, 8,

16

6
7

13

11

10

I 1

17

12

12

13

5, 6, 8,

14

14,

15

I6

17

10

18

19.

20 .

71

12

15

PART 8

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

8.

SUPPLEMENTARY SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

You wi I I

in Japanese.

hear

12 s i tuat ions.

Respond to each

Use your own name when appropriate.

After you respond,

the correct answer will

on the tape.

72

be given

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

9.

PART 9

ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY

Here is a short I ist of words and phrases that can be

used in the situations covered in this module. You wi I I
NOT be tested on these new words. To show you how they
are used, we have provided some example sentences.
Both
the words and the sentences are on the tape to help you
with pronunciation and to give you practice I istening to
them.
watashi no

my

tomodachi

friend

Watashi no tomodachi

des~.

T his is my f r i end.

kanai
Kanai

my wi f e
des~.

This is my wife.

NOTE: Kanai means "my wife"; so you dontt have

to use watashi no.
Since kanai can only mean
"my wife," it cannot be used when you are speaking
about the wife of someone else.
shujin
Shujin

my husband
des~.

This is my husband.

NOTE: The word shujin~ like kanai~ ref ers on I y to

one's own husband. It cannot be used when referring
to someone else's husband.
Sumimasen.
kudasai.
Wakarimas~

Mo

ichido itte

Excuse me.
again.

ka.

Please say that

Do you understand?

Hai, wakarimas0.

Yes, I understand.

Te, wakarimasen.

No,

Wakarimashlta ka.

Did you understand?

Hai, wakarimashlta.

Yes, I understood.

Te, wakarimasen-deshlta.

No,

73

I dontt understand.

I didn't understand.

MODULE 3
DIRECTIONS

I.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of

this module

you

wi I I

be able to

a passerby verba II Yi

I.

get the attention of

2.

ask for directions to a specific

and so forth;

3.

ask for the location of

station, and so forth;

4.

understand

such repl ies as

a.

"well,

let's see,"

b.

"there

isn't one

c.

"see that bui Iding over there?"

d.

"it's on the

e.

"it's straight ahead,

f.

"there's one on the next corner,"

g.

"it's this way,"

h.

"there's one behind

5.

say"thank you";

6.

get emergency

restaurant,

telephone,

in the vicinity,"

left of

help

(any)

store,

that over there,"

this way,"

that";

by saying

"please cal

the pol ice,"

"please cal

an ambulance."

74

toi let,

hotel,

gas

PART 2

DIRECTIONS

2. VOCABULARY
The system of writing Japanese used in this course
is ca I I ed the Hepburn system. Pronunc i at i on of most of the
letters presents no difficulty to an American. Those letters
or combinations of letters considered difficult to pronounce
wi I I be explained in this section of the modules.
In Module 3 you may have difficulty with the following:
I.
The letter gin the mi dd I e of a word is pronounced
I ike the ng in" sin g " by nat i ve s 0 f To kyo.
Lis ten :

migi

tsugi

massugu

2.
The letters marked with a bar, a, e, 0, and u,
are pronounced longer than those without a bar.
Listen:

ho

depato

e to

domo

kyukyusha

3.
When double letters appear in a Japanese word,
the sound is repeated. Think of double letters as having
a hyphen between them and pronounce both letters distinctly.
Listen:

mas-sugu
Now compare the double s in
gasorin:

massugu with the single

massugu

in

gasorin

4.
When i and u are written with a slash mark through
them, they are slurred, or barely pronounced.
Listen to
the difference in pronunciation of the u in hoteru from the
~ in kesats7i.

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DIRECTIONS

PART 2

tatemono

b u i I ding

denwa

telephone

chlkatets~

no eki

subway station

res0toran

restaurant

toire

to i let; rest room

department store

hoteru
gasorin

hotel
s~tando

gas stat ion (gaso line stand)

koko

here

soko

there

asoko

over there

doko?

where?

kono

this

sono

that

ano

that over there

dono?

which?

kochira

this way

sochira

that way

achira

over that way

dochira?

which way?

des~

des0 ka?
doko des0 ka?
dochira des0 ka?
denwa doko des0 ka?

is; am; are

is it?
where is it?
which way is it?
where is the telephone?

ni arimas0
ni arimasen
ni arimas0 ka?
doko ni arimas0 ka?
denwa doko ni arimas0 ka?

there is one
there isn't one
is there one?
where is there one?
where is there a telephone?

76

DIRECTIONS

PART 2

chlkak0
kono chlkak0 n i arimasen

vicinity
there isn't one in this vicinity

-e to

we I I,

kado
tsugi no kado
tsugi no kado n i arimas0

corner; intersection
the next corner
there's one on the next corner

migi

right

hidari

left

mae

front

ushiro

rear

no he
migi no ho
ano migi no he n i arimas0

toward
to the right
there's one to the right of that
over there

asoko n i X arimas0 ne?

see that X over there?

(I i tera I I Y1
"there's an X over there, isn't
there?")
see that bu i I ding over there?

asoko ni tatemono arimas0

ne?

let's see

massugu
koko massugu des0
soko massugu des0

straight (ahead)
it's straight ahead here
it's straight ahead there

sumimasen

excuse me

kesats0 yonde kudasai

please call the police

kyukyusha yonde kudasai

please cal I an ambulance

domo

thank you

77

PART 3

DIRECTIONS

3.

NOTES

I.
There are many different ways for a Japanese person
to answer your question "where is ... 7 11 The answer wi II depend
upon where you are in relation TO rhe place you are looking
for.
To be able to understand the possible Japanese responses, you must learn many words.
In a real situation,
however, the person wi I I use gestures to point out locations.
Even if you don't completely understand, you can go in the
general direction indicated and ask another passerby for
more information.
2.
You may be at a station or subway where everyone is
hurrying to catch the next train.
In such situations, young
women may be the most helpful in taking time to give
directions.
3. The Japanese words machi and cha are sometimes
translated "street," but they actually refer to the districts
or shopping centers of a city.
Except for a few major
boulevards, streets in Japanese cities are not named.
4. Whi Ie Americans are accustomed to giving directions
in terms of blocks, Japanese think in terms of corners (kado).

Image: Humanoid one

Date: 21 January 2009
cc-by-sa-3.0

A street scene in Tokyo

78

PART 4

DIRECTIONS

4.

FLUENCY DRILLS

I.
To ask for the location of a p I ace or thi ng, you
use the phrase doko des~ ka? which means "where is it?"
Listen to the phrase and then repeat:
doko des0 ka?
If you want to ask where the Sanno Hotel is, you add the words
for Sanno Hote I, Sanna Hoteru-, at the beg i nn i ng of doko des~
ka? and you have the question Sanno Hoteru doko desi ka?
Listen to the question and then repeat:
Sanna Hoteru doko des0 ka?
Now we wi I I add the names of other places and things to
doko des~ ka. The word for toi let is toire.
How do you
say "where is the to i let"?
The word for telephone is denwa.
is the telephone"?

How do you say "where

A popular Japanese eating place is the Skylark Restaurant

(S~kairak~ Res~toran).
How do you say "where is the
Skylark Restaurant"?
The expression for subway station is chtkatets~ no eki.
Since this is a rather long phrase, just listen to it the
first time:
ch/katets0 no eki
Now you try it.

Listen and repeat:

How do you say "where is the subway station"?

The_Japanese for the Daimaru Department Store is Daimaru
Depato.
How do you say "where is the Da i maru Department
Store"?

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DIRECTIONS

PART 4

Now you wi II practice asking where things are.

You wi II
hear a word in Engl ish, and then you wi II ask in Japanese
where it is.
After a pause you wi I I hear the correct Japanese.

2. There is another question much I ike doko des;4. ka?

to ask where something is.
It is doahira des;4. ka? which
means "which way is it?" Listen and repeat:
dochira des0 ka?
Like doko des;4. ka?, doahira des~ ka? fol lows the olace or
thing you are asking about.
For example: Sanna Hoteru
doahira des7A. ka? means "which way is the Sanno Hotel?"
Now you

I I ask which way something is using the phrase

You wi I I hear a word in Eng Ii sh; then
ask in Japanese which way it is.
After a pause you wi II
hear the correct Japanese.
WI

doohira des7A. ka?

3,
If you want to ask where a telephone or a toilet
is, and you are not quite sure that there is one, you use
a different question, doko ni arimas7A. ka?, which means
"where is there one?" Listen and repeat:
doko ni arimas0 ka?
As in the other two questions, doko des7A. ka? and dochira
ka? the place or thing you are asking about comes first.
Unl ike the other two questions, doko ni arimas~ ka?cannot be
used to ask about specific places such as the Sanno Hotel,
the Skylark Restaurant, and the Daimaru Department Store,
This question is used to ask about a hotel, a restaurant, or
a department store when anyone wi I I do.

des~

Now you wi I I practice asking where a place or thing is.

When you hear a word in Eng Ii sh, ask where there is such a
place, using the phrase doko ni arimas~ ka?
After a pause
you wi I I hear the correct Japanese,

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DIRECTIONS

PART 4

4.
Before you can ask a Japanese person where something
is, you have to get his attention. You do this by saying
sumimasen, meaning "excuse me." Listen and repeat:
Sumimasen.
Now let's practice asking a Japanese passerby some questions.
You wi I I hear an Engl ish question. Get the attention of the
passerby, and ask the question in Japanese.
You wi I I then
hear the correct Japanese.

5. The next step is to understand the answers to your

questions.
In this exercise you wi II learn to understand
some of the possible answers.
One of the simplest answers to your question would be
"straight ahead." The Japanese for "it's straight ahead
here" is koko massugu des)i.
Listen:
Koko massugu

des~.

Now ask which way it is to the Sanno Hotel.

hear the correct Japanese.
Next you wi II hear the answer.
give the Engl ish equivalent.

You wi II then

During the pause that follows,

"It's straight ahead there" is soko massugu des)i.

Soko massugu

Listen:

des~.

Now ask which way it is to the Daimaru Department Store.

You wi II then hear the correct Japanese.
Next you wi II hear the answer.
give the Engl ish equivalent.

During the pause that follows,

You have just asked someone the way to the subway station.
After you hear the answer, give the Engl ish equivalent ..

81

DIRECTIONS

PART 4

You have just asked someone how to get to the Skylark

Restaurant. After you hear the answer, give the Engl ish
equivalent.

Before you practice the next three possible answers, let's

recall the three questions you can use to ask where a place
is:
a.

Toire doko des!d ka?

b.

Toire dochira

c.

To ire doko n i ar i mas~ ka? Where is there a to i let?

des~

Where is the toi let?

Which way is the toi let?

ka?

You wi I I notice that the first two questions use the word
meaning "is," and that the third question uses the words
ni arimas7A, meaning "there is one." It is quite possible
that the person wi II use des7A. to answer when you used ni
arimas7A in the question. Or he may use ni arimas7A, to reply
to your des7A, question.
In the next three exercises either
des7A, or ni arimas~ can and wi I I be used in the answers.
des~

des7A.~

6. Perhaps the person you ask wi I I point and say soko

which means "it's there." Listen:
Soko des!d.

Now ask where the telephone is.

correct Japanese.
Next you wi II hear the answer.
give the Engl ish equivalent.

You wi I I then hear the

During the pause that follows,

Or the answer might have been soko ni

"there's one there." Listen:
Soko ni

arimas7A.~

meaning

arimas~.

Now as k where the subway stat ion is.

the correct Japanese.

82

You wi I I then hear

DIRECTIONS

PART 4

Next you wi II hear an answer.

give the English equivalent.

During the pause that follows,

If the place you are asking about is farther away, the

answer wi II be asoko deslti, meaning "it's over there." Listen:
Aso ko de s0 .
Or the answer might be asoko ni arimaslti, meaning "there's
one over there." Listen:
Asoko ni arimas0.
Now you wi I I hear some answers.
During the pause that
follows each, give the English equivalent.

7.
If the place you are looking for is on a corner, the
word kado (corner) wi II be in the answer.
For examp Ie,
one possible answer is Bono kado deBi, meaning "it's on that
corner." Listen:
Sono kado des0.
Or the answer might be sono kado ni
one on that corner." Listen:

arimas~,

meaninq "there's

Sono kado ni arimas0.

If the corner is farther away, the answer wi I I be ana kado
des7i, meaning "it's on that corner over there." Listen:
Ano kado des0.
Or ni

arimas~

might be used.

Listen:

Ano kado ni arimas0.

You have just asked someone for the location of a telephone.
As you hear the answers, give the Engl ish equivalents.

