LESSON 7

GETTING AROUND
LESSON 7
Getting Around
Home is where you make it. (lit., Wherever you live, it’s the capital.)
住めば都 Sumeba miyako

Dialogue 1

Commuting
Sato: Is your home far from the station?
Otaku wa eki kara tōi n desu ka.
お宅は駅から遠いんですか。
Michael: No, it’s about a ten-minute walk.
Ie, aruite jup-pun gurai desu.
いえ、歩いて十分ぐらいです。
Sato: How long does it take to get to the office?
Kaisha made dono gurai kakaru n desu ka.
会社までどのぐらいかかるんですか。
Michael: It’s about one hour by train.
Densha de ichi-jikan gurai desu.
電車で一時間ぐらいです。
Sato: That’s tough, isn’t it?
Sore wa taihen desu nē.
それは大変ですねえ。
VOCABULARY ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY

Otaku- お宅 - (your) home (polite) uchi - 家 ; 内 - (my) home; inside

eki - 駅 - station chikai - 近い - close; nearby
tōi - 遠い - far raku(na) - 楽 easy; - comfortable
aruku - 歩 - く walk toho - 徒歩 - (by) foot
Aruite - 歩いて - (by) walking tsūkin - 通勤 - commute to work
dono gurai - どのぐらい - how long tsūgaku - 通学 - commute to school Transportation
kakaru - かか - る take; cost kuruma - 車 - car
Densha - 電車 - train basu - バス - bus
-jikan - 時間 - hour takusī - タクシー - taxi
ichi-jikan - 一時間 - one hour densha - 電車 - train
taihen(na) - 大変 - difficult; very much; chikatetsu - 地下鉄 - subway
tough Shinkansen - 新幹線 - bullet train
hikōki - 飛行機 - plane
Fune - 船 - boat; ship
JR - ジェイアール - Japan Railway
Shitetsu - 私鉄 - private railroad
Monorēru - モノレール - monorail
rimujin - リムジン - limousine
jitensha - 自転車 - bicycle
baiku - バイク - motorcycle
GRAMMAR NOTE Counting Hours CULTURAL NOTE Taking Trains
You saw the classifier -ji for telling time in Lesson 3, as in ichi-ji “one o’clock”
Japan’s rail system is one of the most extensive in the world. It takes you
and ichi-ji han “1:30”. This classifier refers to a specific time. On the otheralmost
hand, the classifier -jikan counts hours, e.g., ichi-jikan “one hour” and anywhere in the country—on time! In big cities, many train and subway lines
ichijikan han “one and a half hours” intertwine to make a complex network. Larger stations have multiple
. The classifiers -ji and jikan both attach to Chinese numbers. The question entrances/exits and transfers located blocks apart. All of the exits are named
word for “how many hours” is nan-jikan, while or
the question word for “what time” is nan-ji. Note that for the numbers four, numbered. Travel guides tell you which exit to take for local spots. You can
seven, and nine, the alternative of yo, shichi, and ku are used with these follow the signs in most stations to the correct exit.
classifiers. Also note that jikan alone means time in general. Determining your train fare from the fare maps and buying tickets at the
ticket vending machines can be confusing. But you can bypass this altogether
Jikan ga arimasen. There is no time. by
Jikan ga kakarimasu. It takes time. purchasing a SUICA or PASMO Card. Just hold your card to the reader at
the
There are three expressions for approximation: -goro for an approximate fare gates upon entry and exit and the correct fare will be deducted from your
point in balance. Using a smartphone while walking (aruki-sumaho 歩きスマホ ) is
time and -gurai and yaku- are for an approximate length of time or amount of particularly dangerous on the station platforms. Avoid this by all means.
things. Therefore, -jikan is used with -gurai or yaku while -ji is used with - When
goro. the train arrives, do not stand in front of the door. Stand to one side to allow
passengers to exit the car. Most passengers on Japanese trains are either
sanji-goro around 3:00 reading,
san-jikan gurai about three hours
yaku san-jikan about three hours
sleeping, or using smartphones. When having a conversation, keep
PATTERN PRACTICE 1
your voice Cue: Densha de daigaku ni ikimasu.
down. Talking on phones inside trains is prohibited. Keep your phone I’ll take the train to the university.
on silent Response: Daigaku made densha de dono gurai kakaru n desu ka.
mode or “manner mode” (manā-mōdo マナーモード ). Do not eat or How long does it take to go to (the) university by train?
drink on Cue: Aruite konbini ni ikimasu.
the trains (except for Shinkansen or inter-regional travel trains). Try to
I’ll walk to the convenience store.
minimize
the space you occupy by keeping your belongings on your lap or close
Response: Konbini made aruite dono gurai kakaru n desu ka.
to your How long does it take to walk to the convenience store?
chest. Do not stretch your legs. Avoid the “Silver Seats” (shirubā shīto
シル Repeat the drill using the following:
バ ー シ ー ト ), which are designated for the handicapped and the • Hikōki de Kyūshū ni ikimasu.
elderly. Last but • Jitensha de kōen ni ikimasu.
not least, there are no trash cans in most stations or on the streets, but • Fune de Okinawa ni ikimasu.
should be
• Kuruma de Fuji-san ni ikimasu.
more common in department stores or subway station restrooms.
Wherever • Chikatetsu de Ginza ni ikimasu.
possible, recycle your cans and bottles—the bins should be beside the
vending PATTERN PRACTICE 2
machines. Cue: Ichi-jikan desu ka. Is it one hour?
Response: Hai, ichi-jikan gurai
desu.
Yes, it’s about one hour.
Cue: Ichi-ji desu ka. Is it one o’clock?
Response: Hai, ichi-ji goro desu. Yes, it’s about one o’clock.
Repeat the drill using the following
information: EXERCISE 2
Jū-ji desu ka.
Role Play
Hachi-jikan desu ka. • Ask the following persons where their homes are. Comment on how far or
Ni-jikan han desu ka. close they are.
Go-ji jūp-pun desu ka. a friend;
Roku-ji han desu ka. a co-worker;
a boss where her home is.
• Ask a friend how she commutes to school/work. Ask how long it takes.
EXERCISE 1 • A co-worker confided in you about a stressful situation. Emphatize with
him/her.
Say It in Japanese • Ask a co-worker
Ask a co-worker how long it takes: how long he has been in this company;
• by bicycle from your home to college how long he was in America.
• from the station to your company • Google how long it takes to fly to different places in Japan and the world and
share the information with a friend.
• from here to the subway station
• from Tokyo to Kyoto by bullet train
• to walk from the first floor to the top
floor (ichi-ban ue)
Dialogue 2 VOCABULARY
Meeting at Hachiko, the Dog Statue Au - 会う - meet Tsuku - 着く - arrive

