Learn Japan in 30-second reels
Real phrases for the konbini, the restaurant, the train — each with romaji and English, ready to use the second you land.
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Survival
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Google Walked You Into a Loading Dock. That Sign Is Not a Suggestion.
kankeisha igai tachiiri kinshi · staff only, no entry
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The Platform Does Not Say Your Stop. It Says a City Past It. That Is Your Train.
hōmen · in the direction of
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POV: Security Opened Your Backpack. Those Konbini Snacks Are Not Coming In.
mochikomi kinshi · no outside food or drinks
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Half Price Strawberries. Two Kanji. Something Is Wrong With Them On Purpose.
wake ari · imperfect (there's a reason this is cheap)
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You Pulled Up to the Exit. The Bar Did Not Move. Twenty Cars Are Now Waiting.
Shutsujō-mae seisan · Pay before you exit.
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Every Locker at Tokyo Station Is Shut. Two Kanji Mean You're Walking.
manpai · full (lockers, parking, a box). Not 満員.
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The Machine Has Your Note and Keeps Spitting It Back. One Small Light Says Why.
tsurisen-gire · out of change (exact coins only)
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When a Japanese Shop Starts Playing This Song, You Are Being Asked to Leave.
heiten · closing for the day
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Same Room, Two Prices. The Cheaper One Is Not a Discount.
shukuhaku · an overnight stay (the other row, 休憩, is a short rest block)
Survival
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An Empty Taxi Drove Straight Past You in Tokyo With Your Arm in the Air. Two Kanji in the Window Had Already Said No.
kaisō · out of service
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Two Date Stamps on Japanese Food. One Is a Suggestion, One Is a Deadline.
shōhi kigen · use-by date (the safety deadline)
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Your Ryokan Looked Like a Bargain. One Word on the Booking Page Says Dinner Isn't Coming.
sudomari · room only, no meals
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Two Stall Doors in an Old Japanese Station. Only the Kanji Tells You Which Is Which.
yōshiki · Western-style (toilet)
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Two Hundred People Are Waiting and You Can't See Where the Line Starts. One Sign Says Where.
saikoubi · the end of the line
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The Museum Closes at Five. It Stopped Letting People In at Four Thirty.
saishū nyūjō · last admission
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The Sign at the Trailhead Isn't Decoration. It's a Warning About What Lives Up There.
kuma shutsubotsu chūi · Caution: bears in the area.
Survival
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One of These Two Kanji Is Quietly Costing You Money All Over Japan.
muryou / yuuryou · free / costs money
Survival
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Two Kanji in Japan Mean Absolutely Not. Learn to Spot Them.
kinshi · Prohibited, forbidden
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