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DIRECTIONS

PART 4

If the place you are looking for is on the next corner, the
answer wi I I be either tsugi no kado des~, meaning "it's on
the next corner," or tsugi no kado ni arimas~, meaning
"there's one on the next corner."
Listen:
Tsug i no kado des0,

Tsugi

no kado ni arimas0.

Now ask where the subway station is,

the correct Japanese.
Next you wi I I hear some answers.
English equivalents.

You wi II then hear

During the pauses, give the

8.
The person you ask may answer using the words for
left, right, front, or rear.
These four words are usually
followed by the words no ho.
"To the right" Is
migi no hOt
Listen:
migi no ho
"To the left" is hidaxai no hOt
hidari

Listen:

no ho

"Toward the front" or "in front of" is mae no ho.

Listen:
mae no he
"Toward the rear" or "behind" is ushixao no hOt

Listen:

ushiro no ho
An answer containing any of these phrases would begin with
the word Bono or ano and would end with either deB~ or ni
arimas~.
For example:
sono migi no
des~, which means
"it's to the right of that."
Listen:

ho

Sono mig i no he des~.

Another answer might be ano ushiro no ho ni arimas~, which
means "there's one behind that over there."
Listen:
Ano ushiro no ho ni arimas0.

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DIRECTIONS

PART 4

Now ask where there is a telephone.

correct Japanese.

You wi II then hear the

Next you wi II hear some answers.

During the pause after
each answer, give the Engl ish equivalent.

9. Of ten we try to te I I someone where someth i ng is by

referr i ng to a I andmark. You wi I I probab I y have th i s experience when you ask a Japanese person for directions.
If you were going to use a landmark as a reference point, you
would probably say "see that hotel over there?" Then you
would go on to tel I where something was in relation to the
hotel by saying something I ike "it's to the right of that,"
or "it's behind that," or "it's on the next corner after
that," or "it's in that vicinity." The Japanese equivalent
of "see that hotel over there?" is asoko ni hoteru arimas7i
ne? Listen:
Asoko ni hoteru

arimas~

ne?

Of course, other words can replace hoteru in that question-depato, for instance. To say "see that department_store
over there?" Japanese use the phrase asoko ni depato arimas7i
net Listen:
Asoko ni depato arimas0 ne?
Or the word could be "gas station l " gasorin s7itando, and the
sentence wou I d be asoko ni gas orin s~tando arimas~ ne /' Listen:
Asoko ni gasorin

s~tando

arimas~

ne?

Often the po i nt of reference wi I I be some bu i I ding.

for "bui Iding" is tatemono.
Listen:

The word

tatemono
"See that bui Iding over there?" is asoko ni tatemono arimas;i
ne? Listen:
Asoko ni tatemono arimas0 ne?
Now you wi I I hear severa I Japanese sentences wh i ch fa I low
this pattern. During the pause after each one, give the
Engl ish equivalent.

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DIRECTIONS

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10.
After pointing out a landmark, a Japanese person
might say "it's in that vicinity." The word for vicinity is
ahikaki.
Listen:

chJkak0
"That vicinity" is sono chikak'J4..

Listen:

sono chJkak0
And the complete sentence is sono chtkak~ des'J4., meaning "it's
in that vicinity." You could also hear sono ch-lkaki ni
arimasi, meaning "there's one in that vicinity." Listen!
So no chlkak0 des0.

Sono ch1kak0 ni arimas0.

Now I isten to a complete answer:

Asoko ni tatemono arimas0 ne?
Sono chlkak0 ni arimas0.

See that bu i I ding over there?

There's one in that vicinity.

I I. Another direction given in relation to a landmark

could be "it's on the next corner after that." You already
know tsugi no kado ni arimasi, meaning "it's on the next
corner." Either sono or ano can be added to this sentence.
For example, sono tsugi no kado des~ means "it's on the next
corner past that." Listen:
Asoko ni tatemono arimas0 ne?
Sono tsugi no kado des0.

See that bu i I ding over there?

It's on the next corner past
that.

12.
With some directions, such as "it's behind that"
and "i t' s to the right of that over there," the Japanese wi I
often just point in the general direction of the "that,"
To avoid confusion, though, he may name the point of reference
fir st:

Asoko ni res0toran arimas0 ne?

Sono hidari no ho des0.

86

See the restaurant over there?~

It's to the left of that.

DIRECTIONS

PART 4

You have just asked where something is.

answer, give the Engl ish equivalent.

13.

After you hear each

Arimasen means "there isn't one."

Listen:

arimasen
If you are asking about a gas station and there isn't one
in the vic in i ty, you' I I get the answer kana ahtkak.,J ni
arimasen~ meaning "there isn't one in this vicinity."
Listen:
Kono

chlkak~

ni arimasen.

14.
When you ask someone a question, he frequently
needs a I ittle time to think about the answer, so he thinks
out loud. For example, you want to find a telephone, so
~ou ask denwa doko ni arimasi ka?
The Japanese may say
e to wh i ch means "we I I, let's see." Then he wi I I go on to
give you the answer; for example, kana ahtkaki ni arimasen~
meaning "there i~n't one in this vicinity." Or he might say
denwa desi ka? E to, meaning "a telephone? Well, let's
see." Some examples of thinking out loud follow.
As you
hear them, fol low them in your book.

Sumimasen.
Gasorin s0tando doko ni
arimas~ ka?

Excuse me.
Where is there a gas
station?

to.
Kono chlkak~ ni
arimasen.

Well, let's see .

There isn't one in
this vicinity.

Sumimasen.

Excuse me.
Where is the Skylark
Restaurant?

S~kairak~

Res~toran

doko

ka?

des~

S~kairak~ des~

E to.

Tsugi no kado

ka?

The Skylark?
Wei I, let's see
It's at the next corner.

des~.

87

DIRECTIONS

PART 4

15. Perhaps the person answering your question wants

to say that a place is "that way" or "over that way." He
would say sochira desi or achira des~.
Listen:
Sochira deski.

It's that way.

Achira deski.

It's over that way.

In this case, ni
Listen:

arimas~

can be used instead of

des~.

Sochira ni arimaski.

There's one that way.

Achira ni arimaski.

There's one over that way.

16. After your question has been answered,

remember to nod your head and say domo, meaning "thank you."
Listen and repeat:
Domo.

Thank you.

17. You may need pol ice or medIcal assistance in

an emergency.
In th is exerc i se you wi I I I earn how to
ask someone to ca I I for the po lice and for an ambu lance.
"Please call" is yonde kudasai.
Listen and repeat:
yonde kudasai
The word for pol ice is kesats~.

Listen and repeat:

kesatski
For "please cal I the pol ice" you say kesats~ yonde kudasai.
Listen and repeat:
Kesatski yonde kudasai.

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DIRECTIONS

PART 4

The word for ambulance is kyukyusha.

Listen and

repeat~

kyukyusha
For "p I ease ca I I an ambu I ance" you say kyukyusha yonde
Listen and repeat:

kudasai.

Kyukyusha yonde kudasai.

Now let's practice these two sentences.
if you want someone to ca I I the po lice?
say "excuse me.")

What do you say

(Don't forget to

And if you want someone to cal I an ambulance, what do

you say?

Image: Rob Hooft

Date: 3 August 2008
cc-by-sa-2.0

A street in Ginza on the day when no vehicles are allowed.

89

PART 5

DIRECTIONS

5.

DIALOGUES

I
A:

Sumimasen.
Toire doko des~

Excuse me.
Where is the to i let?

ka?

J:

So ko d e s~

It's there.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen.
Gasorin
s.1tando doko ni
arimas.1 ka?

Excuse me.
Where
a gas station?

J:

A so ko des.1.

It's over there.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen.
Chlkatets0
no ek i doch ira des0
ka?

Excuse me.
Which way
the subway station?

J:

Sochira des~.

It's that way.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sum i ma sen.
Denwa do ko
ni arimas0 ka?

Excuse me.
Where
a telephone?

J:

Asoko ni

There's one over there.

A:

Domo.

2.
is there

3.
is

4.

arimas0.

Thank you.

90

is there

DIRECTIONS

5.

PART 5

A:

Sumimasen. Daimaru
Depato doko desti ka?

Excuse me.
Where is the
Daimaru Department Store?

J :

Koko massugu des0.

It's straight ahead here.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

Sanna
Sumimasen.
Hoteru doko de 50 ka?

Excuse me.
Where is the
Sanno Hotel?

E to.

Sanna Hoteru deski ka?

Kono chJkak0
ni arimasen.

The Sanno Hotel? We I I , let's

see.
There isn't one i n
this vicinity.

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen. Toire doko

ni arimasti ka?

Excu se me.
a toilet?

J :

Asoko ni gasorin s0tando

arimaski ne? Soko ni
arimas0.

See the gas station over there?

There's one there.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen.
Hoteru
doko ni arimaski ka?

Excuse me.
a hotel?

J :

E to.

Kono chJkak0
ni arimasen.

We I I, let' 5 see..
The re
isn't one in this vicinity.

A:

Damo.

Thank you.

6.

A:
J :

A:

7.

Where is there

8.

91

Where is there

DIRECTIONS

PART 5

A:

Sumimasen.
S0kairak0
Res0toran doko des0 ka?

Excuse me.
Where is the
Skylark Restaurant?

J:

Asoko ni chikatets0 no
eki arimas0 ne?
Sono
ushiro no ho des0.

See the subway station over

there?
It's behind that.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen.
Toire
dochira des0 ka?

Excuse me.
toi let?

J:

Asoko ni denwa arimasld

ne?
Sono mae no ho
des!&.

See the telephone over there?

It's one in front of that.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen.
Denwa doko
ni arimas0 ka?

Excuse me.
Where is there
a telephone?

J :

Denwa de s0 ka? f to.

Kono chlkak0 n i arimaAchira n i arimas0.
sen.

Tel e p h0 n e ? \'1 e I I, let' sse e ,

There isn't one in this vicinity.
There's one over that way.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

10.

I I

92

Which way is the

DIRECTIONS

PART 5

12.
A~

Sumimasen. Chlkatets0
no eki doko desl4 ka?

Excuse me.
Where is the
subway station?

J:

Asoko ni tatemono
arimas0 ne? Sono tsugi
no kado des0.

See the building over there?

It's at the next corner after
that.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sumimasen. Denwa
doko ni arimas~ ka?

Excuse me.
Where is there
a telephone?

J:

Asoko ni gasorin s0tando

arimas0 ne? Sono mae no
ho des0.

See the gas station over

there?
It's in front of
that.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Sum i mas en.

S 0 k air ak!&
Res0toran dochira
des!& ka?

Excuse me.
Which way is the
Skylark Restaurant?

J:

Asoko ni hoteru arimasj6

ne? Ano migi no ho ni
arimas0.

See the hotel over there?

There's one to the right of
that over there.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

13.

14.

Toilet sign in Osaka

Image: Mattias Hallberg
Date: 12 October 2005
cc-by-sa-2.0
Slightly cropped

93

DIRECTIONS

PART 5

15.

Excuse me.
Where is there
a telephone?

A:

J:

Asoko ni toire arimas0

ne? Sono hidari no
ho ni arimas0.

A:

Thank you.

16.

Excuse me.
Which way is the
gas station?

A:

J:

Asoko ni depato arimas0

ne?
So no tsugi no kado
ni arimas0.

A:

Thank you.

I7

Excuse me.
a hotel?

A:
J:

f to.

Kono chlkak0
ni arimasen.

A:

Thank you.

94

Where is there

DIRECTIONS

PART 5

18.

A:

J:

Excuse me.
Where is there
a department store?
Tsugi no kado ni
arimas~.

A:

Thank you,

19.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Which way is the
Skylark Restaurant?
Asoko ni gasorin satando
arimas0 ne? Sono
chlkak0 ni arimas0.

A:

Thank you.

20.

Excuse me.
a hotel?

A:

J:

Asoko ni tatemono arimasid

ne? Sono ushiro no he
ni arimas0.

A:

Thank you.

95

Where is there

DIRECTIONS

PART 5

2I
A:

J:

Excuse me.
Where is the
Daimaru Department Store?
Asoko n i resntoran
arimas~ ne?
Sono
chlkak~ ni arimaslli'.

A:

Thank you.

22.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Where is the
subway station?
Ano kado des0.

A:

Thank you.

23.
A:
J:

Excuse me.
Where is there
a gas station?
Asoko n i reslli'toran
arimas0 ne? Ano ushiro
no ho ni arimaslli'.

