Never Lost for Long: Directions & Transport
Getting lost in Japan is one of the world's safest adventures — and with this chapter, one of the shortest. You'll learn to ask where things are, actually understand the answers (the real skill!), and navigate trains, buses and taxis with confidence. Bonus: Japan provides a cheat code called the 交番 (kōban, police box) on seemingly every corner, staffed by officers whose daily bread is giving directions.
1. Asking Where Things Are
You already own the key: すみません、〜はどこですか。
すみません、駅はどこですか。(Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka.) — Excuse me, where is the station?
トイレはどこですか。— Where is the restroom?
この住所はどこですか。(Kono jūsho wa doko desu ka.) — Where is this address? (pointing at your phone — a power move!)
Politeness upgrade heard often: 〜はどちらですか (dochira — the polite どこ from the こそあど table). Looking for a type of place rather than a specific one? この近くにコンビニはありますか。(Kono chikaku ni konbini wa arimasu ka.) — "Is there a convenience store near here?" — the existence pattern working overtime.
2. Understanding the Answer: Direction Vocabulary
Asking is easy — decoding the reply is the boss level. These words will appear; know them and the fog lifts:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| まっすぐ | massugu | straight ahead |
| 右 / 左 | migi / hidari | right / left |
| 曲がります | magarimasu | to turn |
| 信号 | shingō | traffic light |
| 交差点 | kōsaten | intersection |
| 角 | kado | corner |
| 橋 | hashi | bridge |
| 突き当たり | tsukiatari | the end of the street (where you must turn) |
| 〜番目 | -banme | the ~th (二番目の信号 = the 2nd traffic light) |
Directions arrive as commands ending in 〜てください (te kudasai, "please do ~") — the polite request form you'll formally study at N5. For now, absorb the three you'll actually hear, as fixed phrases:
まっすぐ行ってください。(Massugu itte kudasai.) — Please go straight.
右に曲がってください。(Migi ni magatte kudasai.) — Please turn right.
二番目の信号を左に曲がってください。— Turn left at the second light.
Then the destination lands with the position words from the vocabulary section: 銀行の隣です (next to the bank), コンビニの前です (in front of the convenience store), 駅の近くです (near the station). It all connects!
How far? How long?
ここから遠いですか。(Koko kara tōi desu ka.) — Is it far from here?
— いいえ、近いです。歩いて5分ぐらいです。(Iie, chikai desu. Aruite gofun gurai desu.) — No, it's close. About 5 minutes on foot.
Golden pieces: から = from (ここから, "from here"), 歩いて = on foot, ぐらい = about/approximately, どのくらいかかりますか (dono kurai kakarimasu ka) = "how long does it take?"
3. Trains: Japan's Circulatory System
Essential station vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 切符 | kippu | ticket |
| ICカード | ai-shī kādo | IC card (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA…) — tap and go! |
| 改札 | kaisatsu | ticket gate |
| ホーム | hōmu | platform (from "platform"!) |
| 〜番線 | -bansen | track number ~ (3番線 = track 3) |
| 〜行き | -yuki / -iki | bound for ~ (東京行き = bound for Tokyo) |
| 乗り換え | norikae | transfer |
| 次 | tsugi | next (次は新宿です — "next stop: Shinjuku") |
| 各駅停車 / 急行 | kakueki teisha / kyūkō | local (all stops) / express — check before boarding! |
The two questions that solve everything
この電車は渋谷に行きますか。(Kono densha wa Shibuya ni ikimasu ka.) — Does this train go to Shibuya?
— はい、行きます。/ いいえ、行きません。3番線です。(No — it's track 3.)
渋谷までいくらですか。(Shibuya made ikura desu ka.) — How much to Shibuya?
New particle alert: まで (made) = until/as far as — the destination-limit partner of から (from): ここから駅まで = from here to the station. With 乗ります (get on) and 降ります (get off) from the verbs chapter — 次の駅で降ります ("I get off at the next station") — your train toolkit is complete. Pro move: an IC card makes ticket-price arithmetic somebody else's problem.
4. Buses & Taxis
Bus quick-guide
- このバスは動物園に行きますか。— Does this bus go to the zoo?
- Watch the front display for 次は〜 (next stop); press the button, exit, done. In many cities you board at the back and pay at the front — copy the locals!
Taxi phrases (delightfully few)
[destination] までおねがいします。— To [destination], please.
東京ホテルまでおねがいします。/ この住所までおねがいします。(showing the address — the pro move again)
ここでいいです。(Koko de ii desu.) — Here is fine. (getting out)
Taxi trivia: the rear doors open and close automatically — the driver controls them. Don't slam! And of course: no tipping.
5. Model Dialogues
On the street
You: すみません、この近くに郵便局はありますか。(Sumimasen, kono chikaku ni yūbinkyoku wa arimasu ka.)
Local: 郵便局ですか。まっすぐ行ってください。二番目の信号を右に曲がってください。銀行の隣です。
(Yūbinkyoku desu ka. Massugu itte kudasai. Nibanme no shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai. Ginkō no tonari desu.)
You: まっすぐ、二番目の信号を右…銀行の隣ですね。(…repeating back — the smart traveler's trick!)
Local: そうです、そうです!
You: ありがとうございます!
At the station
You: すみません、この電車は空港に行きますか。(Sumimasen, kono densha wa kūkō ni ikimasu ka.)
Staff: いいえ、空港行きは5番線です。(Iie, kūkō-yuki wa goban-sen desu.)
You: 5番線ですね。どのくらいかかりますか。(Goban-sen desu ne. Dono kurai kakarimasu ka.)
Staff: 40分ぐらいです。(Yonjuppun gurai desu.)
You: わかりました。ありがとうございます!
Notice the repeat-back-with-ね technique in both dialogues (〜ですね, "…right?") — it confirms you understood, invites correction, and buys your brain processing time. Use it shamelessly.
6. When All Else Fails
- ゆっくりおねがいします。(Yukkuri onegaishimasu.) — Slowly, please.
- もう一度おねがいします。— One more time, please.
- ここに書いてください。(Koko ni kaite kudasai.) — Please write it here. (offering your phone)
- Find a 交番 (kōban) — direction-giving is genuinely part of the police job description, maps included.
- Ask at any コンビニ — staff give directions all day long.
Heartwarming reality: Japanese people who can't explain the route will often simply walk you there. Accept graciously, then deploy your politest ありがとうございました with a bow.
Summary & Key Takeaways
- Ask: すみません、〜はどこですか / この近くに〜はありますか.
- Decode replies: まっすぐ (straight), 右/左に曲がって (turn right/left), 信号 (light), 交差点 (intersection), 〜番目 (the ~th) — landing on position words: 〜の隣/前/近くです.
- から = from, まで = to/until, ぐらい = about: ここから歩いて5分ぐらいです.
- Trains: この電車は〜に行きますか + 〜行き (bound for) + 〜番線 (track) + 次の駅で降ります.
- Taxi = one phrase: 〜までおねがいします. Doors are automatic!
- Repeat directions back with 〜ですね to confirm; rescue kit: ゆっくり/もう一度おねがいします.
- The 交番 is your friend. One chapter to go: classroom & survival phrases!