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Getting around6 min read

Japanese for trains, buses and taxis: the three phrases that get you anywhere

ReviewAnswered out loud

On the platform · say it in Japanese

Ask whether this train stops at Nara.

You said

Understandable

Correct Japanese? Yes

Sounds natural? Not quite

ことができますか asks whether the train is able to stop there. You only want to know whether it does.

More natural

AgainHardGoodEasy

Kiko suggests a grade and brings the natural version back until it's the one you say.

Right, but not natural — the gap no textbook marks. Kiko catches it on every card you say out loud.

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Three phrases do most of the work at a Japanese station: (one ticket to…), (which platform?) and (does this train go to…?). Below: the ticket counter, train types, directions, taxis, country buses, and what to say when you've left your bag on the train.

Updated · 22 phrases, each with its reading and JLPT level

What you'll learn

  • How to buy a shinkansen ticket at the counter
  • Which train to take: local, rapid, express
  • Directions, taxis and country buses
  • What to say when you've left your bag on the train

Buying a shinkansen ticket at the counter

Machines in big stations have an English mode, but the staffed ticket office — JR calls it みどりの窓口 — is where you go for anything unusual, and where you'll end up when trains are disrupted.

Say where you're going and how many tickets: . You'll then be asked whether you want a reserved seat (指定席) or non-reserved (自由席), and for a reserved seat, window or aisle: .

Times come back fast and in 24-hour form — is 14:12 — so listen for the 分. If you miss it, ask them to write it down: .

Spot the mistake

3 slips almost everyone makes here. Can you catch them before Kiko does?

This is how a practice conversation in Kiko goes. Each learner line below has one mistake in it — the kind you won't hear yourself make. Tap the part you'd fix, and watch how Kiko marks it without stopping the conversation.

At the ticket officeKiko plays the clerk

1 / 3

Next, please.

Learner

Meant: Two to Kyoto, please.

Something's off. Tap the part you'd fix.

Tickets and platforms

Swap the city names for your own; the rest of each sentence stays the same.

  • JLPT N5

    One ticket to Tokyo, please.

    Swap the city; 二枚 for two tickets.

  • JLPT N3

    A reserved seat, please.

    They'll ask 窓側か通路側 — window or aisle.

  • JLPT N3

    Non-reserved is fine.

    Cheaper, but risky on holiday weekends.

  • JLPT N4

    What time is the next train?

    Reply comes fast in 24-hour time — listen for 分.

  • JLPT N4

    Which platform is it?

    Platforms are 〜番線; buses use 〜番のりば.

  • JLPT N5

    Does this train go to Kyoto?

    Swap the destination. Watch for 快速 vs 各駅 in the answer.

  • JLPT N4

    Where do I change trains?

    Ask staff to write the station name if you miss it.

  • JLPT N4

    What time is the last train?

    Countryside last trains can be before 9pm — always check.

Local, rapid, express: which train to take

The same line often runs several kinds of train. 各駅停車 (or 普通) stops at every station. 快速 (rapid) and 急行 (express) skip some. 特急 (limited express) skips most, and on JR lines usually needs an extra limited-express ticket on top of your fare.

If you're going to a small station, the fast train may sail straight through it. That is exactly the question to ask: — does this train stop at…?

Asking for directions

Open with and show your map at the same time. People will often walk you part of the way — expect gestures, (straight on) and / (right / left).

  • JLPT N5

    Where is the station?

    Open with すみません; expect gestures plus まっすぐ / 右に.

  • JLPT N4

    I've gotten lost.

    てしまいました adds the 'oops' nuance people expect here.

  • JLPT N4

    I'd like to get to here.

    Show your phone map while saying it; trailing が invites help.

  • JLPT N4

    Can I walk there?

    Follow up with .

  • JLPT N4

    How long does it take?

    Also works for money; add 時間 or お金 to disambiguate.

Try it now · 30 seconds

Your turn. Answer Kiko.