A:

Thank you.

96

DIRECTIONS

PART 5

24.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Which way
subway station?

is the

Asoko ni hoteru arimas0

ne?
Sono tsug i no kado
des0.

A:

Thank you.

25.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Where
a telephone?

is there

Asoko ni chlkatets0 no
eki arimas0 ne?
Sono
kado ni arimas0.

A:

Thank you.

Detail of logotype of Tokyo Metro Company

used in both square and round signs.
Image: Imagener
Date: 23 August 2010
Public Domain - Fair use of trademark

The ta I I,

round

sign marks a subway stat i on.

97

PART 6

DIRECTIONS

6.

SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

Section I
You wi I I hear 12 s i tuat ions. Respond the each in
Japanese. After you respond, the correct answer wi I I be
given on the tape. On a separate sheet of paper, keep track
of the items you miss and the ones you answer correctly.

Section 2
You wi II hear 15 statements in Japanese~ Select
the correct Eng Ii sh equ i va I ent for each f rom the three
choices provided and write A, B, or C on a separate sheet
of paper. After you finish this section, check your answers
with the key.
I.

A. It's here.
B. It's there.
C. It's over there.

2.

A. See that bui Iding over there?

It's i n front of that
over there.
B. See that subway station over there? It's behind that
over there.
C. See that restaurant over there?
It's to the left of
that over there.

3.

A.

There's one there.

B. There's one over there.

C. There's one over that way.
4.

A. See that
right of
B. See that
C See that
the left

5.

A.
B.
C.

building over there? There's one to the

that.
hotel over there? There's one behind that.
department store over there? There's one to
of that.

It's straight ahead here.

It's straight ahead there.
It's straight ahead over there.

98

DIRECTIONS

PART 6

6.

A It's here.
B It's there.
C It's over there.

7.

A See that to i let over there?

It's to the left of that.
B. See that telephone over there?
It's to the right of
that.
C See that hotel over there?
It's in front of that.

8.

A. Gas station? Well, let's see.

B. Subway station? Well, let's see .
C. Department store? Well, let's see.

9.

A There's one this way.

B. There's one that way.
C . There's one over that wa y.

10.

A See that building over there? There's one on that

corner.
B. See that restaurant over there? There's one in that
vicinity.
C. See that hotel over there? There's one over there,

II.

A. There isn't one here.

B. There's one over there.
C. There's one there.

12.

A. See that subway station over there?

It's in that
vicinity.
B. See that building over there?
It's on that corner,
C. See that gas station over there?
It's on the next
corner after that.

13.

A. We I I ,
B. We I I ,

C We I I,
I 4.

let's see
let's see
let's see

there's one

there isn't
there's one
.

A See that hotel over there?

It's behind that.
It's to the right
B. See that restaurant over there?

of that.
C. See that building over there?
15.

over that way

one in this vicinity.
there.

A.

It's that way.

B. It's this wa y.
C.

It's over that way.

99

It's i n front of that.

DIRECTIONS

PART 6

Ke r to Section

I.

6.

I I

2.

7.

12.

3.

8.

13.

9.

14.

5.

10.

I5

Image: Stfan
Date: 25 July 2008
cc-by-sa-2.0

Publ ic

telephone

DIRECTIONS

7.

PART 7

REVIEW AND REMEDIATION

If you missed any items on the quiz, review the Fluency

Dri lis indicated below.
If you missed more than two items in Section I or more
than three items in Section 2, it would also be a good idea
to review the entire Dialogue section. Once you
have reviewed the recommended exercises, take the Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz, Part 8.
If you missed two items or fewer In Section I and three
items or fewer in Section 2, you may go on to another module
without taking the Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz.
SECTION I
If you missed
item

SECTION 2

you should
rev i ew d r f I I ( s)
4

If you mIssed

f tem

ou should
xreview
arillCs)
6

8, 9, 12

8, 9, 12

17

8, 9,

14

16

15

10

10

9,

10, 12

I I

17

II

12

12

7,

II

13

13,

14

14
I5

f0 I

12

8, 9, 12
I5

PART 8

DIRECTIONS

8.

SUPPLEMENTARY SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

Section I
You wi I I hear five situations. Respond to each in
Japanese. After you respond, the correct answer wi I I
be given on the tape.

Section 2
You wi II hear 10 statements in Japanese. Each wi II
be repeated. Write the English equivalents on a separate
sheet of paper. When you have finished, check your translations with the key.

Key to Section 2
I.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

It's straight ahead here.

There's one on the next corner.
It's that way.
See that building over there?
There's one over there.
It's over that way.
There isn't one in this vicinity.
There's one to the right of that.
Restaurant? Wei I, let's see
It's in that vicinity.

102

DIRECTIONS

9.

PART 9

ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY

Here is a short I ist of words and phrases that can be

used in the situations covered in this module.
You wi II NOT
be tested on these new words.
To show you how they are used,
we have provided example sentences.
Both the words and the
sentences are on the tape to help you with pronunciation
and to give you practice I istening to them.
movie theater

eg a kan
arimas~

Egakan doko ni

Where is there a movie theater?

ka?

neon sign

neon sain
Asoko ni neon sain

arimas~

ne? See that neon sign over there?

gin ko

bank

Ginko doko ni arimas~ ka?

Where is there a bank?

shingo

(traffic) signal

Asoko ni shingo arimas~ ne?

See that signal over there?

biru

large bu i I ding (""(l~L-n0jlL') can

re fer to any ) l.. i I din ("' )

Asoko ni biru

arimas~

Se e t hat I a r 9 e b u i I din 9
there?

ne?

des~.

It's on the other side.

near

soba
Sono soba ni

arimas~.

There's one near that.

next to

tonari
Sono tonari

des~.

It's next to that.

basement

chlka
Chlka ni

ve r

the other side

muko gawa
Muko gawa

There's one in the basement.

arimas~.

103

DIRECTIONS

PART 9

i k- ka i

first floor

ni-kai

second floor

san-gai

third floor

yon-kai

fourth floor

go-kai

fifth floor

San-gai

ni arimas0.

Mo

Sumimasen.
ichido
i tte kudasa i .

There's one on the third floor.

Excuse me.
again.

Traffic signal at a busy intersection

35 41' 59.85" N, 139 46' 17.05" E

104

Please say that

Image: Aimaimyi
Date: 15 November 2009
cc-by-sa-3.0

MODULE 4
EATING OUT

I.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this module you wi II be able to

I.

get the attention of a passerby;

2.

ask the name of a dish you see in a display case;

3.

understand "this one?";

4.

say "yes, this one" or "no, this one";

5.

understand "what wi II you have?";

6.

say "just a minute, please";

7.

get the attention of a waiter or waitress;

8.

order an unfami liar dish or beverage (seen in the

display case and identified by a passerby>;

9.

ask if the restaurant has a certain dish or beverage

(learned in this module>;

10.

understand the answers "yes, we do" and "no, we don't";

I I.

order a dish or beverage

a.

in a popular Japanese restaurant,

b.

in a popular Western restaurant,

c.

in a noodle restaurant, and,

d.

in a Chinese restaurant;

12.

ask for one or two orders of a dish;

13.

ask for one or two glasses or cups of a beverage;

14.

ask for one or two bottles of beer or sake;

105

EATING OUT

PART I

15.

ask for one or two additional orders of a dish or

beverage;

16.

understand the phrase "here you are";

17.

ask for the check;

18.

understand the phrase "thank you"; and say

"thank you."

Kyoto
Image: Ukiyoe
Date:4 April 2007
cc-by-sa-3.0

Paraffin models of Japanese dishes in a display case

106

Image: VeryBadLady/HeatherHeatherHeather
Date: 6 November 2007
cc-by-2.0

A cOMplete dinner consisting of shrimp tempura, sliced raw

fish, dinner custard, Japanese salad, soup and steamed rice

107

Image: Almandine
Date: 11 November 2008
cc-by-sa-3.0

Fish and

shellfish are favorite dishes of many Japanese

108

EATING OUT

2.

PART 2

VOCABULARY

The system of writing Japanese used in this course is

called the Hepburn system. Pronunciation of most of the
letters presents no difficulty to an American. Those letters
considered difficult to pronounce wi I I be explained in this
section of the modules.
In Module 4 you may have difficulty with the following:
I. When the letter n is the last letter in a word,
it may sound somewhat I ike the ng in "sing." Listen:
udon
2. When double letters appear in a Japanese word, as
in ohotto and ip-pai, the sound is repeated. Think of
double letters as having a hyphen between them and pronounce
both letters distinctly.
Listen:
chot-to

mat-te

ip-pai

ip-pon

3. The letters marked with a bar, a, e, i, and 0,

Listen:
are pronounced longer than those without a bar.
bTru

kare

4. When i and u are written with a slash mark through

them, they are slurred~ or barely pronounced.
Listen:
hltots!&

fJdtatsJd

SJdkiyaki

miruk!&

5. The letter g in the middle of a word is pronounced

like the ng in "sing" by natives of TOkyo.
Listen:
arigato

o-negai shimas!&

The g in hambaga, however, is not pronounced ng by natives

of Tokyo because the word is borrowed from the Engl ish word
"hamburger."

109

EATING OUT

PART 2

hamburger
kare raisk:i

curried rice

yakisoba

chow mein

subuta

sweet-and-sour pork

gyoza

meat dumpl ings

sk:ikiyaki

sukiyaki

ebi no tempura

shrimp tempura

tempura udon

(shrimp) tempura (in soup with)

noodles

tonkatsk:i

pork cutlet

sashimi

51 iced raw fish

coffee
mirukk:i

mil k

kora

Co ke (I i te ra I I y, co I a)

mizu

water

o-cha

hot tea

aisk:i tT

iced tea

bTru

beer

sake

sake

sumimasen

excuse me

to Tmask:i
to Tmask:i ka?

(it) is called
is it called?

nan
nan to Tmask:i ka?
kore nan to Tmask:i ka?

what
what is it called?
what is this one called?

110

EATING OUT

PART 2

desl1
desl1 ka?
kore desl1 ka?

is; am; are

is it?
(is it) this one?

hai

yes; yes, sir; yes, ma'am

h ai, dozo

here you are

ie
.!..ya
ie, kore desl1

no
no
no, this one

kore subuta to Tmasl1

this one's called sweet-and-sour

pork

kore tonkatsl1 desl1

this one is a pork cutlet

nan ni shimasho ka?

what wi I I you have?

kudasai
gyoza kudasai

please
meat dumpl ings, please

chotto
chotto matte kudasai

a bit; say!
just a minute, please

arimasl1
arimasen
arimas0 ka?
ebi no tempura arimas0 ka?
(hai,) arimasl1
(iya,) arimasen

we do; we have.
we don't; we don't have.
do you have
?
do you have shrimp tempura?
yes, we do
no, we don't

hltots0
f~tats0

s0kiyaki f0tats0 kudasai

one
two
two orders of sukiyaki, please

i p-pa i
ip-pon

one glass; one cup

one bottle

ni-hai
ni-hon
mizu ni-hai kudasai

two glasses; two cups

two bottles
two glasses of water, please

mo
bTru mo ip-pon kudasai

more; another
another bottle of beer, please

kanjo o-negai shimasl1

may I have the check?

domo arigato gozaimashlta

domo

thank you
thank you

II ,

EATING OUT

3.

PART 3

NOTES

I.
Japanese restaurants may be generally classified
into those serving
a.

traditional fare;

b.

a variety of popular dishes;

c.

some specialty, such as noodles Cudon or 8oba)

or vinegared rice (s~shi);

d.

foreign dishes (Mexican,

American, and so forth).

Italian, Chinese,

The first type of restau rant, ca I led ryoriya, tend s to be

more formal and expensive, often requiring reservations. The
second type is the most common in Japan and the setting is
usua I I Y fa i r I y casua I. Wh i I e the I ast three types encompass
a wide range of restaurants, they are_on the whole less
formal and less expensive than the ryoriya.
This module wil I
focus on situations in these more popular restaurants.
2. Glass display cases in front of most popular eating
places contain paraffin models of the dishes and beverages
served.
Each dish has a sign indicating the Japanese name
and the price. Most restaurants use Arabic numerals, but
noodle and s~shi restaurants show the prices in Japanese
characters. Wherever display cases are used, there is no
need for menus.
In some eating places, especially noodle and s~shi shops,
signs showing the names and prices of food items are posted
on the wall.
Some restaurants, particularly those specializing in foreign dishes, have Western-style menus.
3.
In most popular restaurants, the customer checks the
paraffin models in front, enters, and takes a seat at whatever table is vacant.
In smal I restaurants, when they are
crowded, the customer may share a table with strangers rather
than wait for a table. A few eating places are arranged so
that customers order their meals as soon as they enter and
obtain a meal ticket (shokken).