Yuki: Why don’t we meet at six at Hachiko? Awanai - 会わない - do not meet Tsuita - 着いた - arrived
Hachi-kō de roku-ji ni awanai.
ハチ公で六時に会わない。 Hachi-kō - ハチ公 - Hachiko, the loyal dog Hontō - 本当 - true; truth
statue outside Shibuya
Mei: Got it. Machigaeru - まちがえる - make
Wakatta. Wakatta - わかった -understood (an) error
わかった。
osoku naru - 遅くなる - become late Machigaeta - まちがえた - made
Yuki arrives late. (an) error
Yuki: Sorry for being late. Natte - 遅くなって - become (te-form)
Osoku natte, gomen.
遅くなってごめん。 Gomen - ごめん - sorry (casual) ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY
Kita-guchi - 北口 - North exit/entrance
Mei: What happened? Shita - した - did
Dō shita no. Minami-guchi - 南口 - South exit/entrance
どうしたの。 Dō shita? - どうした ? - What happened?
Higashi-guchi - 東口 - East exit/entrance
Yuki: There was an accident. Did you wait (long)? Jiko - 事故 - accident
Jiko ga atta n da. Matta. Nishi-guchi - 西口 -West exit/entrance
事故があったんだ。待った。 atta - あった - there was

Mei: No, I just arrived too. Matsu - 待つ - wait

U’un, watashi mo sakki tsuita no.
ううん、私もさっき着いたの。 matta - 待った - waited

Yuki: Really? sakki - さっき - just now; a little while ago

Hontō.
本当。

Mei: Yes. (It’s that) I took the wrong train.

Un. Densha o machigaeta no.
うん、電車を間違えたの。
Changing Verbs to the Informal Forms
GRAMMAR NOTE Informal Past forms of Verbs nu → nda shinu → shinda
-bu → nda asobu → asonda
Each verb group has different rules governing the formation of -ku → ita kaku → kaita
Informal Past -gu → ida isogu → isoida
forms. -su → shita hanasu → hanashita

U-Verbs: Five different rules depending on the final verb Ru-Verbs:

consonant. -ru → ta taberu→ tabeta
Irregular Verbs:
-(w)u → tta kau→ katta kuru → kita suru→ shita
-tsu → tta matsu → matta
-ru → tta wakaru → wakatta Special Polite Verbs:
-mu → nda nomu → nonda iku→ itta aru→ atta

Special Polite Verbs:

ru → tta irassharu → irasshatta ossharu → osshatta

To make the negative past form, change nai → nakatta

nomu → nomanai → namanakatta
taberu → tabenai → tabenakatta