🇯🇵 Travel Japanese

Travel Japanese — Essential Phrases for Your Japan Adventure

Japan consistently ranks among the top travel destinations for Australians, and the numbers tell the story — hundreds of thousands of Australians visit Japan each year, drawn by extraordinary cuisine, breathtaking landscapes, cutting-edge cities alongside ancient traditions, and a cultural experience unlike anywhere else on earth. While major tourist areas in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto have good English signage and staff who can assist in English, venturing beyond the tourist trail — or simply connecting more genuinely with Japanese people — opens up when you have some language in your back pocket.

This guide gives you everything you need linguistically for a trip to Japan: essential phrases organised by situation, cultural etiquette tips every Australian traveller should know, and practical scripts for the scenarios that matter most. You don't need to be fluent. Even a small amount of Japanese, delivered with genuine effort and a smile, transforms how Japanese people respond to you.

Before You Go: The Absolute Essentials

There are phrases so fundamental to Japan that you should commit them to memory before your flight lands.

The Magic Phrase: Sumimasen

すみません (Sumimasen) is perhaps the single most useful word in Japan. Use it to get someone's attention, to apologise for bumping into someone, to flag down a waiter in a restaurant, to excuse yourself through a crowd, or to express minor inconvenience to someone. It bridges excuse me, I'm sorry, and pardon me — and it's heard constantly throughout Japan. Mastering sumimasen and using it naturally will mark you immediately as someone who respects Japanese social norms.

Thank You and Please

ありがとうございます (Arigatou gozaimasu) — Thank you very much. Always safe and always appreciated. The casual ありがとう is fine with friends but the full form works everywhere.

おねがいします (Onegai shimasu) — Please / I request this. The most natural way to make a request or order something. Point at a menu item and say これ、おねがいします (Kore, onegai shimasu — This one, please) and you'll be understood perfectly.

はい (Hai) — Yes (also used as "I hear you" or acknowledgment — don't always interpret it as agreement). いいえ (Iie) — No.

Greetings and Introductions

おはようございます (Ohayou gozaimasu) — Good morning (formal, use until about 10–11am)
こんにちは (Konnichiwa) — Hello / Good afternoon (late morning through early evening)
こんばんは (Konbanwa) — Good evening
おやすみなさい (Oyasuminasai) — Good night
はじめまして (Hajimemashite) — Nice to meet you (first time meeting only)
よろしくおねがいします (Yoroshiku onegai shimasu) — Pleased to meet you / Please treat me kindly (said at end of introduction)
〜からきました (〜kara kimashita) — I came from 〜 (e.g., オーストラリアからきました — I came from Australia)
〜をたのしんでいます (〜wo tanoshinde imasu) — I'm enjoying 〜 (e.g., にほんをたのしんでいます — I'm enjoying Japan)

Getting Around: Transport Phrases

At the Train Station

Japan's train network is world-class but can be complex. IC cards (Suica in Tokyo, Icoca in Osaka/Kyoto) work on virtually all urban transit and are the simplest solution for most travel.

〜はどこですか？(〜wa doko desu ka?) — Where is 〜?
〜まで いくらですか？(〜made ikura desu ka?) — How much to 〜?
〜いきの きっぷを ください (〜iki no kippu wo kudasai) — A ticket to 〜, please
つぎのでんしゃは なんじですか？(Tsugi no densha wa nanji desu ka?) — What time is the next train?
〜に とまりますか？(〜ni tomarimasu ka?) — Does this stop at 〜?
のりかえは どこですか？(Norikae wa doko desu ka?) — Where do I transfer?
この でんしゃは 〜に いきますか？(Kono densha wa 〜ni ikimasu ka?) — Does this train go to 〜?

Taxis and Navigation

〜まで おねがいします (〜made onegai shimasu) — To 〜, please
ここで とめてください (Koko de tomete kudasai) — Please stop here
みぎ (migi) — right / ひだり (hidari) — left / まっすぐ (massugu) — straight ahead
このじゅうしょに いってください (Kono juusho ni itte kudasai) — Please go to this address (show your phone map)

Asking for Directions on Foot

〜はどこですか？— Where is 〜?
ちかくに 〜はありますか？— Is there a 〜 nearby?
どのくらい かかりますか？— How long does it take?
あるいて いけますか？— Can I walk there?
みぎにまがって (turn right) / ひだりにまがって (turn left) / まっすぐいって (go straight) / 〜のとなりです (it's next to 〜) / 〜のむかいです (it's opposite 〜)

Restaurants and Food

Food is one of the supreme pleasures of visiting Japan. Japanese cuisine ranges from Michelin-starred kaiseki to incredible convenience store onigiri, and the dining culture has its own rituals worth knowing.

