"Sorry, We Are Full." In Japan That Is Not the End of the Conversation.
To say Can I go on the cancellation waiting list? in Japanese, say キャンセル待ちはできますか？ (kyanseru-machi wa dekimasu ka?).
They tell you the restaurant is full. There is one more sentence before you walk away.
In this video
- キャンセル待ちはできますか？ kyanseru machi wa dekimasu ka? Can I go on the cancellation list?
- 二名でお願いします。 nimei de onegai shimasu. Two people, please.
- 席が空いたら、連絡してもらえますか？ seki ga aitara, renraku shite moraemasu ka? If a seat opens up, could you contact me?
Kanji in this phrase
- 二名
- にめい
- 満席
- まんせき
- 空いたら
- あいたら
Why this phrase
Mid August is when everything a visitor wants is already booked: the table, the room, the tour. Japanese businesses very often keep an informal cancellation list and will call you when a spot opens, but they will never offer it. You have to ask. Hana plays the staff member at the host stand who says 満席です; Kōfuku plays the traveller who does not walk away, and asks キャンセル待ちはできますか instead.
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mada ma ni aimasu ka? · can I still make it in time?
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If You Hear This Word Behind You, You're Standing In The Wrong Place.
jama · in the way, a nuisance
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koko de hanabi o shite mo ii desu ka? · Is it okay to do fireworks here?
More phrases like this
- Two Seats on the Same Shinkansen Cost the Same. Only One of Them Sees Mount Fuji. · madogawa de onegai shimasu
- You Booked Two Shinkansen Tickets. Japan Gave You Two Seats in Different Rows. · sumimasen, seki, kawatte moraemasen ka?
- The Konbini Clerk Asks You Something Before They Scan Anything. It's Not About Money. · pointo kādo wa o-mochi desu ka?
- Japanese Hotels Ask Every Foreign Guest for the Same Thing. It Is Not Your Booking. · pasupōto o onegai shimasu
- A Stranger in Japan Will Ask You One Question. Most Tourists Just Smile and Nod. · sugoku tanoshii desu
- Your Ryokan Is a Two Thousand Yen Taxi From the Station. It Also Runs a Free Van. · sougei basu wa arimasu ka?
- The Karaoke Desk Asks One Thing Before They Hand You a Room. · nijikan de onegai shimasu
- Someone Thanks You in Japan. The Word You Memorized Is Not the One They Use. · ieie
- Two ATMs on the Same Street in Japan. Only One Takes Your Foreign Card. · kaigai no kaado wa tsukaemasu ka?
- Everything at a Japanese Izakaya Lands on One Giant Plate. Nobody Tells You to Ask for This. · torizara o kudasai
- Booked a Ryokan? Breakfast Is Half the Reason You Came. Ask What Time It Starts. · asagohan wa nanji desu ka
- At a Japanese Konbini, the Clerk Asks About a Bag. Saying No Saves You Money. · fukuro wa irimasen
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