Survival Japanese. Boye Lafayette De Mente

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      SURVIVAL

       JAPANESE

       How to Communicate without

       Fuss or Fear—Instantly!

      by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

       revised edition with Junji Kawai

      TUTTLE Publishing

       Tokyo|Rutland, Vermont|Singapore

      Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

       www.tuttlepublishing.com

      Copyright © 1991 Boyé Lafayette De Mente

       Copyright © 2004 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

      LCC Card No.: 2009291154

       ISBN: 978-1-4629-1076-2 (ebook)

      Printed in Singapore

      Distributed by:

      Japan

       Tuttle Publishing

       Yaekari Building 3F, 5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku

       Tokyo 141-0032, Japan

       Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]

       www.tuttle.co.jp

      North America, Latin America & Europe

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       www.periplus.com

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      TUTTLE PUBLISHING^® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

      Contents

       INTRODUCTION

       Overcoming Instant Illiteracy

       How to Use This Book

       Note on Pronunciation

       Dealing with Grammar

       PART ONE

       Key Words

       Greeting People

       Introductions

       In a Taxi

       At a Hotel

       Asking Questions

       Going Somewhere

       The Cardinal Numbers

       The Ordinal Numbers

       Counting Things

       Counting People

       Time Frames

       The Days

       Counting Days

       The Weeks

       Counting Weeks

       The Months

       Counting Months

       Giving Dates

       The Years

       The Seasons

       The Time

       The Weather

       Using Money

       In a Restaurant

       Paying Bills

       Locating Restrooms

       When Shopping

       At the Station

       Visiting an Office

       At the Post Office

       Medical Emergencies

       In the Bath

       Housing

       Age

       In a Bar

       The Telephone

       Visiting a Home

       Expressing Thanks

       Apologizing

       Saying Goodbye

       PART TWO

       Key Names & Places

       Country, Islands & Regions

       Prefectures & Capitals

       Important City & Area Names

       Names in Tokyo

       Names in Kyoto

       Names in Osaka

       Department Stores

       Major Newspapers

       Major Industrial Zones

       Other Common Terms

      INTRODUCTION

      Overcoming Instant Illiteracy

      Hundreds of thousands of people who arrive in Japan each year go through an experience that is the equivalent of suddenly being struck deaf and dumb. They go from being literate—even brilliant—in their own culture to not being able to speak, understand, read, or write the language of their host country, and to being equally ignorant of the nonverbal language of Japan as well.

      If this situation continues for any length of time, the experience results in a trauma known as culture shock—which in extreme cases can cause serious mental and physical damage; sometimes even death.

      Short-time visitors to Japan are not likely to suffer significant health problems because of their sudden inability to interact with the culture surrounding them. But there is perhaps no more frustrating feeling than not being able to communicate with other people when we want to or need to. Where visiting businessmen are concerned, the handicap of not being able to communicate directly with their