Entering and Ordering

〜にんです (〜nin desu) — There are 〜 of us (ふたりです — two people, さんにんです — three people)
おすすめはなんですか？(Osusume wa nan desu ka?) — What do you recommend?
これをください (Kore wo kudasai) — I'll have this (point at menu/picture/plastic food model)
〜をひとつ おねがいします (〜wo hitotsu onegai shimasu) — One 〜, please
おみずをください — Water, please (often served free in Japan)
おかわりをください — A refill, please

Dietary Requirements

〜アレルギーがあります (〜arerugii ga arimasu) — I have a 〜 allergy
ベジタリアンです — I am vegetarian
にくはたべられません — I cannot eat meat
グルテンはたべられません — I cannot eat gluten
えびはたべられません — I cannot eat prawns/shrimp
Note: vegetarian and vegan options in Japan outside major cities can be limited. Research ahead for your destinations.

Paying the Bill

おかいけいを おねがいします — The bill, please (in Japan you typically ask for the bill; it's not brought automatically)
べつべつに してください — Separate bills, please
カードは つかえますか？— Can I use a card? (Japan is still quite cash-heavy; always carry yen)
おいしかったです — It was delicious (always warmly received)

Shopping

いくらですか？— How much is it?
べつの いろは ありますか？— Do you have another colour?
おおきいサイズは ありますか？— Do you have a larger size?
これをください — I'll take this one
ふくろは けっこうです — No bag needed (Japan now charges for plastic bags; declining earns environmental approval)
まけてもらえますか？— Can you give me a discount? (appropriate at markets, less so in shops)
めんぜいは できますか？— Can I get tax-free? (many shops offer tax-free shopping for tourists spending over ¥5,000 — bring your passport)

At the Hotel

よやくした 〜です — I have a reservation under 〜 (say your name)
チェックインを おねがいします — Check-in, please
チェックアウトは なんじですか？— What time is check-out?
〜が こわれています — 〜 is broken
タオルを もってきてください — Please bring a towel
もっとしずかな へやは ありますか？— Do you have a quieter room?
ランドリーは どこですか？— Where is the laundry?

Emergencies

たすけてください！— Help, please!
きゅうきゅうしゃを よんでください — Please call an ambulance
けいさつを よんでください — Please call the police
びょういんは どこですか？— Where is the hospital?
〜がいたいです — My 〜 hurts (おなかがいたいです — my stomach hurts / あたまがいたいです — I have a headache)
えいごをはなせる ひとは いますか？— Is there someone who speaks English?

Cultural Etiquette for Australian Travellers

Remove shoes when entering homes, many traditional restaurants (look for a step up at the entrance and slippers beyond it), and some ryokan accommodation.

Quiet in public spaces — especially trains. Phone conversations on trains are considered rude. Keep voices down in carriages.

Rubbish — Japan has very few public bins. Carry your rubbish with you; convenience stores usually have bins near the entrance.

Queuing — Japanese queuing culture is meticulous. Always queue and never push or cut in.

Cash — Japan remains heavily cash-dependent outside major tourist areas. Always have yen on you.

Onsen etiquette — Tattoos are prohibited in many traditional onsen. Wash thoroughly before entering. Never bring a towel into the bath.

With these phrases and cultural notes in hand, you're ready for Japan. The country rewards travellers who make even modest efforts to speak Japanese with exceptional warmth, patience, and genuine delight. がんばってください — good luck!

Japanese Convenience Stores: A Traveller's Best Friend

No travel Japanese guide is complete without covering the conbini — Japanese convenience stores. 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart in Japan are in a completely different category from their Australian counterparts. They sell fresh, high-quality food including onigiri (rice balls), sandwiches, hot foods, excellent coffee, and full bento meals. They have ATMs that accept foreign cards (7-Eleven ATMs are the most reliably international-card-friendly). They sell transit IC cards, phone chargers, medications, and almost anything a traveller might need. Knowing a few conbini phrases makes these already easy to navigate even smoother: あたためますか？(Atatamemasu ka? — Would you like it heated?) is what staff ask when you buy food — just say はい (hai — yes) or いいえ、けっこうです (iie, kekkou desu — no, thank you). ふくろはいりますか？(Fukuro wa irimasu ka? — Do you need a bag?) — answer the same way.