112

PART 3

EATING OUT

4.
Restaurants serving popular dishes usually have
comp I ete dinners (teshok7d) in add i!.i on to the a I a carte
dishes.
If you order a tonkats7d teshok~, for example, you
wi I I get suimono (soup), ts~kemono (pickled vegetables), and
go-han (rice), in addition to the pork cutlet.
5.
If you are eating in a restaurant that serves Japanese or Chinese food, you wi I I be expected to e~t with a pair
of hashi (chopsticks), unless you ask for a s~pun(spoon),
fok~ (fork), or naif~ (knife).
6.
Bottled Japanese beer (biru) is served in most eating
places.
If you want to try sake (Japanese wine) with your
mea I, it is ava i I ab lei n most restaurants serv i ng Japanese
food.
It is usually served hot in a small bottle (o-choshi)
with a smal I matching cup (sakazuki).
If you want tea (o-cha)
with your meal, it generally comes with your order at restaurants that serve Chinese or Japanese food.
7.
At some Japanese restaurants, especially s-;4.shi shops,
a hot, scented washcloth wi II be brought to you soon after
you take a seat.
This is a refreshing way to clean your
hands and face before eating.
Paper products, such as napkins and toi let paper, are
not provided in restaurants.
You should get in the habit of
carrying a smal I packet of tissues whenever you go out, as the
Japanese do.
8.
At popular eating places, tipping is not customary.
At ryoriya and more exclusive restaurants, a tip is included
in your check as a service charge (sabisU-ryo).

Image: Leonardo Sakaki

Date: 24 July 2011
cc-by-sa-3.0

Assorted fish and vegetables to be cooked at the table

, '3

PART 4

EATING OUT

4.

FLUENCY DRILLS

In this section, when you are asked to say something,

speak loudly and clearly, and try hard to pronounce the words
as the speaker does on the tape. After you have given your
response, you wi II hear the correct vers ion.
I. Many restaurants in Japan have display windows with
paraffin models of the dishes served there.
If you see something you would like to order, but don't know what to cal I
it, you might stop a person on the street to ask the name of
the dish or beverage. To get the attention of someone when
you want a favor, you say "excu se me,," sumimasen.
Listen and
repeat:
Sumimasen.

2 . To ask "w hat i s t his c a I led?" yo usa y kore nan to

imasi ka? Listen and repeat:
Tmas~

Kore nan to

ka?

Now say "excuse me, what is this called?"

3. The answer ma~ simply be the name of the food or

drink followed by to imas-i. "is called." Let's suppose you
oint to a plate of sukIyaki and say sumimasen" kore nan to
imasu ka? The answer might be sikiyaki to imasK. Listen:
S~kiyaki

to Tmas~.

The passerby_might say "this one is cal led sukiyaki," kore

8ukiyaki to imas~. Listen:
Kore

s~kiyaki

to

Tmas~.

Another possible response is "it's sukiyaki ,"

or "this one is sukiyaki ,It kore s)lkiyaki desi.
S~kiyaki

desk1.

Kore

114

s~kiyaki

des~.

8~kiyaki

Listen:

desi.

PART 4

EATING OUT

Now you wi II hear some answers to your question kore nan to

Imasi, ka? (Subuta is sweet-and-sour pork; yakisoba is chow
mein; and ebi no tempura is shrimp tempura.)
Give the Engl ish
translation after you hear each Japanese answer.
EXAMPLE:

S~kiyaki

to

Tmas~.

YOU:

It's called sukiyaki.

4.
If the passerby does not understand which dish you
are asking about, he may point and say "this one?" kore desi,
ka? Listen:
Kore desld ka?
If that ;s the one you mean, you say "yes," hai.
repeat:

Listen and

Ha i .

If that is not the one you mean, you say "no, this one,"
iya, kore desi,.
Listen and repeat:
Iya, kore

des~.

5. When you go into a restaurant and take a seat, the

waitress should come to your table promptly to take your order.
But let's assume you take a seat and no one comes to take
Yr0ur order. To get the attention of the waitress, you say
'say," ahotto.
Listen and repeat:
Chotto.
You wi I I be us i ng ahotto aga in: if you want to reorder something and when you want the check.
When the waitress comes, she wi II say hai, meaning "yes, sir"
or "yes, ma'am." Japanese say hai to show that they are
listening to you.

I 15

PART 4

EATING OUT

6.
If the waitress comes directly to your table when
you enter the restaurant, she ma y say "what wi II you have?"
nan ni shimasho ka? Listen:
Nan ni shimasho ka?

7.
If you are not ready to order" you can say
"just a minute, please," ahotto matte kudasai.
Li sten and
repeat:
Chotto matte kudasai.
After you have said ahotto matte kudasai, the waitress may
say hai.

8.
If you want to know about a certain dish--for example,
sukiyaki--you ask "do you have sukiyaki?" sikiyaki arimas;/. ka?
Listen and repeat:
S~kiyaki

arimas~

ka?

Let's suppose you want to know if they have curried rice.

(The word s for "curr i ed rice" are kare rais14.) Listen and
repeat:
kare rais~
Now ask if they have curried rice.
The word for "meat dumpl ings" is gyoza.

Listen and repeat:

gyoza
Now ask if they have meat dumpl ings.
The word for "pork cutlet" is

tonkats~.

tonkats~

Now ask if they have pork cutlets.

116

Listen and repeat:

EATING OUT

PART 4

9.
I f they have the dish, the wa iter wi I I say "yes," hai,
or "yes, we do," hai, arimas7i.
Li sten:

Ha i .

Hai, arimas0.

If they do not have the dish, the waiter wi II say "no." Ie.
o r he wi I I sa y "n 0, wed 0 n ' t I" W hi chi n J a pan e se can b e
ie, arimasen; iya, arimasen; or sl mp I y arimasen.
Listen:
Ie, arimasen.

Iya, arimasen.

Arimasen.

If you ask a question I ike "do you have sake?" sake apimas')i
ka: t he wa i t e r may sa y "n 0, wed 0 n ' t; we have bee r , "
arimasen t b~ru arimasi.

10.
Now you are ready to order.
Let's say you want to
order one hamburger.
First, you give the name of the dish,
"hamburger," hambaga. Then give the number you want, "one."
httots'd, and add the wo.!:.d_"please," kudasai.
So to order one
hamburger, }()u say hambaga httots1i kudasai.
L r sten and repeat:

Hambaga hltots~ kudasai.

Suppose you want to order two hamburgers.
Instead of httotsi,
you use the word f~tats~.
Listen and repeat:
f~tats~

Order two hamburgers.

Hambaga

f0tats~

kudasai.

Now ask for two orders of sukiyaki.

S~kiyaki

futats~

kudasai.

There is a Japanese dish which is noodle soup with shrimp

tempura. This dish is cal led tempura udon.
Listen and
repeat:
tempura udon
Now ask for one order of tempura udon.

117

PART 4

EATING OUT

II.
Now you are ready to order your drink. The names of
man y d.!:. ink s com e fro mEn g lis h . " Bee r" i ~ .i ru; "i c edt e a" i s
aisi ti; "milk" is miruki; "coffee" is kohi; and "Coke" is

kora.
Japanese has only one word for both ,:a_cup of" and "a glass
"A cup of coffee" is kohi ip-pai.
Listen and
repeat:

of"--ip-pai.

kohT ip-pai
Now order a cup of coffee.
"A glass of mi Ik" is miruki ip-pai.

Listen and repeat:

mirukki ip-pai
Now order a glass of mi Ik.
The word for "water" is mizu.

Listen and repeat:

mi z u

Now order a glass of water.

And the word for "tea" is o-aha.

Listen and repeat:

o-cha
Now order a cup of tea.
If you order beer or sake, you wi I I use the words
"One bottle of beer" is biru ip-pon.
Listen and repeat:

ip-pon, "a bottle."

bTru ip-pon
Order a bottle of beer.
Now order a bottle of sake.
If there are two f_you, and you want to order two cups of
coffee, you say kohi ni-hai kudasai.
Listen and repeat:
Kohl ni-hai

118

kudasai.

PART 4

EATING OUT

Listen again to "one cup of coffee, please."

Kohl

ip-pai kudasai.

Order two glasses of water.

Now order two glasses of mi Ik.
"Two bottles of beer" is biru ni-hon.
of beer, you say biru ni-hon kudasai.

To order two bottles

Listen and repeat:

BTru ni-hon kudasai.

Listen again to "one bottle of beer, please."
BTru i p-pon kudasa i .
Now order two bottles of sake.

Image: Guwashi999
Date: 20 April 2008
cc-by-2.0

Shimokitazawa, Tokyo

119

PART 4

EATING OUT

12.
The w~itress has asked you what you wi I I have,
nan ni shimasho ka? You wi I I be given a ser i es of orders
for food and drink in English. Order in Japanese.

EXAMPLE:
YOU:

One hamburger, one bottle of beer.

Hambaga hltots0, bTru ip-pon kudasai.

One hamburger,
one cup of coffee.
One order of sukiyaki,
one bottle of beer.
One order of curried rice,
one glass of mil k.
One order of shrimp tempura,
one glass of water.
Two pork cutlets,
two glasses of iced tea.
Two hamburgers,
two glasses of Coke.
One hamburger, one order of
sukiyaki, two bottles of
beer.
Two orders of tempura udon~
one cup of coffee, one
bottle of beer.
One order of sweet-and-sour
pork, one order of meat
dumpl ings, two bottles of
sa ke.
One order of chow mein, one
order of sweet-and-sour pork,
one glass of mi Ik, one bottle
of beer.

120

EATING OUT

PART 4

13.
If you want to reorder a dish or a drink, you add
the word "more," mo..... to 'your order.
For instance, "two more
beers, please" is biru mo ni-hon kudasai.
If you want to
say "one more order of sukiyaki, please," you say s'ikiyaki
mo httots~ kudasai. You wi I I hear several orders in Engl ish.
Order the food in Japanese.

EXAMPLE:

One more glass of Coke. YOU: Kora mo ip-pai kudasai.

One more order of shrimp tempura.

One more order of curried rice.
Two more hamburgers.
Two more bottles of sake.
Two more cups of coffee.
One more order of sweet-and-sour
pork.
One more order of tempura udon.

14.
When the waitress brings to you the dish or drink
you ' ve 0 r d ere d, she wi I I say "h ere you are," h a i , do Z 0
Listen:
H ai,

doz 0

And you wi II say "thank you," domo.

Listen and repeat:

Domo.

15. When you have finished the meal and want the check,
you get the attention of the waitress by saying ahotto.
When she comes to your table L she wi I I say hai, and you say
"may I have the check?" kanjo o-negai shimas'i.
Listen and
repeat:
Kanjo o-negai shimas~.

121

EATING OUT

PART 4

16. When you pay, the cashier wi II say "thank you,"

domo arigato gozaimashita.
Listen:
Domo arigato gozaimashlta.
And you wi II say "thank you," domo.

17.
In this exercise you wi I I hear some foods and drinks
that may be named when you ask "what is this called?"
kore nan to imasi ka? After you hear the name of the dish
or beverage, repeat it.
EXAMPLE:

s0kiyaki to

YOU:

imas~.

to

s0kiyaki

Tmas~.

to Tmas~.
to

Tmas~.

to

Tmas~.

to Tmaski.

18. Now you wi I I hear the same answers. When you hear
the name of the dish or drink, order it in Japanese, just as
you would in a real situation.
EXAMPLE:

S~kiyaki

YOU:

to Tmas0.

S~kiyaki

kudasai.

S0ika to Tmas~.

S0ika kudasai.

Katsudon to Tmas~.

Katsudon kudasai.

Happozai to Tmas0.

Happozai kudasai.

Furuts~

Furuts0 jus~ kudasai.

jus0 to Tmas~.

Inari zushi to Tmas0.

122

I nari zushi kudasai.

EATING OUT

5.

PART 5

DIALOGUES
I.

An accompanied American at a popular Western restaurant.

J:

Nan n i sh imasho ka?

What wi II you have?

A:

Chotto matte kudasai.

Just a minute, please.

J :

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Hambaga f~tats0, ais~ tT

ip-pai, miruk~ ip-pai
kudasa i.

