The Japanese metro and train services are clean, safe and run on time. You can find metro systems in the Tokyo area, as well as Sapporo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and several other cities. You can either purchase a pre-paid card or an ordinary ticket from the ticketing machine. Silver seats are for elderly people or people with difficulties. Mobile phones need to be on silent and you must not talk in the carriage. In major cities, the rush hour crush can be really bad (between 7 and 9 am and 5 and 8 pm). Some trains have women-only carriages. The Japanese metro system is very similar to the one in London. Suika is like the Oyster card. The first thing you must do is obtain a metro map which indicates all the lines and stops.
入口 iriguchi
entrance
出口 deguchi
way out/exit
Can I get a seat reservation please?
座席の予約をお願いしますzaseki no yoyaku o onegai shimasu?
Where can I get a ticket?
切符はどこで買えますかkippu wa doko de kaemasu ka?
Where is the nearest metro station?
一番近い地下鉄の駅はどこですかichiban chikai chikatetsu no eki wa doko desu ka?
You will find Midori no madoguchi (literally ‘Green Ticket Window’) in major train stations, where you can buy tickets and make seat bookings. You need to pay a supplement in order to use an express train. There are seven lines of Shinkansen, high-speed (bullet) train, and they serve areas from Hokkaido to Kyushu. It is expensive to travel around Japan using the Shinkansen, so a JR Pass could save you money. With this pass, you can cover a considerable distance around Japan. Details can be found at www.japanrailpass.net.
各駅停車 kakueki teisha
slow stopping train (stops at all stations)
快速/特別快速電車 kaisoku/tokubetsu kaisoku densha
local train (stops at selected stations)
準急/急行電車 junkyuu/kyuukoo densha
semi-express/express (stops at main stations: supplement)
特急電車 tokkyuu densha
intercity (stops at main intercity stations: supplement)
新幹線 shinkansen
high-speed bullet train
ホーム hoomu
platform
窓口 madoguchi
ticket office
時刻表 jikokuhyoo
timetable
遅れ okure
delay (appears on train noticeboards)
手荷物一時預かり tenimotsu ichiji azukari
left luggage
eチケット ii-chiketto
e-ticket
オンライン予約 onrain-yoyaku
e-booking
You can buy a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) Exchange Order in your own country, which needs to be exchanged for the Japan Rail Pass itself when you get to Japan. The stations where you can exchange the Order are shown on the back.
FACE TO FACE
次の … 行きの電車は何時ですかtsugi no … iki no densha wa nan-ji desu ka?What time is the next train to…?
17時10分ですjuushichi-ji juppun desuAt 17.10
切符を3枚くださいkippu o san-mai kudasaiI’d like 3 tickets, please
片道ですか、往復ですかkatamichi desu ka, oofuku desu ka?Single or return?
Where is the station?
駅はどこですかeki wa doko desu ka?
to…
…行き…iki
I booked online
オンラインで予約しましたonrain de yoyaku shimashita
a single
片道一枚katamichi ichi-mai
two returns
往復二枚oofuku ni-mai
reserved seat
指定席shitei-seki
non-reserved seat
自由席jiyuu-seki
first class
グリーン車guriin-sha
standard class
普通車futsuu-sha
smoking
喫煙kitsuen
non-smoking
禁煙kin’en
I want to book a seat on the bullet train to Tokyo
東京まで新幹線の指定席を予約したいんですがtookyoo made shinkansen no shitei-seki o yoyaku shitain desu ga
Do I have to change?
乗り換えがありますかnorikae ga arimasu ka?
How long is there to wait for the connection?
乗り換え時間はどのくらいありますかnorikae-jikan wa donokurai arimasu ka?
Is this the train for…?
これは … 行きの電車ですかkore wa … iki no densha desu ka?
Why is the train delayed?
なぜ電車は遅れているのですかnaze densha wa okurete iru no desu ka?
Japanese taxis are safe, clean and operate on meters. The basic fee is based on the vehicle size. For different sizes of taxi, you can ask for 小型 (kogata) for up to four passengers and 中型 (chuugata) for up to five. It can be rather expensive but there is no need to tip. There are taxi stands at stations and major hotels but taxis can also be hailed from the roadside. You can identify whether a taxi is available by the sign 空車 (kuusha) displayed in the front windscreen. All the doors are automatically operated by the driver. There are many regional taxi companies, and vehicles vary in colour depending on the company.
are often given discounts too.
