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Showing posts with label Reservations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reservations. Show all posts

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

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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.

SpeakerJapaneseRomajiEnglish
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 PeopleJapaneseRomaji
One person1人Hitori or Ichimei
Two people2人Futari or Nimei
Three people3人Sannin or Sanmei
Four people4人Yonin or Yonmei
Five people5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 StayCounting Rooms
1泊ippaku1部屋hitoheya
2泊nihaku2部屋futaheya
3泊sanpaku3部屋miheya/sanheya
4泊yonpaku4部屋yoheya/yonheya
5泊gohaku5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 RoomJapaneseRomaji
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

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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.

ItemJapaneseRomaji
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.

ItemJapaneseRomaji
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!