Two hamburgers, one glass of

iced tea, and one glass of
mi I k, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

J:

Hai, dozo.

Here you are.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Kanjo o-negai shimas0?

May I have the check?

J :

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

123

EATING OUT

PART 5

2. An unaccompanied American at a popular Western

restaurant.
J:

Nan ni shimasho ka?

What wi II you have?

A:

Chotto matte kudasai.

Just a minute, please.

J :

Ha i .

Yes.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i

Yes, sir.

A:

Miruk0 arimas0 ka?

Do you have mi Ik?

J:

Ha i .

A:

Hambaga hltots0, miruk0

ip-pai kudasai.

One hamburger and one glass of

mil k, plea se.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Miruk0 mo ip-pai kudasai.

Another glass of mi I k, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Kanjo o-negai shimas0.

May I have the check?

J:

Ha i . Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

Yes, sir.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

Yes, we do.

Arimas0.

124

Thank you.

EATING OUT

PART 5

3.
An unaccompanied American outside a popular Japanese
restaurant, asking a passerby about a dish in the display case.

A:

Sum i mas en.

Ko r e nan to
Tmaski ka?

Excuse me.
called?

What is this one

J:

Kore des0 ka?

to Tmaski.

This one?
cutlet.

It's called a pork

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Nan ni shimasho ka?

What wi I I you have?

A:

Tonkatski hltotski, sake

i p-pon kudasa i.

One pork cutlet and one bottle

of sake, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Mizu i p-p a i kudasai.

A glass of water, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J :

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Kanjo o-negai shimas0.

May I have the c hec k?

J:

Ha i

Yes, sir.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Tonkatski

Thank you.

125

PART 5

EATING OUT

4.
An accompanied American outside a popular Japanese
restaurant, asking a passerby about a dish in the display
case.

A:

Sumimasen.
Kore nan to
Tmas~ ka?

Excuse me.
called?

J:

Ebi no tempura desk1.

It's shrimp tempura.

A:

Kore nan to

J:

Kore

des~

rais~

Tmas~

ka?

ka?

What is this one

What is this one called?

Kore kare

des~.

This one?
rice.

This one is curried

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Nan n ish i ma s ho ka?

What wi II you have?

A:

Eb i no temp u ra hltots~,
kare raisn hltotsk1
kudasai.

One order of shrimp tempura

and one order of curried
rice, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Hai.

Yes, sir.

A:

BTru ip-pon kudasai.

A bottle of beer, please.

A:

Chotto.
Yakisoba

Say!
Do you have chow mein?

arimas~

ka?

J:

Te, arimasen.

No, we don't.

A:

Ebi no tempura mo hltots~, bTru me ip-pon

kudasai.

Another order of shrimp tempura

and another bottle of beer,
please.

J :

Ha i .

Ye s.

126

PART 5

EATING OUT

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i .

Ye s, sir

A:

Kanjo o-negai shimas0.

May I have the check?

J :

Ha i . Domo arigato
gozaimashlta.

Yes, sir.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

Thank you.

5.
An accompanied American outside a Chinese restaurant,
asking a passerby about a dish in the display case.

A:

Sum i mas en.

Ko r e nan to
Tmas0 ka?

Excuse me.
called?

J:

Kore des0 ka?

This one?

A:

Ha i .

Yes.

J:

Kore gyoza to Tmas0.

This one is called meat

dumpl ings.

A:

Kore nan to Tmas~ ka?

What is this one called?

J:

Yakisoba des0.

It's chow mein.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Nan ni shimasho ka?

What wi

A:

Gyoza

you have?

One order of meat dump lings

and one order of chow mein,
please.

hltots~,

hltots~

II

What is this one

yakisoba
kudasai.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, ma'am.

A:

Kirin bTru arimas~ ka?

Do you have Kirin Beer?

J:

Hai.

Yes, we do.

A:

Kirin ni-hon kudasai.

Two bottles of Kirin, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, ma'am.

Arimas0.

127

EATING OUT

PART 5

A:

Chotto.

Say!

J:

Ha i .

Yes, ma'am.

A:

Kirin mo ip-pon kudasai.

Another bottle of Kirin, please.

J:

Ha i .

Yes, ma'am.

A:

Chotto.

Say!

Kanjo o-nega i

May I have the check?

shimas~.

Yes, ma'am.

J:

Ha i .

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

Image: Lombroso
Date: 16 July 2007
Public Domain

Paraffin models of food and drinks in a display case

128

EATING OUT

PART 5

6. An unaccompanied American outside a Chinese restaurant,

asking a passerby about a dish in the display case.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Subuta des0.

A:

J:

Nan ni shimasho ka?

Ha i .

Arimasen.

Ha i .

We have beer.

Yes, sir.

Say!
Ha i .

A:
J:

BTru arimas0.No, we don't.

One bottle of beer, please.

A:
J:

Yes, sir.
Do you have sake?

A:

J :

What wi I I you have?

One order of sweet-and-sour pork,
please.

A:
J:

It's sweet-and-sour pork.

Thank you.

A:

J:

What is this one called?

Yes, sir.
Another bottle of beer, please.

Ha i .

A:

Yes, sir.

Say!

May I have the check?

Yes, sir.

J:

Ha i .

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashyta.

A:

Thank you.
Thank you.

129

PART 5

EATING OUT

7.
An unaccompanied American outside a noodle restaurant,
asking a passerby about a dish in the display case.

Excuse me.

A:

J:

Tempura udon to

Tmas~.

It's called tempura noodles.

A:

Thank you.

A:

Say!

J:

Nan ni shimasho ka?

Ha i .

Ha i

Yes, sir.
Another order of tempura noodles
and another bottle of sake, please.

A:
J:

Yes, sir.

Say!

A:
J:

What wi I I you have?

One order of tempura noodles and
one bottle of sake, please.

A:

J:

What is this one called?

Ha i .

Yes, sir

. . .
A:
J :

Say!
Ha i

A:

Yes, sir.
May I have the check?

J:

Ha i

Yes, sir.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

Thank you.

A:

Thank you.

130

EATING OUT

PART 5

8.
An accompanied American outside a noodle restaurant,
asking a passerby about a dish in the display case.

Excuse me.
called?

A:

J:

Tempura udon des0.

A:

J :

It's tempura noodles.

Thank you.

Nan n i shimasho ka?

What wi I I you have?

Two orders of tempura noodles
and two bottles of sa ke, please.

A:
J:

What is this one

Ha i .

Ye s, ma'am.

Say!

A:

Another two orders of tempura

noodles and another two bottles
of sake, please.
J:

Ha i .

A:

Yes, ma'am.

May I have the check?

J:

Ha i .

Yes, ma'am.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

Thank you.

A:

Thank you.

131

EATING OUT

PART 5

An accompanied American at a popular Western restaurant.

9.

A:
J :

Say!
Yes, ma'am.

Ha i .

Do you have Coke?

A:

J:

Hai.

Arimaslti'.

One glass of Coke, one cup of

coffee, and two hamburgers,
please.

A:

J:

Ha i .

Yes, ma'am.

Say!

A:
J :

Yes, we do.

Hai

Yes, ma'am.
Another two cups of coffee and
another two hamburgers, please.

A:

J:

Hai

J:

Hai, doz o.

Yes, ma'am.

Here you are.

A:

Thank you.

A:

Say!

J:

A:

Hai.
Domo arigato
gozaimashlta.

May I have the check?

Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.

132

Thank you.

PART 5

EATING OUT

10.
An accompanied American outside a popular Japanese
restaurant, asking a passerby about a dish in the display
case.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Kore

s~kiyaki

des0.

This one is sukiyaki.

What is this one called?

A:

J:

What is this one called?

Kore des0 ka?

This one?

A:

No, this one.

J:

Kore sashimi des0.

This one is sliced raw fish.

J:

Nan ni shimasho ka?

What wi I I you have?

A:

J:

Two orders of sukiyaki, one order

of sl iced raw fish, and two
bottles of sake, please.
Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:
J:

Do you have iced tea?

Te, arimasen.
arimas0.

O-cha

No, we don't.

We have hot tea.

A:

One cup of hot tea, please.

A:

Say!

J:

Ha i .

A:
J:

Another two bottles of sa ke,

please.
Ha i .

A:

Yes, sir.

Say!

A:
J :

Yes, sir.

Hai. Domo arigato

gozaimashlta.

May I have the c hec k?

Yes, sir.
Thank you.
133

Thank you.

PART 6

EATING OUT

6.

SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

Section I
You wI I I hear 20 situations.
Japanese. After you respond, the
heard on the tape. On a separate
of which items you miss and which

Respond to each in
correct answer wi II be
piece of paper, keep track
you answer correctly.

Section 2
You wi I I hear 15 statements in Japanese. Se I ect the
correct Engl ish equivalent for each from the three choices
provided, and write A, B, or C on a separate piece of paper.
After you finish this section, check your answers with the
key.
I.

2.

A.

Yes, we have beer.

A.

Here you are.

5 i r.
Yes, we are.

B. No, we don't have bee r.

C. No, we don't. We have beer.
B. Yes,

C.

3.

A.

B.
C.
4.

5.

It's meat dumpl ings.

It's sweet-and-sour pork.
It's a pork cutlet.

B.
C.

This one?
This one?
This one?

A,

Thank you.

A.

It's ca I led chow mein.

It's ca I led sweet-and-sour pork.
It's ca I led s Ii ced raw fish.

B. What wi I I you have?

C. Yes, sir.
6.

A.

No, we don't.

We have hot tea.

B. No, we don't have hot tea.

C. No, we don't. We have iced tea.

134

EATING OUT

PART 6

7.

A. We have sukiyaki.
B. We don't have sukiyaki.
C. This one i s ca I led sukiyaki.

8.

A, Yes, sir.
B. Thank you.
C. This one?

9.

A. This one i s sl iced raw f ish .

B. This one i s sweet-and-sour pork.
C. This one i s meat dump lings.

10.

A, We don't have iced tea. We have hot tea.

B, We don't have mil k. We have coffee.
C. We don't have bee r. We have sa ke.

I I.

A.
B,
C.

12.

A. Yes, this one.

B. Ye s, we do.
C. Ye s, sir.

I 3.

A, Thank you.
B. What i s this called?
C, What wi I I you have?

14.

A. Yes, sir.
B. Yes, sir.
C. Yes, sir.

15.

It's tempura noodles.

A. This one?
B, This one? It's shrimp tempura.
C. This one i s tempura noodles.

It's ca I led meat dumpl ings.

It's ca I led a pork cutlet.
It's ca I led sweet-and-sour pork.

Ke~

to Section 2

C
A
C
A
A

2.

3.
4
5.

It's ca I led chow mein.

Thank you.
We have chow mein.

6.

I I

8.
9.
10.

C
B
B

I 2.
I3.
14.
15.

135

A
B
C

B
B

PART 7

EATING OUT

7.

REVIEW AND REMEDIATION

If you missed any items on the quiz, review the Fluency

Drills indicated below.
If you missed more than four items in Section I or more
than three items in Section 2, it would be a good idea to
review the entire Dialogue section. Once you have reviewed
the recommended exercises, take the Supplementary Selfevaluation Quiz, Part 8.
If you missed four items or fewer in Section I and three
items or fewer in Section 2, you may go on to another module
without taking the Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz.
SECTION 2

SECTION
If you missed
item

:t 0u should

review drill(s)

I f you missed
item

I, 2

you should
rev i ew d r i I I ( s)
9

3, 4,

3,

16, 17
16, 17

3,

I 6,

3, 4

3, 4,

15

3,

10

10

II

10,

I I , 12

II

12

10,

12

13

I I , 12
10, I I , 12

13

14

I I,

12

14

5, 15

15

I I , 12, 13

15

3, 4

16

10, 12, 13

17

10,

18

10, 12, 13

19
20

14

I 6,

17
16, 17
17

I I , 12, 13

15
136

PART 8

EATING OUT

8.

SUPPLEMENTARY SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

Section I
You wi I I hear 10 situations. Respond to each in
Japanese.
After you respond, the correct answer wi I I be
heard on the tape.

Section 2
You wi I I hear a conversation involving two Americans,
a Japanese passerby, and a waitress in a Chinese restaurant.
On a separate piece of paper, translate the entire conversation
into Engl ish, stopping the tape whenever you need to.
When
you have finished, check your translation with the key.

Key to Section 2
John:
Passerby:
John:
Passerby:
John:

Excuse me, what is this one called?

This one?
Yes.
This one is chow mein.
Thank you.