Using Your Japanese Beyond Phrases

The travellers who get the most from their Japan visit are those who go beyond rehearsed phrases and engage in real, if simple, exchange with Japanese people. This means being willing to not understand everything, to ask for repetition (もういちど おねがいします — mou ichido onegai shimasu — one more time, please), to use a combination of words, gestures, and your phone to communicate, and to laugh with people at the inevitable communication misunderstandings. Japanese people are almost universally patient and encouraging with foreign learners who make genuine effort. A stumbling attempt at Japanese, delivered with a smile and good humour, opens doors that perfect English never would. Some of the most memorable travel experiences in Japan come not from the planned sightseeing but from unexpected conversations — with a ramen shop owner curious about Australia, a grandmother on a train who wants to practice her English while you practice your Japanese, a temple groundskeeper who shares a story about the history of the building you're visiting. Language makes those moments possible.

Recommended Japanese Learning Before Your Trip

If you have a Japan trip planned, here's a realistic language preparation timeline. With three months before departure: learn hiragana and katakana completely (2–3 weeks), then focus on the survival phrases in this guide plus numbers, basic food vocabulary, and transport phrases. With six months: add JLPT N5 core vocabulary, basic grammar (masu form, te-form requests, question formation), restaurant ordering, and shopping vocabulary. With twelve months or more: work through Genki I, build to N4 level, and start consuming some authentic Japanese content. Any Japanese you learn before arriving enriches your experience — even knowing just hiragana lets you read thousands of signs, menus, and place names that would otherwise be opaque. The effort is always worth it.

Planning Your Japan Itinerary with Language in Mind

Knowing some Japanese changes not just your ability to communicate in Japan but the itinerary you're able to plan. With limited Japanese, most visitors stick to the well-worn Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka circuit where English support is strongest. With even basic Japanese, you can comfortably venture into smaller cities and rural areas where English is rarely spoken but where some of Japan's most authentic and memorable experiences await. The Tohoku region of northern Honshu, the rural Shikoku island (famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage route), the Sanin coast along the Sea of Japan, and smaller towns throughout Kyushu and Hokkaido all offer extraordinary experiences to visitors who can navigate and communicate in basic Japanese. Ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) outside major tourist areas often have staff with limited English — having the language to check in, understand meal times, ask about the onsen facilities, and express appreciation transforms the ryokan experience from stressful to magical. Start building your Japanese now, and by the time your trip arrives, you'll be ready to go further off the beaten path than most Australian visitors ever manage.

Japanese Festivals and Events: Language for Celebrations

Japan's festival calendar is one of the most extraordinary aspects of the culture, and knowing relevant language enriches these experiences enormously. If you visit during まつり (matsuri — festival season), you'll encounter outdoor stalls called 屋台 (yatai) selling food and games. Common matsuri foods include たこやき (takoyaki — octopus balls), やきそば (yakisoba — fried noodles), かき氷 (kakigoori — shaved ice), and りんごあめ (ringo ame — candy apple). The phrase たのしいですね (tanoshii desu ne — this is fun, isn't it?) is endlessly useful at festivals. If you visit in spring during 花見 (hanami — cherry blossom viewing), joining groups picnicking under the sakura and exchanging 乾杯 (kanpai — cheers!) creates some of the most genuine cross-cultural moments available to any traveller. Summer brings fireworks festivals (花火大会 — hanabi taikai) where knowing すごい！(sugoi! — amazing/wow!) will be heard constantly and is always appropriate. Winter brings illumination events (イルミネーション — irumineshon) in major cities. Knowing the words for these experiences deepens your connection to Japan's rich seasonal culture.

Digital Tools for Japan Travel

Several apps make navigating Japan significantly easier and pair well with your language study. Google Translate's camera function can read Japanese text in real time — invaluable for menus, signs, and instructions in your accommodation. However, quality of translation varies enormously; use it as a starting point and apply your own Japanese knowledge to verify. Google Maps works excellently in Japan for transit navigation. HyperDia is the gold standard for JR train timetables and fare calculations. Japan Official Travel App provides multilingual support for tourist information. The Tabelog app (in Japanese) is the Japanese restaurant review platform — learning to navigate it in Japanese gives you access to restaurant recommendations that Japanese locals actually use rather than tourist-oriented suggestions. As your Japanese improves, switching these apps' language settings to Japanese turns them from travel tools into language learning tools as well.