About this site
What this site is for
This site is for people visiting Japan for the first time who do not speak Japanese, and who keep running into the same problem: they know a few phrases, but they cannot follow what staff actually say to them.
The aim is narrow on purpose. Not fluency, not grammar, not vocabulary lists — just being able to recognise the handful of questions you will really be asked, and knowing the smallest thing that answers each one.
How the guides are written
- Every guide is built from one real situation rather than a topic.
- Japanese is written as it is actually spoken, with romaji, because most readers cannot read kana.
- Where wording or practice differs between shops, regions or chains, that is said explicitly rather than smoothed over.
- Where something cannot be stated with confidence, it is left out.
- Non-verbal answers are given first, because they work under pressure.
What this site is not
It is not a Japanese course, and it is not a review site. There is no claim here that any particular way of speaking is the only correct one — the goal is only that you can act on what you hear.
Who writes it
This site is written and maintained by Japan Cue.
Contact
Corrections and questions are welcome at contact@japancue.com. If something here does not match what you experienced in Japan, that is worth knowing.