Waitress:
John:

John:
Waitress:

What wi I I you have?

One order of chow me in, one order of meat dump lings,
and one bottle of sake, please.
We don't have sake. We have beer--Sapporo, Asahi,
Kirin . . .
Two bottles of Kirin, please.
Yes, sir.

John:
Waitress:

Say! May I have the check?

Yes, sir.

Waitress:
John:

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Thank you.

Waitress:

137

PART 9

EATING OUT

9.

ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY

Here is a I ist of dishes you might want to order. You

wi I I NOT be tested on these new words. These words are on the
tape to help you with pronunciation and to give you practice
I istening to them.
(When you order American dishes in Japan, be sure to pronounce
the names as the Japanese do.)
hamu eggu

ham and eggs

bekon eggu

bacon and eggs

piza
omurets~

pizza
omelet

hotto kak i
hot to doggu

hotcakes (pancakes)
hot dog

waffuru

waffle

miruk~

saki

sandoitchi
hamu sando
chTzj4 sando
furai

rais~

gohan
s~shi

makizushi
inarizushi

mi I k shake
sandwich
ham sandwich
cheese sandwich
fried rice
steamed rice
sushi (see Module I, paqe 25)
sushi wrapped in seaweed
sushi in fried bean curd

yakItori

gri I led chicken on a skewer

nizakana

boiled fish

yakizakana

grilled fish

domburi

rice combination (large bowl of rice

with meat or fish on top; for
example, unagi domburi is a large
bowl of rice with eel, unagi)

tendon

rice with shrimp tempura (short for

tempura domburi)
katsudon

rice with pork cutlet (short for

tonkatsi domburi)
Sumimasen. Mo ichido
itte kudasai.

Excuse me.

138

Please say that again.

MODULE 5
SHOPPING AND REPAIRS

I.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this module you wi I I

I.

be able to

understand such pol ite expressions as

a.

"nice to have you,"

b.

"thank you,

c.

"yes,

come again," and,

sir" or "yes, ma'am";

2.

get the attention of a salesclerk verbally;

3.

ask "do you have

5.

" usi ng the Japanese words for

a.

"radios,"

b.

"stereos,"

c.

"cassette recorders,"

d.

"cameras,"

e.

"fi 1m,"

f.

"chinaware,"

g.

"scrolls," and

h.

"this"

(referring to a catalogue or picture);

ask "do you have one that

words for

is

.?" with the Japanese

a.

"larger" or "smaller,"

b.

"cheaper" or "better qua I ity," and,

c.

"a different color";

understand responses such as

a.

"no, we don't,"

b.

"yes,

c.

"I'm sorry,

d.

"yes, on the fifth floor";

we do,"
we're out of

139

stock," and,

SHOPPING

PART I

6.

say " I ' I I take this one";

7.

say " I ' I I take one (two, three) of these";

8.

ask "can you take care of this?"

9.

ask "can you have this ready today {tomorrow)?"

10.

understand answers such as

a.

"yes, we can,"

b.

"no, we can't," and,

c.

"we can have it by tomorrow";

II.

say "okay, fine then";

12.

ask, as you present a ticket, "is this ready yet?"

13.

understand "just a minute, please";

14.

understand "I'm sorry, we'll

15.

say "thank you."

Image: Gryffindor
Date: 19 April 2009
cc-by-sa-3.0

Shopping in Japan
Main shopping street of su in Nagoya

have it tomorrow H

140

141
141
>-

0
I-

"I-

+-

+(J)

ro

(f)

::J

(J)

ro

Image: 663highland
Date: 1 June 2007
cc-by-sa-3.0

PART 2

SHOPPING

2.

VOCABULARY

The system of writing Japanese used in this course is

called the Hepburn system. Pronunciation of most of the
letters presents no difficulty to an American. Those letters
or combinations of letters considered difficult to pronounce
wi I I be explained in this section of the modules.
In Module 5 you may have difficulty with the following:
I. When double letters appear in a Japanese word, as
in kasetto, ikkai, and irasshaimase, the sound is repeated.
Think of double letters as having a hyphen between them and
pronounce both letters distinctly.
Listen:
kaset-to

mot-to

i k- ka i

rok-kai

irash-shaimase
( i rassha i mase)

2. When i and u are written with a slash mark through

them, they are slurred, or barely pronounced.
Listen to the
difference between the i and the t in kirashtte.

kirashlte
Now I isten to the difference between the u and the
words sumimasen and s~tereo.
sumimasen

in the

s~tereo

3.
The letters marked with a bar, a, i, and 0, are
pronounced longer than ones without a bar.
Listen:

ashlta

iro

no

go-kai

okT

4. The letter g in the middle of a word is pronounced

like the ng in "sing" by natives of Tokyo.
Listen:
arigato

o-nega i sh i mas~

142

SHOPPING

PART 2

sumimasen

excu se me;

irasshaimase

nice to have you

setomono

chinaware

kakemono

sc ro I I s

kamera

cameras

fuirumu

f i 1m

rajio

radios

s0tereo

stereos

kasetto rekoda

cassette recorders

arimas0
arimasen
arimas0 ka?
setomono arimas0 ka?

we
we
do
do

kore
kore arimas0 ka?

this (one); these

do you have this?

hai
hai, arimas0

yes; yes, sir; yes, ma'am

yes, we do (have them)

ie

no
no
no, we don't (have them)

~ya

ie, arimasen

I'm sorry

have
don't have
you have?
you have chinaware?

we're out of stock now

ima kirashlte imas0
sumimasen, ima kirashlte imas0 I'm sorry; we're out of stock
now
i k- ka i
ni-kai
san-gai
yon-kai
go-kai
rok-ka i
san-gai des0
rok-kai ni arimas0

first floor
second floor
third floor
fourth floor
fifth floor
sixth floor
on the third floor
on the sixth floor

motto okT no

a I arger one

motto chTsai no

a smaller one

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motto yasui no

a cheaper one

motto i no

a better (quality) one

hoka no

another one; a different kind

hoka no iro

a different color

motto chTsai no arimas~ ka?

hoka no iro arimas~ ka?

do you have a smaller one?

do you have a different color?

kudasai

please

kore kudasai

(1'1 I take) this one, please

h1tots~
f~tatsk1
mitts~
kore f~tats~

one
two
three
1'1 I have two of these, p I ease

kudasai

shosho o-machi kudasai

just a minute, please

dekimas~

dekimasen
dekimaski ka?
kore dekimas~ ka?

we can do it
we can't do it
can you do it?
can you do this?/can you fix
(develop, take care of) this?

kyo
ash1ta
kyo dekimas~ ka?
iya, ash/ta dekimaski

today
tomorrow
can you do it today?
no, (but) we can do it (by)
tomorrow

ja , o-negai shimaski

okay, fine then

dekimashlta ka?
kore dekimashlta ka?

is it done?/is it ready?
is this ready?

domo
domo arigato gozaimashlta

thank you
thank you

mata dozo

please come again

see you later

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3.

NOTES

I.
At department stores (depato) and most other stores
in Japan, neither tax exemption nor discounts should be expected. Goods sel I precisely for the marked amount.
Of
course, you wi I I frequently find bargain counters and sales
at these stores, but the reduced pri ces are genera I I Y shown on
on tags.

There are a few camera, electronics, and jewelry stores

(mostly in the Electronics District of Tokyo) where various
discounts may be ava i I ab I e upon request.
I f you've heard
that a particular store gives discounts, you might try asking
s7lfkoshi benkyo dekimasen ka? meaning "could you give me a
discount?" But if you aren't positive that the store gives
discounts, it would be better not to ask.
2.
In cities and towns throughtout Japan, you wi I I find
supermarkets (supa), often at or near train stations. These
supermarkets are much I ike those in the United States.
Many supa carry al I sorts of goods, including refrigerators
a~d_clothing.
Therefore, the distinction betwe~n depato and
supa may not, at times, be clear. The word depato is
apparent I y used for I ong-estab I i shed department stores such
as Mits7lfkoshi, Takashimaya, and Daimaru.
3.

Some unique features of the Japanese depato are

a.
in the basement (and sometimes subbasement), rows
of specialty food shops, which are independent concessions;
b.
on a top floor, a cafeteria or eating place
serving Japanese food as wei I as Chinese and Western foods;
c.
on another floor, cultural exhibits (tenji-kai)
such as ceramics, paintings, and dolls. These exhibits
change periodically;
d.
on the roof, a playground (yuenchi) and a small
zoo (dobuts,i-en) for chi Idren.

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4.
tbe_rest
supa, it
the sign

If you have t use

room in a depato or
may be marked with _
"powder room" (keshosh1ts~) and used by both men
and women. Once inside,
however, you wi II see that
there is a partition dividing
the women's and men's faci I ities. Generally, there are
both Japanese-style and
American-style toi lets (toire),
but don't expect to find
toi let paper supp I ied.
Whenever you go shopping, it
would be a good idea to carry
a packet of tissues, as the
Japanese do.
Image: Chris 73
Date: 19 December 2004
cc-by-sa-3.0
cropped image

5.
In stores allover Japan, particularly in department
stores, the clerks are usually careful to use pol ite and
formal language. To say "just a minute, please," you, as
a customer, would use the expression chotto matte kudasai.
A !yp!cal salesclerk might use the more pol ite expression
shosho o-machi kudasai.
6.
Buiness_hQurs of some specialty shops (mise) may
vary.
Depato, supa, and most mise are open on Saturdays
and Sunday,_but closed on one of the weekdays. You may
f !nQ. one supa closed every Tuesday, wh i I e another nearby
supa is closed every Wednesday.
7. The word hai can usually be translated as "yes" or
"that's right," but not always:
For example, a Japanese
may say hai as you talk to let you know he's listening
intently.
In such cases, you might think of the hai as a
noncommital "uh-huh." The hai doesn't mean that he agrees
with what you are saying.

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PART 4

4. FLUENCY DRILLS
In this section, when you are asked to say something,
speak loudly and clearly, and try hard to pronounce the
words as the speaker does on the tape. After you have given
your response, you wi I I hear the correct version.
I. To get a clerk's attent ion ina store, say "excuse
me," sumimasen.
Listen and repeat:
Sumimasen.

2. The usual greeting given a customer is "nice to have

you," irasshaimase.
Listen:
Irasshaimase.

3. You may want to ask if the store carries a certain

item, for example, radios. To ask if the store has radios,
you say rajio arimasyl ka? Listen and repeat:
Rajio

arimas~

ka?

You may want to ask about fi 1m, fuirumu.

Listen and repeat!

fuirumu
To ask if the store carries fj 1m, you say fuirumu arimasyl ka?
Listen and repeat:
Fuirumu arimas0 ka?
Or ~o~ may want to know about cassette recorders, kasetto
rekoda.
Listen and repeat:
kasetto rekoda
Now ask

jf

the store has cassette recorders.

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The word for "chinaware" is setomono.

Listen and repeat:

setomono
Now ask if the store has chinaware.
The word for "scrol I" is kakemono.

Listen and repeat:

kakemono
Ask if the store has scroll s.
The word for "stereo" is sJiteT'eo.

Listen and repeat:

st1tereo
Ask if the store has stereos.
And the word for "camera" is kameT'a.

Listen and repeat:

kamera
Now ask if the store has cameras.
If you have brought a picture of the item, you can show it
to the clerk and say "do you have this?" kOT'e arimas14 ka?
Listen and repeat:
Kore arimasld ka?

4.
Now you wi I J hear some Eng Ii sh words. After heari ng
each cue, ask in Japanese if the store has the item.

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5.
If the answer to your question rajio a'YJimas7A. ka:;
is
yes, the clerk wi II say hai., "yes," or arimas7A.., "we do," or
hai., a'YJimas'i, "yes, we do." Listen to these three answers:

Ha i .

Arimaski.

Hai, arimaski.

6.
If the answer to your question is ~o, the clerk wi I I
say Ie, "no," or arimasen, "we don't," or ie, arimasen, or
iya, arimasen, both meaning "no, we d0n't."
Now I isten to the different answers:

Te.

Arimasen.

Te, arimasen.

Iya, arimasen.

7.
If the item you want to buy is not in stock, the clerk
wi I I say" I'm sorry; we're out of stock now," sumimasen; ima
kirashite imas~.
Listen:
Sumimasen.

Ima kirashite imaski.

8. Now you wi II hear several possible answers to your

question "do you have radios?" After you hear each Japanese
answer, give the English translation.

