Visit Japan · 47 lessons
Choose Japanese for the next part of your trip.
Visit Japan filters shared lessons—not official guidance or a required course. Pick one task; use Lesson 1 only for foundations.
Immediate safety
Immediate danger in Japan?
Stop using this site. Call 119 when a fire engine or ambulance is needed, or 110 for a crime or accident requiring an immediate police response. Do not work through language lessons first.
Direct answer
Choose what is happening now—not the earliest lesson number.
If nobody is in immediate danger, choose what is happening now. Open one group, compare the Can-do statements, and choose one lesson. Follow the current instructions of the responsible operator, clinician, authority, institution, or provider.
Six travel task families · one support group
What do you need for this part of the trip?
Open only the group that matches what is happening. Lesson numbers are references to the Roadmap, not steps you must complete here.
Arrive and connect · 3 lessonsI need to make first contact.Greet, introduce yourself, or thank someone
Choose one short exchange for the person and moment in front of you.
- Japanese Greetings: 15 Useful Phrases for Everyday LifeCan-do: Choose an appropriate Japanese greeting for the time and relationship.Open this lesson
- How to Introduce Yourself in JapaneseCan-do: Give a 20-second Japanese self-introduction.Open this lesson
- Arigatou Meaning: 7 Natural Ways to Say Thank You in JapaneseCan-do: Thank someone in casual and polite everyday situations.Open this lesson
Move and depart · 9 lessonsI need to get somewhere or confirm a travel step.Trains, buses, taxis, airports, and disruptions
Ask about a route, platform, vehicle, fare, check-in step, or change to the journey.
Boundary: Routes, fares, timetables, check-in flows, and disruption handling can change. Follow the current instructions of the responsible operator or airport.
- How to Ask for Directions in JapaneseCan-do: Ask where a destination is and confirm the first route step.Open this lesson
- Japanese Train Phrases: Tickets, Platforms, and TransfersCan-do: Find the right platform and ask where to transfer.Open this lesson
- How to Ask “Does This Train Go to…?” in JapaneseCan-do: Confirm a train's destination and recognize when a transfer is required.Open this lesson
- Japanese Bus Phrases: Boarding, Paying, and Getting OffCan-do: Board a local bus, follow the payment flow, and confirm where to get off.Open this lesson
- How to Ask “Does This Bus Go to…?” in JapaneseCan-do: Ask whether a bus goes to a destination and act on the driver's answer.Open this lesson
- Japanese Taxi Phrases: Destination, Stops, and PaymentCan-do: Give a taxi destination, confirm the stop, and complete payment.Open this lesson
- Japanese Airport Check-in Phrases for a Simple DepartureCan-do: Check in for a flight and confirm baggage, seat, and the next departure step.Open this lesson
- Japanese Train Delay Phrases: Ask What Happens NextCan-do: Identify a train delay and confirm one workable next travel step.Open this lesson
- How to Ask to Charge an IC Card in JapaneseCan-do: Ask to add a chosen amount to an IC card and confirm the new balance.Open this lesson
Eat, buy, and pay · 13 lessonsI need food, shopping, money, or another service.Order, point, pay, send, reserve, or ask what happens next
Choose the transaction closest to the counter, table, machine, or service desk in front of you.
Boundary: Stock, payment support, service rules, and return outcomes vary. Follow the current instructions and policy of the responsible staff, operator, or provider.
- How to Say “How Much Is This?” in JapaneseCan-do: Ask one item's price, confirm the yen amount, and use it to make a budget decision.Open this lesson
- 20 Japanese Shopping Phrases You Can Use TodayCan-do: Move through a simple store interaction from finding an item to paying.Open this lesson
- Kore, Sore, and Are: This and That in JapaneseCan-do: Point to nearby and distant objects with the correct Japanese demonstrative.Open this lesson
- How to Order Food in Japanese: A Simple Step-by-Step GuideCan-do: Order a menu item, quantity, and drink, then ask for the check.Open this lesson
- 25 Japanese Restaurant Phrases for Travelers and ResidentsCan-do: Handle common restaurant questions from arrival through payment.Open this lesson
- Japanese Convenience Store Phrases: What the Staff Is AskingCan-do: Answer common convenience-store checkout questions with short responses.Open this lesson
- Japanese Post Office Phrases: Send a ParcelCan-do: Present a parcel and confirm the destination, service, form, and payment steps.Open this lesson
- Japanese ATM Words and Phrases: Withdraw CashCan-do: Recognize and complete the visible steps of a basic cash withdrawal or stop safely when it fails.Open this lesson
- Japanese Payment Method Phrases: Cash, Card, or MobileCan-do: Ask which payment methods are accepted and complete one supported payment.Open this lesson
- Japanese Return and Refund Phrases: Ask Store StaffCan-do: Explain one purchase problem and understand the store's return or exchange response.Open this lesson
- Japanese Hair Salon Phrases: Explain the Cut You WantCan-do: Show and confirm a basic haircut request before the cut begins.Open this lesson
- Japanese Restaurant Reservation Phrases: Book a TableCan-do: Request and confirm one restaurant reservation.Open this lesson
- Japanese Takeout Phrases: Order Food to GoCan-do: Place and collect one simple takeout order.Open this lesson
Stay overnight · 1 lessonI need to check in or make a hotel request.Use the current hotel lesson
This route currently has one hotel-specific lesson; it is not complete accommodation coverage.