Kiko speaks first. Answer out loud — really out loud — before you peek. Producing it cold is the skill a page can't train.

Next, please. Where to?

You

Say: “One ticket to Tokyo, please.”

Taking a taxi

The back door of a Japanese taxi opens and closes by itself — the driver works it with a lever — so stand back and let it. Give the destination as , or show the address on your phone, which is often clearer than a name.

Most city taxis now take cards and IC cards, but not all, and there is no tipping. Say when you want to get out before the destination.

In the taxi

Short, polite requests; 〜てもらえますか is the everyday way to ask someone to do something for you.

  • JLPT N4

    To this address, please.

    Taxi: show the address on paper or phone. Doors open by themselves.

  • JLPT N4

    Please drop me off here.

    = at that corner.

  • JLPT N3

    Could you open the trunk?

    〜てもらえますか is the polite way to request a favour.

Country buses

Outside the cities, many buses work like this: you board at the back door and take a numbered ticket (整理券) from the machine. A screen at the front shows the fare for each number, and it rises as the bus goes on. When you get off, at the front, you drop the ticket and the exact fare into the box by the driver — there is a change machine built into it.

IC cards such as Suica don't work on every rural bus, and some routes run only a few times a day, so check the timetable before you head out.

Buses and the last train

Drivers are used to visitors and are usually glad to tell you when your stop is coming.

  • JLPT N4

    What time does the next bus come?

    Rural buses may be 一日三本 — three a day.

  • JLPT N4

    Can I use an IC card?

    Suica works in cities; many rural buses are cash only.

  • JLPT N3

    Do I need to take a numbered ticket?

    Rural buses: take the slip when boarding at the back door.

  • JLPT N3

    Could you tell me when we arrive?

    〜たら conditional; drivers are usually happy to do this.

When you've left something behind

Lost property in Japan very often finds its way back. Go to the station office and have the details ready: they'll ask which train, what time and what the bag looks like.

  • JLPT N3

    I left something behind.

    Opening line at a station office before you describe the item.

  • JLPT N3

    I left my bag on the train.

    They'll ask 何時の電車 and 何色のかばん — prepare those.

Practise it out loud

Reading a phrase and saying it with someone waiting are different things. In these scenes Kiko plays the other person and opens with the line below; you answer out loud, and Kiko marks what to fix without stopping the conversation.

Questions

Do I need Japanese to use trains in Japan?
Not in the big cities, where signs, announcements and machines all have English. Outside them, and whenever something goes wrong — a cancellation, a missed connection, a lost bag — a few phrases make a real difference.
What is midori no madoguchi?
みどりの窓口 is the staffed JR ticket office at larger stations, where you can buy and change shinkansen and limited-express tickets and ask about routes.
What's the difference between 指定席 and 自由席?
指定席 is a reserved seat with your own number on it. 自由席 is the non-reserved cars, cheaper, first come first served — fine most days, but crowded at holiday weekends.

Now you know what to say

Here's why it still won't come out — and how to fix that

  • You read the phrase, nod, and forget it by the time you land.

    Review you say out loud

    The phrases you practise come back in spaced review — and you answer by speaking, not by flipping a card.

  • You know the line, but go blank when someone's actually waiting.

    Voice roleplay

    Kiko plays the other person — the waiter, the station staff, the ryokan host — so you say it out loud, with a reply coming back, before it counts.

  • The guide can't tell you what you got wrong.

    Corrections that don't stop you

    Say it wrong and the conversation keeps going. Afterwards, Kiko shows the exact particle or ending to fix.

  • Real people don't follow the script.

    Replies you didn't expect

    Kiko answers in natural Japanese and asks the follow-up questions real staff ask, so the second line doesn't catch you out.

  • Practice feels like a chore you'll drop after a week.

    No streaks, no guilt

    No streaks to lose and no nagging reminders. Ten minutes when you have them, and everything is still there when you come back.

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