Japanese for Travelers

This lesson begins from the  beginning, that is, when you are packing your suitcase to go to the airport.

The beginning of Japanese grammar goes something like this:

      xxx wa yyy des'. 

In other words, "X equals Y."  For example, "This is a dog."

Now you are there (here, from my point of view). The first person you are likely to encounter in Japan is not me, unfortunately; it will be an immigration officer.

In grammar, you will learn how to form a question in Japanese. This will include both yes/no questions and information questions.

You will also learn how to express This, That, These, and Those.

Now that you're in Japan, you,ll want to start spending money, right? Well, even if you don't want to, it might be useful to know how to talk numbers.

In grammar, you will learn how to count, not only money, but all sorts of things, including days of the month, and the months themselves.

When you get to the airport, you might be surprised at how far from the city it really is. Japan was supposed to be a small country, right? This is where a shuttle bus comes in handy.

In grammar, you will learn an important little particle, "day," which means "at" or "by means of."

If you are staying at a hotel, which most travelers tend to do, you are in luck. At expensive hotels, most staff speak good English. However, the cheaper you go, the lesser you get. Japan touts itself as an English-speaking country, but that usually only goes as far as, "Hello, how are you?"

In the grammar portion of this lesson, you will learn how to express "there is" and "there are." After that, you will learn the basic form of most general verbs (that is, NOT those verbs that are the equivalent of "to be" in English).

I should think that, yes, sightseeing IS the fun part!

In grammar, you will learn how to use the particles "ay" (towards), "ni" (an objective or target), and "day" (the place of action).

When traveling, you will invariably need to ask someone for directions. In this lesson you will learn how to do it (and not get lost as a result).

In the grammar segment, you will learn how to form the -tay form, which is used in forming what is called the Imperative in English ("Do this / Do that"), and also in forming the Present Participle (Continuous); as we say in English, "to be doing something."

Are you getting hungry? I'll bet you are. Even though you can find all kinds of Western food in Japan, you will want, at least once during your visit, to sample a bit of Japanese cuisine. (In my opinion, they are much, much better at their own cooking than they are at cooking Western food.)

In the grammar section, you will learn how to express the Direct Object.

Well, back to the old drawing board. Here you are at the Golden Arches, for a bit of dependable, if not so classy, fast food. How do you say "a la cart" in Japanese? (I'll show you.)

In the grammar lesson, you will learn how to express ownership by using Possessive Adjectives such as My, Your, His, Her, Their, etc.

Of course you'll want to buy some souvenirs while you're in Japan! Here are some things you might consider taking home to your friends and family.

In the grammar lesson, you will learn how to express "with" and "and." Conveniently, both use the same particle!

You will also learn the two types of adjectives (the only two) that describe everything you can imagine (and more) in Japanese!

Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our suitcases, so we have to make a trip to the post office. Sorry to say, postage from Japan can run up a huge bill. Anyway, if you must, you must, so let's get started on a trip to the post office.

In the grammar section, you will learn how to say "I want to do something." You will also learn the distinction between This, That, These, Those, and Which?

One of the last things you want to do while traveling is visit a doctor. Here we will learn how to avoid that by going to a pharmacy. It's easy (though it's still not fun).

In the grammar lesson we will learn about the two types of adjectives that dominate all forms of descriptive language in Japanese. (I know, this is not even as much fun as going to the pharmacy, but you'll have to do it sooner or later.)

Well, I guess you are unlucky! You wound up in the hospital after all. One good thing is that the doctors can all speak English. (Smiley face.) Usually their English is some kind of obscure medical terminology, but common aches and pains are all expressed in ... Japanese! Here we go...

In the grammar portion of our lesson we will learn how to change verbs from present to past.

We don't like to think so, but it could happen to us! While Japan is a relatively safe place, there are still a lot of unsavory people lurking about who would take advantage of unsuspecting tourists. Here is what to do if you become a victim.

In the grammar section, we'll learn how to turn adjectives into adverbs. In addition to that, we'll talk about how to become something (what did you want to be when you were a kid?). Etc etc etc. This lesson will wrap up what we can call "Basic Japanese."

This is a brief, brief (brief) review of everything we have learned. I hope you have enjoyed yourself!

If you go to Japan, "o-tanoshi-mi ni"! (Which means, "Have fun!")