Repair the exchange · 3 lessonsThe conversation changed, or I need to report a lost item.Get attention, ask for another chance, or hand over facts
Use one repair move or prepare the details needed for a lost-item report.
Boundary: A clear report can support a handoff, but it cannot guarantee that a lost item will be found or returned.
- Sumimasen Meaning: Sorry, Excuse Me, or Thank You?Can-do: Use sumimasen to get attention, make a small apology, or acknowledge another person's effort.Open this lesson
- How to Say “Please Speak Slowly” in JapaneseCan-do: Ask a speaker to slow down or repeat, then confirm one recovered detail without ending the conversation.Open this lesson
- Japanese Lost Item Phrases: Ask at a Station or StoreCan-do: Report one lost item and provide the place, time, and identifying details.Open this lesson
Prepare before you need it · 9 lessonsI need health, dietary, disaster, emergency, or police language.Recognize an instruction, state observable facts, and ask the next question
These nine safety-essential lessons are for language preparation, not live assessment or emergency response.
Boundary: They cannot decide that waiting is safe, diagnose or recommend treatment, guarantee ingredient or cross-contact safety, replace a live alert, or guarantee an official outcome.
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Phrases for Food Allergies and Dietary RestrictionsCan-do: State a food allergy, ask about ingredients and shared preparation as separate facts, and decide whether to order from the restaurant's current answer.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Phrases for Visiting a DoctorCan-do: Describe one symptom, body location, and duration, then confirm medicine timing.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Emergency Phrases: How to Ask for HelpCan-do: Ask for emergency help and give a simple location and problem.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Pharmacy Phrases: Ask for the Right HelpCan-do: Describe one symptom and confirm whether and how to use a pharmacy product.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Clinic Reception Phrases: Appointment and FormsCan-do: Check in at a clinic and confirm the form, waiting, and language-support steps.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Earthquake Phrases: Understand Immediate InstructionsCan-do: Recognize one immediate earthquake instruction and confirm where to move next.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Typhoon Phrases: Understand Warnings and ClosuresCan-do: Recognize one typhoon warning and confirm the current local action.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationJapanese Police Station Phrases: Ask for Non-emergency HelpCan-do: Explain one non-emergency problem and follow the next police instruction.Open this lesson
- Safety / procedure preparationVegetarian and Vegan Japanese Phrases: Check IngredientsCan-do: Explain one dietary boundary and act on the staff's ingredient answer or uncertainty.Open this lesson
Support, not another travel task · 9 lessonsScripts, sound, or sentence choices block every task.Open a foundation or grammar reference
Use this support group only when the language system—not the travel task—is what stops you.
Boundary: For one recommended order, switch to the Roadmap. For a five-lesson script and sound scaffold, use Pre-N5; that is Kotoba Street’s own label, not an official JLPT level or prerequisite.
- Learn Japanese for Beginners: Choose Your First RouteCan-do: Choose one immediate Japanese need, select a route, and open its first useful lesson.Open this lesson
- Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji: How Japanese Writing WorksCan-do: Identify the hiragana, katakana, and kanji parts of one mixed Japanese word or message.Open this lesson
- Hiragana Chart for Beginners: Learn the 46 Basic CharactersCan-do: Read the five vowel hiragana and identify the main sound rows.Open this lesson
- Katakana Chart for Beginners: Read Japanese LoanwordsCan-do: Recognize common katakana words on menus and signs.Open this lesson
- Japanese Pronunciation Guide: Vowels, Rhythm, and Long SoundsCan-do: Pronounce the five Japanese vowels and hear the difference made by sound length.Open this lesson
- Japanese Sentence Structure: The Beginner’s GuideCan-do: Build a simple Japanese sentence with a topic, information, and final verb or predicate.Open this lesson
- What Does Desu Mean? Japanese Polite Sentences ExplainedCan-do: Make basic polite noun and adjective statements with desu.Open this lesson
- Wa vs Ga: How to Choose the Right Japanese ParticleCan-do: Use wa to establish a topic and ga to identify or present focused information in basic sentences.Open this lesson
- Ni vs De in Japanese: Place and Action ParticlesCan-do: Use ni for a destination or existence and de for where an action happens.Open this lesson