9 When you ask k as e t tor e k 0 da a rim a s ~ k a? the c I e r k

may simply tel I you the floor on which cassette recorders are
sold.
If they are on the first floor, the clerk says
ik-kai des~.
Listen:
Ik-kai des0.
The clerk could also have said ik-kai ni arimasi.
There is
no difference in meaning between des~ and ni apimas~ when
used with floor numbers.
Listen:
Ik-kai ni arimas0.
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"The second floor" is ni-kai. And "they're on the second

floor" is either ni-kai des~ or ni-kai ni arimas~.
Listen:
Ni-kai des0.

Ni-kai ni arimas0.

"The third floor" is san-gai. To tell you that something is

on the third floor, the clerk says san-gai des~ or san-gai ni
arimasi. Listen:
San-gai des0.

San-gal ni arimas0.

"The fourth floor" is yon-kai.

If something is on the fourth
floor, the clerk says yon-kai ni arimas~ or yon-kai desi.
Listen:
Yon-kai ni arimas0.

Yon-kai des0.

Go-kai is "the fifth floor." If something is on the fifth

floor, the clerk says go-kai ni arimasi or go-kai des~.
Listen:
Go-kai ni arimas0.

Go-kai des0.

And "the sixth floor" is rok-kai.

"They're on the sixth
floor" is either rok-kai des~ or rok-kai ni arimas~.
Listen:
Rok-kai des0.

Rok-kai ni arimas0.

10.
Listen to six answers tel I ing you on what floor an
item can be found.
After each answer, give the floor number
in Engl ish.

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II. You have just been shown an item ina store.

You
want to know if the store has a different kind or a different
color or a larger size or a better qual ity. You ask your
question using arimasi ka? after the appropriate words for
"different kind" or "different color" or "larger size" or
"better qua Ii ty."
Listen and repeat:

"A different kind" is hoka no.

hoka no
To ask if the store has a different kind, you say
hoka no arimas~ ka? Listen an d repeat:
Hoka no

arimas~

ka?

"A different color" is hoka no iro.

Listen and repeat:

hoka no iro
To ask if the store carries a different color, you say hoka
no iro arimas~ ka ?
Listen and repeat:
Hoka no iro arimas0 ka?
"A big one" is ok?: no.

Listen and repeat:

okT no

To say "a bigger one," you add the word motto to oki no.
Listen and repeat:
motto okT no
And to ask if the store carries a bigger one, you say motto
ok?: no arimas~ ka? Listen an d repeat:
Motto okT no arimas0 ka?
"A sma I I one" is

ahisai no.

Listen and repeat:

chTsai no
"A smaller one" is motto ahIsai no.
motto chTsai no
151

Listen and repeat:

SHOPPING

PART 4

And to ask if the store has a smal ter one, you say motto
Listen and repeat:

chisai no arimasi ka ?

arimas~

Motto chTsai no
"A cheap one" is yasui no.

ka?

Listen and repeat:

yasui no
To say "a cheaper one," add motto to yasui no--motto yasui no.
Listen and repeat:
motto yasui no
To ask if the store has a cheaper one, you say motto yasui
Listen and repeat:

no arimasi ka?

Motto yasui no
"A good one" is i no.

arimas~

ka?

Listen and repeat:

i

no

To say "a better one," add motto to i no.

Listen and repeat:

motto T no
To ask if the store has a better one, you say motto i no
kat Listen and repeat:

arimas~

Motto T no

arimas~

ka?

12. You wi II hear six Engl ish phrases describing items.

Ask the clerk in Japanese if she has these items.

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PART 4

13.
If the clerk needs time to think about the answer
o r tog eta nit e m 0 r tow r a.Q.. a _p u r c has e, she wi I I say
"just a minute, please," shosho o-maahi kudasai.
Listen:
Shosho o-machi kudasai.

14.
I f you have deci ded to buy an item, you say" I'll
take this one, please," kore kudasai.
Listen and repeat:
Kore kudasai.

15.

The word for "one" is hitots-p,.

Listen and repeat:

hltots0
For "one of these," you say kore hitotsJ4.

Listen and repeat:

kore hltotsl1
For "1'1 I take one of these, please," you say kore hitots'}4.
Listen and repeat:

kudasai.

Kore hltots0 kudasai.

The word for "two" is fJ4tatsJi.

Listen and repeat:

f0tats0
For "two of these," you say kore f-p,tats7i.
kore

Listen and repeat:

f~tats0

And for "1'1 I ta ke two of these, p I ease," you say kore

fJ4tatsJ4 kudasai.
Listen and repeat:
Kore f0tats0 kudasai.

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The word for "three" is mitts_.

Listen and repeat:

mitts~

For "three of these," you say kore mittsJ4..

kore

Listen and repeat:

mitts~

And for "1'1' take three of these, p I ease," you say kore
Listen and repeat:

mitts.p, kudasai.

Kore mitts0 kudasai.

16.
Give the Engl ish equivalents of four recorded
Japanese sentences.

17. After you have made your purchase, the clerk wi II say
"thank you," domo a:l'igato gozaimashita.
Listen:
Domo arigato gozaimashlta.
And she may add "please come again" mata dozo.

Listen:

Mata dozo.
After the clerk has thanked you and handed you the package,
you say "thank you," domo.
Listen and repeat:
Domo.

18. Let's suppose that you need a camera repaired or

a spot removed from a pair of pants or some fi 1m developed.
You take your camera, pants, or fi 1m to a shop and ask
"can you do th is?" kore dekimas11. ka ?
Listen and repeat:
Kore dekimas0 ka?

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SHOPPING

19.

If the shop can do the work, the answer wi II be "yes~"

dekima8'i~ or "yes, we can," hai~ dekima8'i.

hai, or "we can,"

Listen:
Ha i .

Hai,

Dekimas~.

dekimas~.

I f the shop cannot do the work, the answer will be "no," ie, or
can't," dekima8en~ or "no, we can't," which can be either
ie~ dekima8en or iya, dekima8en.
Listen:

~we

Te.

Dekimasen.

20 . To ask "c any 0

Listen and repeat:

Kyo

Te, dekimasen.

Iya, dekimasen.

do i t t 0 day?" you say kyO' de kim a 8'i k a -;

dekimas~

ka?

The answer may be one of those heard in Drill 19:

"yes, we
can" or "no, we can't." Another answer might be "we can't do
it tod ay," kyo dekima8en.
Listen:
KyO' dekimasen.
Or the word ~e or iya might be used with kyo dekima8en-Ie, kyo dekima8en, "no, we can't do it today." Listen:
Te, kyo dekimasen.
The word for "tomorrow" is a8h/.ta.

Listen and repeat:

ashlta
To ask "can you do it by tomorrow?" you say a8h;ita dekima8'i
ka? Listen and repeat:
Ashlta

dekimas~

ka?

The answers will be the same as those heard in Drill

155

19.

SHOPPING

PART 4

I f you ask "can you do it today?" kyo dekimas'i. ka? you may
get the answer "we can't do it today; we can do it by tomorrow," kyo dekimasen; ash'/ta dekimas~.
Listen:
Kyo dekimasen.

Ashlta dekimaski.

21.
If you deci~e to leave the item at the shop, you say
"okay, fine then," ja~ o-negai shimas7A..
Listen and repeat:

Ja,

o-nega i sh i masl4.

22.
If you de~Jde not to leave the item, you just say
"see you later," ja mata.

Ja

mata.

23. When you pick up the item you left at the shop,
you show your ticket and ask "is this ready?" kope dekimashita ka: Listen and repeat:
Kore dekimashlta ka?
The clerk wi II take your_ti.ket and say "yes, sir; just a
minute, please," hai~ shosho o-maahi kudasai.
Listen:
Hai, shosho o-machi kudasai.
The hai in the clerk's answer does not mean that the work is
finished.
The clerk is simply acknowledging your question.
If the item is ready, the clerk wi II give it to you.
If the
work is not finished, the clerk may say something I ike
"I'm sorry; we can do it by tomorrow," sumimasen; ash'/ta
dekimas~.
Listen:
Sumimasen.

AshYta dekimaski.

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24.

PART 4

When you

have paid,

domo arigato gozaimashtta.

the clerk wi II
Listen:

say "thank you ,"

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

The clerk may add "please come again," mata dozo.

Listen:

Mata dozo.

25.

As you

leave,

you

say "thank you," domo.

A supermarket in Japan
(Friendmart Saito,Saito-azagi Ibarakishi-shi Osaka)

157

Image: Whity
Date: 7 March 2008
cc-by-sa-3.0

PART 5

SHOPPING

5.

DIALOGUES

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

Rajio arimas0 ka?

Do you have radios?

J:

Hai.

Yes, sir, on the fourth floor.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

(looking at a radio)
Motto okT no arimasn ka?

Do you have a larger one?

J:

Hai.

Yes, sir.

A:

Hoka no iro

J:

Hai. Shosho o-machi

kudasai.

Yes, sir.
please.

A:

Kore kudasai.

1'1 I take this one, please.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

Mata dozo.

Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

Fuirumu arimaski ka?

Do you have fi 1m?

J:

Rok-kai deski.

On the sixth floor.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

Yon-kai ni arimaski.

arimas~

Do you have a different color?

ka?

Just a minute,

Please come again.

2.

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Nice to have you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:

Fuirumu

J :

Ha i .

A:

Motto yasui no

J:

Shosho o-mach i kudasa i . . .

Sumimasen.
Ima kirashlte

arimas~

Do you have f i 1m?

ka?

Yes, sir.
arimas~

ka?

imas~.

Do you have a cheaper one?

Just a minute, please .
I'm sorry; We're out of
stock now.

A:

Kore

J:

Hai.
Domo arigato
gozaimashlta.

Yes, sir.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

mitts~

1'1 I take three of these, please.

kudasai.

Thank you.

3.

A:

(showing a picture of chinaware)

Sumimasen. Kore
Excuse me.
arimas~ ka?
Go-kai ni

Yes, sir.

arimas~.

Do you have this?

On the fifth floor.

J:

Hai.

A:

Sumimasen.
Kore
arimas0 ka?

Excuse me.

J:

Hai, arimas~. Shosho

o-mach i kudasa i .

Yes, we do.
please.

A:

Hoka no

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Motto i no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a better one?

J:

Hai. Shosho o-machi

kudasai.

Yes, sir.
please.

A:

Kore f0tats0 kudasai.

I t I I take two of these, please.

J:

Hai. Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Mata dozo.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Please come again.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

arimas~

Do you have this?

Just a minute,

Do you have a different kind?

ka?

159

Just a minute,

SHOPPING

PART 5

4.
A:

Sumimasen.

Excuse me.

J:

Ha i .

Ye s.

A:

Kasetto rekoda arimas0 ka?

Do you have cassette recorders?

J:

Shosho o-machi kudasai.

San-gai ni arimas~.

Just a minute, please.

On the third floor.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

A:

(looking at a recorder)
Motto chTsai no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a smaller one?

J:

Sumimasen.
imas0.

I'm sorry. We're out of stock

now.

A:

Motto yasui no arimaski ka?

Do you have a cheaper one?

J:

Ha i .

Yes, sir.

A:

Kore kudasai.

1'1 I take this one, please.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

(showing a picture of a camera)

Kore arimas0 ka?
Do you have this one?

J:

Hai.

A:

Motto yasui no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a cheaper one?

J:

Sumimasen.

I'm sorry. We're out of stock

now.

Ima kirashlte

Shosho o-machi kudasai. Yes, ma'am.

please.

Ima kirashlte

imas~.

A:

(showing another picture)

Kore arimas0 ka?

Just a minute,

Do you have this one?

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PART 5

SHOPPING

J :

Ha i . Shosho o-machi
kudasai.

Yes .. ma'am.
please.

A:

Kore kudasai.

1'1 I take this one .. please.

J:

Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Mata dozo.

Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

(showing a picture of a
stereo set)
Kore arimas0 ka?

Do you have this one?

J:

Shosho o-machi kudasai.

Hltots0 arimas0.

Just a minute, please.

We have one.

A:

Motto okT no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a I arger one?

J:

Te. Sumimasen.
Ima
kirashlte imas0.

No.
I'm sorry.
stock now.

A:

Kore kudasai.

1'1 I take this one, please.

J:

Hai.
Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Mata dozo.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

Please come again.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

Kakemono arimas0 ka?

Do you have scroll s?

J:

Te, arimasen.

No, we don't.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

Just a minute ..

Please come again.

6.

We're out of

7.

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A:

Sumimasen.

J :

Ha i , arimas0.

Yes, we do.

