Скачать или смотреть Getting around in Japan: Asking the way in a station

Some stations in Japan are labyrinths where even locals can get lost.

But if you ask a Japanese person the way, they may evade you because they’re not confident with their English and don’t want to be seen struggling to speak the language. Embarrassing themselves in public is the most dreadful situation for a Japanese person.

But if they are spoken to politely in Japanese, even with simple words, many of them will try their best to help as their sense of social responsibility will trigger them to.

Here’s how to ask the way:

すみません、[Destination] ってこっちですか？
Sumimasen, [Destination] tte kocchi desuka?
Excuse me, is [Destination] this way?

銀座線 Ginza sen is the name of a subway line in this example.

If you’re headed towards the right direction, the reply will be something like:

そうです。こっちです。
Sou desu. Kocchi desu.
Yes, it’s this way.

Or, if you’re headed towards the wrong direction:

違います。こっちです。
Chigaimasu. Kocchidesu.
No, it’s this way.

But because you’re in a complicated labyrinth that defies verbal directions, the Japanese person might just decide to take you there 😂.

Brace up when you use Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, or Umeda Station 🥹👍.

Hi, I’m Kyota, the author of Amazon Best Sellers [Folk Tales of Japan] and [Underdogs of Japanese History].

Please check out my books at ☺️: https://kyotako.myportfolio.com/