Nothing beats getting out of the house and traveling somewhere new in Japan — even if it’s just a one-night expedition.
Yet, unless you plan on staying up all night like it’s your first night out in Shibuya, you’re going to have to make proper overnight reservations. If you’re like me, this can be a daunting task even if you’re speaking English. Why can’t everything be automated? Outside of the impersonal digital connections, let’s go over how to make some reservations in Japanese so you can get out of the house and explore Japan to your heart’s content.
In Japan, you will also find you have a third lodging option outside of a hotel or a hostel: a ryokan.
Most places here take credit cards and Visa (or JCB or MasterCard) debit cards. I would still advise to err on the side of caution and bring cash with you to your destination — just in case. Especially if you plan on booking in more remote locations. In Japan, you will also find you have a third lodging option outside of a hotel or a hostel: a ryokan. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese-style inn that has tatami rooms, typically an onsen (communal bath) and your own personal yukata to shuffle around in.
Luckily, you can book most hostels here in English and can conveniently do so from Hostel World. Additionally, JapanICan lets you book ryokan and hotels in English as well. Let’s not forget that Airbnb also allows bookings in English if you’re seeking a more personal and lived in experience. For the remaining establishments that don’t support this service let’s go over a typical interaction.
Reservation dialogue
Speaker |
Japanese |
Romaji |
English |
Hotel staff: | もしもし東京ホテルでございます。 | Moshimoshi, Tokyo hoteru de gozaimasu. | Hello, it’s Hotel Tokyo. |
You: | 予約お願いします。 | Yoyaku onegai-shimasu. | I would like to make a reservation. |
Hotel staff: | いつからお泊りになりますか? | Itsukara otomari ni narimasu ka? | From when will you be staying? |
You: | 来週の金曜日から3泊です。 | Raishuu no kinyoubi kara san-haku desu. | Three nights, starting Friday of next week. |
Hotel staff: | 何名様でございますか? | Nan-mei-sama de gozaimasu ka? | How many people will there be? |
You: | 二名です。 | Ni-mei desu. | It will be 2 people. |
Hotel staff: | ご一緒でございますか? | Goissho de gozaimasu ka? | Will this be one room? |
You: | いえ、別々のシングルをお願いします。 | Ie, betsu betsu no singuru wo onegaishimasu. | No, I’d like separate singles. |
Hotel staff: | お名前は? | Onamae wa? | What name will it be under? |
You: | メイソンと言います。いくらでか? | Meison to iimasu. Ikura desu ka? | Mason. How much will it be? |
Hotel staff: | メイソン様。では、18日の金曜日から2泊と言うことで、シングルを二部屋お取りして起きます。34500円です。 | Meison sama. De wa juu hati niti no kinyoubi kara, ni-haku to iu koto de, singuru o huta-heya otori-site okimasu. San
man yon sen go hyaku en desu. |
Ms. Mason. OK, three nights, starting Friday the 18th. I’ll hold two single rooms. It will cost 34,500 yen. |
Important counters (one to five):
Counting Nights of Stay |
Counting Nights |
Counting Rooms |
|||
1泊 | ip-paku | 1晩 | hito-ban | 1部屋 | hito-heya |
2泊 | ni-haku | 2晩 | huta-ban | 2部屋 | huta-heya |
3泊 | san-paku | 3晩 | mi-ban | 3部屋 | mi-heya |
4泊 | yon-paku | 4晩 | yo-ban | 4部屋 | yo-heya |
5泊 | go-haku | 5晩 | go-ban | 5部屋 | itu-heya |
How many nights of stay? |
How many nights? |
How many rooms? |
|||
何泊 | nan-paku | いく晩 | iku-ban | いく部屋 | iku-heya |
Reserve a room
Type of Room |
Japanese |
Romaji |
Double room | ダブル | daburu |
Room with twin beds | ツイン | tsuin |
Western-style room | 洋間 | youma |
Japanese-style room | 和室 | washitsu |
Room with a bath | バス付き | basu tsuki |
So you did it: you’ve booked your accommodation(s) and probably feel like you’re in the clear. You might want to think twice, though, if you didn’t reserve train tickets and you need to take a shinkansen (bullet train) to get to your destination. It would be wise to book those tickets in advance, too.
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Luckily, most shinkansen and regular transit ticket kiosks have English options, but if you make a mistake while booking your ticket you have to talk to an actual human and chances are they won’t know much English. With the SmartEx app on iOS (and on Android) you can book tickets for up to six people and if you make a mistake you can cancel or make changes at no additional cost.
Here is some railway vocabulary that may prove useful when getting seats for your travels.
Book a seat
Item |
Japanese |
Romaji |
National railway | 国鉄 | kokutetsu |
Ticket | 切符 | kippu |
Ticket counter | 切符売り場 | kippu-uriba |
Passenger ticket | 乗車券 | jousha-ken |
Express ticket | 急行券 | kyuukou-ken |
Special express ticket | 特急券 | tokkyuuken |
Reserved seat | 指定席 | siteiseki |
Unreserved seat | 自由席 | juuseki |
Green car | グリーン車 | guriinsha |
Regular train | 普通 | hutsuu |
OK, so now you’ve made it to your location. You’ve taken the correct train, checked in to your hotel and have discovered how comfortable yukata really are.
… keep in mind the above can be used for booking restaurant reservations, as well. Make sure you know how to say the time, date, and how many people…
Out of nowhere, you realize how famished you are from all that traveling and via your rigorous pre-trip Googling you know there is an amazing soba restaurant nearby. How would you call to make reservations if the website or second-party sites don’t let you? Luckily, it’s very similar to booking a room — but you may want to review how to count people and be sure to be confident in your ability to tell time in Japanese.
Get a table
No. of People | Japanese | Romaji |
One person | 1人 | hito-ri |
Two people | 2人 | futa-ri |
Three people | 3人 | san-nin |
Four people | 4人 | yo-nin |
For more than two people we always use nin and the common word for the associated number of people. Also keep in mind the above can be used for booking restaurant reservations, as well. Make sure you know how to say the time, date, and how many people you plan on attending before you make your reservation.
Traveling in Japan can feel intimidating, but luckily with today’s technology there are a lot of English-language options quite literally at our fingertips.
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Granted, I do sometimes love avoiding human interaction if I have the opportunity. It adds more depth and immersion to your travels if you try to use the local language. You’ll find that a lot of people are willing to help or will take their time trying to figure out what you want to say, so don’t let fear of potential failure limit you.
Now you’re ready to get out there, get lost and talk your way into almost any hotel, restaurant table, train seat or anything else you might need during your adventures. Of course, it’s sometimes fun to stay out all night and see where the wind — or Strong Zero chuuhai (shochu highball) — takes you, but for those trips where all you want is a pillow and the comfort of knowing you have a seat reserved at that restaurant you’ve heard so much about — you’ve got the tools to make it happen. Get out there!
Do you have any useful Japanese travel terms for making reservations for a trip? Let us know in the comments!
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