When you travel to Japan, it's always good to have some phrases under your belt. You don't have to be fluent, but it's nice to be able to get around. In Japan, it's sometimes tough for travelers to find people who speak English. Here are some important phrases you should take with you!

Basics

Yes - "hai"

No - "iie" - This isn't really the word for "no" exactly... it's a little tough to explain, but anyway, if you use "iie" you'll be understood.

Thank you - "Arigato" - Thank people a lot! That's the Japanese way.

Do you speak English? - "Eigo shaberemasu ka?" or "Eigo hanasemasu ka?" Another way you can say it is "Eigo wa daijoubu desu ka?" This means something like, "Is English okay?"

Excuse me - "sumimasen" - When you want to ask somebody a question, or when you bump into somebody on those crowded trains!

I'm sorry - "Gomen nasai" - Hopefully you don't have to say this too much.

It's okay - "daijoubu desu" - This phrase comes in handy in all kids of situations!

Getting Around

Where is (place) - "(place) wa doko desu ka?" - This is one of the most important phrases to remember!

Where is the nearest train station? - "Ichiban chikai eki wa doko desu ka?" - This will work too. And here are some places you might want directions to:

hotel - "hoteru"

airport - "kuukou"

train station - "eki"

supermarket - "suupaa"

bank - "ginko"

ATM machine - "A-T-M" or "kyasshu sabisu koona"

entrance - "iriguchi"

exit - "deguchi"

bathroom - "toire"

taxi stand - "takushi noriba" For using the taxi...

Please drive me to the hotel - "Hoteru e itte kudasai"

Please stop here - "Koko de tomatte kudasai"

When you first get into the taxi, tell them the place you want to go (for example, the hotel's name) followed by "kudasai." Or better yet, carry around the address written in Japanese.

Does this train go to (place)? - "Kono densha wa (place) made ikimasu ka?" Another important question!

Eating And Shopping

... please - ".... wo kudasai" - You can use this for anything, food, goods, places you want to go in a taxi. It is the basic way to make any kind of request, and it's very polite.

bill please - "kanjou kudasai" - Most restaurants will give you the bill without being requested, or have it waiting at the counter. You can also make an "x" with your fingers, and this means "bill."

How much is this? - "Kore wa ikura desu ka?"

beer - "biiru" - Probably the most requested thing among western travelers! Because it's...

delicious - "oishii" - Say this a lot and you'll make friends easily.

These basics should be able to take care of your Japan traveling needs! Don't worry, I said before that it's tough sometimes to find people who can speak English. Actually, you can find people who will give it a shot, but it's always good to have some basics in Japanese anyway. Happy travels!

So you want to learn Japanese, but you don't want to pay lots of money? It CAN be done! Back when I was a poor kid in the States trying to get a job as an English teacher in Japan, I got quite a bit of Japanese under my belt without paying anything at all.

This is the way to go! If you just want to study as a hobby, there are tons of ways to do it on the cheap. Or, if you plan to move to Japan, you can learn the basics before you get over here. Here is how you do it.

Take A Class

The best way to learn Japanese for free is to head to your local university and audit a class. "Audit" means to take a class for free, but you don't get any school credit for it. You can usually audit a class as long as it's not full and there is a place for you to sit.

Go to the school and get a course schedule. You can usually find these anywhere, or you can go to the administration building. The best time to do this is in August when the school year is starting. Usually Japanese I is only being taught in the fall.

Find a class and go to it. Go early and talk to the professor. Tell them that you are interested in learning Japanese and ask if they will let you sit in on the class. If they can, they will. They're always happy to have more students! You won't be included in tests and things like that, but you can participate in everything else. The professor will have to check with the administration, and you'll find out next week if there's a seat for you. Be sure to let them know how interested you are in their class!

Find A Teacher

The best thing I ever did for my Japanese learning was to get a "teacher." I found a guy who would meet me once a week, and trade Japanese for English. We met for an hour, and spent 30 minutes on each language. Each week I went home with pages of notes, my head buzzing with new words and expressions. I was talking to myself in Japanese all day and people were staring... but I was learning!

The way to do this is to find an English school in your town. Again, the university is a good place to go. You can also look online for English schools in your area. Go to the school and tell the teachers you'd like to volunteer. Often, they have class and after class there is a free conversation time. They usually need somebody to help out. Volunteer a time or two and find a Japanese student who wants to improve their English. Then, arrange to meet them on your own time.

You can always just go to a place where Japanese people hang out and look for somebody too. I would try the university, sushi restaurants, bars and other restaurants where Japanese people hang out, and any kind of Japanese community center there might be in your hometown (if you live in a big city).

Go Online

Another great way to learn for free is to go online. Online you can find free Japanese courses complete with sound files and quizzes, and you can also find Japanese pen pals.

Online Japanese courses are a convenient way to study without paying and having to lug around textbooks. I could recommend a course, but it's better to try it yourself. Give several courses a try and find one that you really like. Then, stick with it. It's always better to stay with the same course, because each lesson will build on the last.

For pen pals, go to Google or any other major search engine and punch in "Japanese pen pals." You will find so many sights it will blow your mind! Again, shop a little and find one you really like. There are lots of people in Japan who are eager to trade emails with native English speakers to improve their English. The best part of this is that you may also make a friend online. That's what I did.

Another great tool you can find online is an online dictionary. These are indispensable and also offered at the best price available... FREE! Here is the one that I use - http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html. I like it because it has lots of different ways to search, and you can also translate text.

Another free way to learn to speak Japanese would be to just travel to Japan and work as an English teacher. However, most teachinig jobs in japan require at least a one year commitment. If you're not into the whole teach abroad thing, try a few of the suggestions above.

There's no reason to pay big bucks for a Japanese course when you can study for absolutely free! I spent $0 on my Japanese education, and by the time I hit the Tokyo airport, I could already find my way around and carry on some basic conversation. Do what I did, and you'll be speaking Japanese in no time!