Making Reservations in Japanese

 Traveling around Japan doesn’t have to be intimidating as long as you’ve made the necessary arrangements. In cities like Tokyo or Osaka, there are endless booking portals that let you reserve hotels, hotels and even ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) in English. However, if you venture out into the countryside or try to make reservations too late into high season, you might not find yourself as lucky. In times like these, calling hotels directly and making reservations in Japanese can come in handy.

In this post, let’s go over the basics of making reservations in Japanese so you can get out of the house and explore Japan to your heart’s content. You’ll find that it’s not as complicated as long as you know a few handy phrases and the right Japanese counters.

Hotel Reservations in Japanese

Photo: iStock/ maruco

Reserving accommodations in Japanese doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here is what a typical conversation will sound like when making hotel reservations in Japanese. English support is harder to come by when booking accommodations in the Japanese countryside, so communicate the details of your trip clearly and concisely.

In terms of payment methods, most accommodations will take credit cards and other forms of cashless payment but always bring enough cash, especially if you plan on booking in more remote locations.

Sample Reservation Dialogue

Just like making reservations anywhere else, you need to know the exact dates, how many people will be joining and what type of room you would like to reserve.

Speaker	Japanese	Romaji	English
Hotel staff:	もしもしやまぐちホテルでございます。	Moshimoshi, Yamaguchi hoteru de gozaimasu.	Hello, it’s Hotel Yamaguchi.
You:	予約お願いします。	Yoyaku onegai-shimasu.	I would like to make a reservation.
Hotel staff:	いつからお泊りになりますか？	Itsukara otomari ni narimasu ka?	From when will you be staying?
You:	来週の金曜日から3泊です。	Raishuu no kinyoubi kara san-paku desu.	Three nights, starting Friday of next week.
Hotel staff:	何名様でございますか？	Nan-mei-sama de gozaimasu ka?	How many people will there be?
You:	二名です。	Nimei desu.	It will be 2 people.
Hotel staff:	ご一緒でございますか？	Goissho de gozaimasu ka?	Will this be one room?
You:	いえ、別々のシングルをお願いします。	Ie, betsu betsu no singuru wo onegaishimasu.	No, I’d like separate singles.
Hotel staff:	お名前は？	Onamae wa?	What name will it be under?
You:	メイソンと言います。いくらでか？	Meison to iimasu. Ikura desu ka?	Mason. How much will it be?
Hotel staff:	メイソン様。では、18日の金曜日から3泊と言うことで、シングルを二部屋お取りして起きます。34500円です。	Meison sama. De wa juu hati niti no kinyoubi kara, sanpaku to iu koto de, singuru o futa-heya otori-site okimasu. Sanman yon sen go hyaku en desu.	Ms. Mason. OK, three nights, starting Friday the 18th. I’ll hold two single rooms. It will cost ¥34,500.

Japanese Counters

Unlike English, the Japanese language uses several types of counters for all sorts of objects, animals and people. Using the correct counter in context is not only crucial but also shows your grasp of the language. Here are a few to keep in mind when you plan on making a reservation in Japanese.

Number of People (one to five)

When there are more than two people, always use nin and the common word for the associated number of people. To book restaurants and train tickets, you’ll also need to familiarize yourself with these counters. In Japan, it’s not uncommon for hotel room prices to be determined by the number of people using the room.

No. of People	Japanese	Romaji
One person	１人	Hitori or Ichimei
Two people	２人	Futari or Nimei
Three people	３人	Sannin or Sanmei
Four people	４人	Yonin or Yonmei
Five people	5人	Gonin or Gomei

Number of Nights and Rooms

These are some essential terms that can help you communicate how long you’ll be staying and how many rooms you will need to reserve.

How many nights of stay?		How many rooms?
何泊	nanpaku	いく部屋	ikuheya

Counting Nights of Stay		Counting Rooms
１泊	ippaku	１部屋	hitoheya
２泊	nihaku	２部屋	futaheya
３泊	sanpaku	３部屋	miheya/sanheya
４泊	yonpaku	４部屋	yoheya/yonheya
５泊	gohaku	５部屋	goheya

Types of Hotel Rooms

The room types listed below are some of the most common types you’ll find when staying at different accommodations in Japan. In some cases, like ryokan or hostels, some rooms may not have an ensuite bathroom.

Type of Room	Japanese	Romaji
Single room	シングル	singuru
Double room	ダブル	daburu
Room with twin beds	ツイン	tsuin
Western-style room	洋間	youma
Japanese-style room	和室	washitsu
Room with a bath	バス付き	basu tsuki

Booking Seat Reservations in Japanese

Photo: PIXTA/ tarousite

If you make a mistake using one of these machines, chances are you’ll have to speak with an attendant who might not be as fluent in English.

While most shinkansen (bullet train) and regular transit ticket kiosks have English options, if you make a mistake while booking your ticket you have to talk to an actual human and there’s a chance they won’t know much English. Similar to making reservations for hotel stays, you’ll need to let them know about your party size and exact travel dates, in addition to the type of seating and train you plan on riding.

Basic Train Vocabulary

Even in this digital age, handling multiple sheets of paper train tickets in Japan isn’t uncommon. Here’s a short breakdown of the ticket types and how to locate the nearest counter to you.

Item	Japanese	Romaji
Ticket	切符	kippu
Ticket counter	切符売り場	kippu-uriba
Passenger ticket	乗車券	jousha-ken
Express ticket	急行券	kyuukou-ken
Special express ticket	特急券	tokkyuuken

Types of Train Cars and Seating in Japan

You won’t need to reserve all trains in Japan, but if you plan on traveling across prefectures, it might be worth looking into. For more specific shinkansen-related vocabulary, refer to this post.

Item	Japanese	Romaji
Reserved seat	指定席	shiteiseki
Unreserved seat	自由席	jiyuuseki
Green car	グリーン車	guriinsha
Regular train	普通	futsuu

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the basics of making reservations in Japanese, we hope that this post will help you make the most out of your next trip to Japan. Be it for trains, restaurants or hotels, most of the vocabulary words and counters will remain the same. Safe travels!