A:

Hoka no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a different kind?

J :

Ha i , arimas0.

Yes, we do.

A:

Motto T no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a better one?

J :

Ha i . Shosho o-machi
kudasai.

Yes, just a minute, please.

A:

Kore kudasai.

I ' ! I take this,

please.

J :

Domo arigato gozaimashAta.

Thank you.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

Kore dek i mas0 ka?

Can you take care of th is?

J:

Hai, dekimas0.

Yes, we can.

A:

Kyo dekimas0 ka?

Can you do it today?

J:

Hai.

Yes, ma'am.

A:

Ja, o-nega i sh i mas!&.

Okay, fine then.

J:

Hai.
Domo arigato
gozaimashlta.

Yes, ma'am.

arimas~

Kakemono
ka?

Excuse me.
sc ro Its?

Do you have

8.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

162

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PART 5

SHOPPING

9.

A:

Sumimasen.
ka?

Kore dekimas0

Excuse me.
of this?

Can you take care

J:

Hai, dekimas0.

Yes, we can.

A:

Kyo dekimas0 ka?

Can you do it today?

J:

Iya, dekimasen.

No, we can't.

A:

AshAta dekimas0 ka?

Can you have it by tomorrow?

J:

Hai, dekimas0.

Yes, we can.

A:

Ja, o-negai shimas0.

Okay, fine then.

J:

Hai.
Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

Yes, ma'am.

A:

Domo.

Thank you.

J:

Irasshaimase.

Nice to have you.

A:

Kore dekimas0 ka?

Can you take care of this?

J :

Hai, dekimas0.

Yes, we can.

A:

Kyo

J:

Te, kyo dekimasen.

No, we can't do it today.

A:

Ja mata.

See you later.

J:

Mata dozo.

Please come again.

Thank you.

10.

dekimas~

Can you do it today?

ka?

163

SHOPPING

PART 5

I I

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:
J:

Can you take care of this?

Ha i .

A:
J:

Can you do it today?

Iya, kyo dekimasen.

A:
J:

Can you have it ready tomorrow?

Te, kore ashlta dek imasen.

A:

See you later.

I2

A:

(showing his ticket)

Excuse me.

J :

Is this ready?

Ha i. Shosho o-mach i kudasai . . . .

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

A:

Thank you.

I3

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:

(showing his ticket)

Is this ready?

J:

Hai. Shosho o-machi

kudasai . .
Sumimasen.
Ashlta
dekimas!&.

164

SHOPPING

PART 5

A:
J:

Okay, fine then.

Hai.

Sumimasen.

14

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:
J:

Can you take care of this?

Ha i.

KyO' dek i mas0 .

A:
J:

Okay, fine then.

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.

A:

Thank you.

I5

Excuse me.
of this?

A:
J:

Hai, dekimas0.

A:
J:

Can you have it ready today?

Iya, dekimasen.

A:
J:

Can you have it by tomorrow?

Hai, dekimas0.

A:
J:

Can you take care

Okay, fine then.

Hai. Domo arigatO'
gozaimashlta.

A:

Thank you.

165

PART 5

SHOPPING

16.

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:
J:

Do you have cameras?

Hai.

San-gai ni arimaslli.

A:

Thank you.

A:

Excuse me.
Do you have a
bigger one?

J:

Hai, arimasl!1.

A:

1'1 I take this one, please.

I7

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:
J:

Do you have radios?

Hai, arimas16.

A:
J:

Do you have a smaller one?

Te,

ima kirashlte imas16.

A:

Thank you.

166

PART 5

SHOPPING

18.

J:

Irasshaimase.

A:

(showing a picture of
a camera)
Do you have this one?

J:

Shosho o-mach i kudasa i.

A:
J:

Do you have a cheaper one?

Hai,

arimas~.

A:
J:

1'1 I take this one, please.

Domo arigato gozaimashlta.
Mata dOlO.

A:

Thank you.

19.

A:
J:

Excuse me.
Hai.

Ni-kai ni arimas0.

A:
J:

Do you have a different kind?

Ha i .

A:
J:

Do you have scroll s?

I' I I take two of these, please.

Hai. Domo arigato
gozaimashlta.

A:

Thank you.

167

SHOPPING

PART 5

20.
J:

Irasshaimase.

A:
J:

Do you have chinaware?

Hai.

Yon-kai des0.

A:

Thank you.

A:

Excuse me.
one?

J:

Te, arimasen.

A:
J:

Do you have a better

1'1 I take three of these, please.

Domo arigato gozaimashlta. Mata dozo.

A:

Thank you.

Image: Ian Muttoo

Date: 5 August 2006
cc-by-sa-2.0

A color TV and stereo shop

35 41' 59.87" N, 139 46' 21.1" E

168

SHOppING

6.

PART 6

SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

Section I
You wi I I hear 20 situations.
Japanese.
After you respond, the
hearq on the tape. On a separate
of which items you miss and which

Respond to each in
correct answer wi I I be
piece of paper, keep track
you answer correctly.

Section 2
You wi I I hear 20 statements in Japanese. Se I ect the
correct Engl ish equivalent for each from the three choices
provided and write A, S, or C on a separate piece of paper.
After you finish this section, check your answers with the
ke y.
I.

A. Yes, ma'am.
B. Yes, we can.
C. Yes, we do.

2.

A. Please come again.

B. Just a minute, please.
C. Nice to have you.

3.

A . Yes, sir.
S . Yes, sir.
C . Yes, sir.

4.

A . Please come again.

B . Okay, fine then.
C. Just a minute, please.

A . Yes, sir.
B . Ye s, sir.
C Yes, sir.

6.

A . No, I'm sorry.

B . No, we don't.
C . No, we can't.

On the fourth floor.

On the fifth floor.
On the sixth floor.

On the second floor.

On the t hi rd f 100 r.
On the fourth floor.

169

SHOPPING

PART 6

A. Yes, ma'am.
B. Yes, ma'am.
c. Yes, ma'am.

8.

A. We have one.
B. We have two.
C. We have three.

9.

A. Yes, sir.
B. Yes, sir.
c. Yes, sir.

On the fourth floor.

On the fifth f 100 r.
On the sixth floor.

On the fourth floor.

On the fifth floor.
On the sixth floor.

10.

A. I'm sorry; we're out of stock now,

B. Just a minute, please.
c. I'm sorry; we can't do it today.

I I.

A. Yes, ma'am.
B. Yes, ma'am.
C. Yes, ma'am.

12.

A. Nice to have you.

B. Thank you. Please come again.

C. Yes, sir.
I 3.

On the second floor.

On the third floor.
On the fourth floor.

Just a minute, please.

A. No, I'm sorry.

B No, we don't.

C. No, we can't.
14.

A. No, we can't.
B. We can't do this today.
C. We can't do this by tomorrow.

I 5.

A. Thank you.
B. I'm sorry.
C. Just a minute, please.

16.

A.

B.
C

17.

I'm sorry;
I'm sorry;
I'm sorry;

we're out of stock now.

we can do it by tomorrow.
we can't do it tomorrow.

A Yes, sir.

B.
C.

Thank you.
Please come again.
Just a minute, please.

170

SHOPPING

18.

PART 6

A . No, we can't do it today.

No, we're out of stock now.
C No, we can't do it by tomorrow.

19.

Excuse me.
Please come again.
C. Thank you.

20.

A. Yes, we do.
Yes, we can.
Thank you.
C. Yes, 5 i r.

A.
B.

B.

Key to Section 2
B

16.

II.
12.

I7

I 3.

14.
15.

I8
19.
20.

I.
2.

6.

3.

4.

8.
9.

5.

10.

171

A
B

SHOPPING

7.

PART 7

REVIEW AND REMEDIATION

If you missed any items on the quiz, review the Fluency

Dri lis indicated below.
If you missed more than four items in either Section I
or Section 2, it would be a good idea to review the entire
Dialogue section. Once you have reviewed the recommended
exercises, take the Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz,
Part 8.
If you missed fewer than four items in sections I and 2,
you may go on to another module without taking the Supplementary Self-evaluation Quiz.
SECTION I
If ~ou missed
item
I , 3, 5
7, 9,

SECTION 2

should
review drill(s)

~ou

If ~ou missed
item

3, 4

you should
review drill(s)
5,

II

5 , 8, 9 , 10

13
5, 8
6, 8

2, 4, 6
8, 10, 12

I I , 12

13
14

14

18

15

15, 16

6
7

16

23

17

21

18

20

10

5 , 8, 9, 10
5 , 8, I 5, 16
5 , 8, 9 , 10
7, 8

19
20

22, 25

II

5 , 8, 9 , 10

20

12

17, 24

13

19

14

19, 20

15
16

17, 24

17
18

17, 24

19, 20
19, 20

19
20
172

19

SHOPPING

8.

PART 8

SUPPLEMENTARY SELF-EVALUATION QUIZ

Section
You wi I I hear 10 situations. Respond to each in
Japanese. After you respond, the correct answer wi II be
heard on the tape.

Section 2
You wi I I hear 10 statements in Japanese. On a separate
piece of paper, translate the statements into Engl ish, stopping the tape whenever you need to. When you have finished,
check your translations with the key.

Key to Section 2
I.

No, we can't.

2.
3.

Thank you. Please come again.

Yes. On the third floor.

4.

Nice to have you.

5.

Yes, we do.

We can have it ready by tomorrow.

Just a minute, please.

7
8

9.

10.

I'm sorry. We're out of stock now.

Yes, we can do i t today.
No, we don't.

173

SHOPPING

9.

PART 9

ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY

Here is a short list of words and phrases that can be

used in the situations covered in this module. You wi II NOT
be tested on these new words. To show how they are used,
we have provided some example sentences. Both the words and
the sentences are on the tape to help you with pronunciation
and to give you practice I istening to them.
asatte

the day after tomorrow

Asatte dekimas0 ka?

Can you have it by the day

after tomorrow?

toke

watches

Toke arimas0 ka?

Do you have watches?

omocha

toys

burochi

broaches

iyaringu

earrings

ningyo

do I Is

shJkki

lacquer ware

shinju

pearls

mokko-hin

wood carving

aka i no

a red one

Akai no arimas0 ka?

Do you have a red one?

ao i no

a blue one
a wh i te one

shiroi no
midori-iro no

a black one
a green one

kT ro i no

a ye I low one

Sumimasen. Mo ichido
itte kudasai.

Excuse me.
again.

S~koshi

Could you give me a discount?

kuroi no

benkyo dekimasen ka?

174

Please say that

Appendix List of Images

PDF
Page(s)

Document
Page(s)

Image Link

License

2 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mikimoto_Ginza2.JPG

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

11

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

15

8 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TokyoStation.JPG

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

15

8 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumida_river05s3200.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:.jpg

17

10 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NagoyaExpressway_Horita_ Public Domain

dir.JPG

20

13 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_Coins.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

23

16 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LaurelTowerUmeda20090315-01.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

29

22 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SUNTORY_MALTS_BEER. http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
jpg

34

27 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ikaho_dinner_01.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

34

27 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tempura.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/1.0/deed.en

36

29 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ginza_district,_Tokyo.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

41

34

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
.jpg

44

37 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yurakucho_Shinkansen.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.o
rg/wiki/File:Yurakucho_Shi
nkansen.jpg

Modifications

48

41 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toji_Temple_Blossoms.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

50

43 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Itsukushima_jinjya.JPG.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

60

53 http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2006014327/

Public Domain

85

78 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tokyo_street_1.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.o
rg/wiki/File:Tokyo_street_1.
jpg

96

89 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Car_Free_Ginza.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

100

93 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_Toilet_sign.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

104

97 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tokyo_Metro_logo.svg

Public Domain

107

100 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_Public_phone.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

111

104 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akihabara_-04.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

113

106 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_food.JPG

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

114

107 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sushi,_tempura,_yakisoba_and_katsudon_ http://creativecommons.org/

115

108 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seafood_nabe.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

120

113 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shabushabu001.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.o
rg/wiki/File:Shabushabu001
.jpg

126

119 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jazz_&_Coffee_Masako_since_1953.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

135

128 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_samples_1.jpg

Public Domain

147

140 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_shopping_street_(Osu_in_Nagoya,_J http://creativecommons.org/

148

141 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asakusa_sensoji07s3200.jpg

by_VeryBadLady.jpg

apan).jpg

licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

cropped

153

146 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JapaneseSquatToilet.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

164

157 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friendmart_Saito.JPG

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

175

168 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akihabara_Ishimaru.jpg

http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

cropped