Top 10 Phrases You’ll Need In Tokyo
March 7, 2008
1.Domo arigato gozaimasu (Thank you so much) – The people in Tokyo are surprisingly friendly and helpful for such a big city place. And it’s not hard to find somebody who speaks English really. But everybody needs to know how to say “thanks,” right? A simple thanks is “domo.” A slight more respectful “Thank you” is “Arigato.” Save the full phrase for when you really, really mean it. Tip: Domo is also “hi” and “bye” It’s more of an acknowledgment than a thanks.
2.Doko desu-ka…(Where is…) — Best pronunciation: doh-koh dess-ka. Begin the question with the object of the question. For example: Where is the toilet? = Toilet-wa doko desu-ka? Btw, “toilet” is pronounced toh-ee-ray, and roll the “r” just a little bit, almost as if it’s an “L.”
3.Kudesai (Please) – Self-explanatory; use where appropriate. Or after extra-gaijin requests like asking for a fork: Kudesai, Foku-wa arimasuka? (Ah-ree-mas-kah). Literally: Please, fork is there? Japanese = talking like Yoda.
4.Gomenesai (I’m sorry) – When you step on somebody’s foot on the subway. (Also useful if you accidentally stroll in to a Yakuza joint.)
5.Daijobu (That’s okay) – When somebody apologizes to you, which may be unlikely.
6.Nama birru hitatsu (One draft beer) – The Japanese number system is crazy. There are different words for numbers, depending on whether you are numbering cylindrical things or flat things or bottles or rabbits or birds or fish…on and on and on. When ordering beer, stick with “hitatsu,” which is for bottles of beer. “Nama” means “raw” or “draft,” which really comes out of big bottle usually anyway. If you want two beers, the number is “futatsu.” Three is “mitsu.” Any more than that, just hold up the appropriate number of fingers and smile. They’ll get it. Tell them whether you want Sapporo, Asahi, or Kirin. They usually have Bud and/or Bud Light, and sometimes even Heinekin.
7.Nan-sai desu-ka (How old are you?) — This could come in handy. Age of consent is typically 20, so watch yourself. The word for “20” is “ni-ju,” or 2 x 10, so any age that begins in “ni-ju…” is fair game. Do not confuse it with ju-ni, or 10 plus 2.
8.Kimochi (Feels good) – Not for you to say, but to understand. If an attractive girl tugs on your arm and uses this word repeatedly, she is likely one of many different kinds of prostitutes—or a legitimate masseuse. Proceed at your own risk. If she says “Sen zuri,” she’s definitely a prostitute.
9.Ikura? (How much?) — This is in no way related to #8. You will need this for other things, too, you perv. If you ask in Japanese, though, be prepared to get a Japanese answer. The best way to handle this is to know your general numbers, ich, ni, san, shi, go…et cetera.
10.Shitsurei (Excuse me) – That’s pronounced sheets-oo-ray, potty mouth. (Though you can have fun with them by asking them to use the word “city,” hardee-har-har.) It’s a polite word, used mostly if you are interrupting someone or getting a strangers attention. If more casual or feel you are even footing with someone, “chotto,” works well, too. For example, you might ask a ni-ju sai woman “Chotto, chotto. Opai-pabu-wa, doko desu-ka?” Just kidding. Don’t ask that. If so, you just asked where the nudie-bar is.
Bonus: When leaving a restaurant, it’s traditional to bow a little to hosts and say “Go chiso sama desushita!” — go-chee-soh-sah-mah-desh-tah. It means, literally, “It was a feast!” A nice way of thanking them for their hard work.
Top 10 Tokyo Blogs
November 20, 2007
http://blogsonjapan.com/category/japan-blog-reviews/
This is the best blog of Japan which is able to provide everything that you will need to know about this country.
http://www.japantravelinfo.com/blog/?p=653
Discover the interesting places in Tokyo and other provinces of Japan from this blog. Here, you can search for your favorite destination which is suited for your holiday.
http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/int_japan_tokyo/
You can learn more about the hundred of hotels in Tokyo with this blog. The blog also provides information about bars & clubs, restaurants, shopping and much more.
http://tokyo-music.blogspot.com/
This blog is great for anyone who loves Japanese music. In this blog, you will find many updated news and musical activities in Tokyo.
http://tokyorestaurantguide.blogspot.com/
Reviews, comments and images on a wide range of restaurants in Tokyo are presented here. You can get the latest information about Tokyo’s restaurants in this blog.
http://www.planettokyo.com/news/
Let’s check the local news of Tokyo city from this useful blog. In this blog, you also find other necessary information about Tokyo such as weather forecast, traffic and local activities.
http://www.tokyo-motorshow.com/blog/e/
This blog provides you news and information about the Japanese car industry. Here, you can check the latest news from many car manufacturers both inside Japan and overseas.
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/09/18/playstationblog-team-the-tokyo-game-show/
This blog is very suited for gamers who need to find some news and information about Sony’s famous game console “Playstation”.
http://www.blogtoplist.com/rss/tokyo.html
Find information about many interesting events in Tokyo from this blog.
http://hogacentral.blogs.com/japan_tech_blog/
Learn about the technological advancements of the Japanese through this blog.
