Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! Today’s edition of Japanese survival phrases moves from the basic necessities into social survival. The phrase featured in this lesson is essential for those who are living in Japan or will be traveling to Japan and meeting friends or associates at a restaurant. Tune in, listen to the dialog, and then stop by the Learning Center to practice with the line-by-line audio transcript, or use the iLearning Center to study on-the-go with your iPod. Don’t forget to leave us a post!
This entry was posted on Monday, October 2nd, 2006 at 9:57 pm and is filed under Survival Phrases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
22 Responses to “Survival Phrases #41 - Meeting at a Restaurant”
JapanesePod101.com says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Mina-san,
Hope all had a great weekend! 
Enjoy today’s edition of Survival Phrases!
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
Michael D. Cassidy says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:22 pm
A question about Blog 4:
しずおかはとうきょうとちがってしぜんがたくさんあります。
I do not understand the last ‘と’ in “とうきょうと’. Its not a quote or a conditional.
Matthew Mudge says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Keeping up with lessons (for a change!) Great Lesson again JPOD101!
I was wondering if any other listeners can help me… I downloaded a verb chart from the Meguro Language Center Website for the impending JLPT and there are some headings that I don’t understand… I know they are forms of verbs but could someone tell me what they are and when I might use them?
いこうけい
かていけい
かのうけい
うけみけい・そんけいこ
しえきけい
The others are ones like the na, te, & ta which I think I know 
Any help will be appreciated…
Belton says:
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:40 pm
けい means form
形 [けい] (suf) shape, form, type
so they are the Japanese terms for the verb forms
with a little research ( 
I can’t claim to know these things!) I got
いこうけい = volitional
かていけい = conditional
かのうけい = potential
うけみけい・そんけいこ = passive • honorific
しえきけい = causative
using 見る see as an example
見よう let’s see
見れば if (I) see
見えます can see
見られます is seen
見させます make (someone) see
Ganbatte with JLPT3 !!
= = =
とちがって と違って
I think it’s a set phrase, meaning “unlike”. Perhaps と marks contrast.
Jason says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:11 am
I do not understand the last ‘と’ in “とうきょうと’. Its not a quote or a conditional.
You’re right. It’s not. It’s a set construction:
XはYと違う. = X is different from Y.
BTW, Xは can be dropped sometimes if it’s clear from the context what it is.
Matthew Mudge says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:35 am
どうも ありがとう Belton-san!
That cleared everything up. Now I have a chance of passing JLPT3 - not that I didn’t beforehand though! 
I’ve just got to persuade my parents to lend me the test fee - I know you need JLPT 2 absoulte minimum for Japanese universities (which is my ultimate goal… am I asking too much? ) but I figured skip JLPT 4, take 3 this year, take 2 next year and then take a gap year for JLPT 1 / EJU!
//digitaljo says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:49 am
This a pretty interesting lesson, looking for a party with a host or a front desk type of thing. I have a couple of questions about the topic.
Why wasn’t “-san” attach at the end of the name of the party? What if the person who made the reservation is not there, how would the host/maitre d’ respond? Maybe the person did not show up, the person stepped out, there was no reservation under that name, or there is more than one person with the same last name? The host would not likely use the polite conjugation, right?
How about the host doesn’t see the name or the person, but you are certain that your party is there, how you would you respond?
Do Japanese people believe in being “fashionably late”? I know in some cultures that it seems weird that people show up on time for a party or a meeting.
ごめんなさい、たくさんな質問があります。
よろしくおねがいします。
Yoshi says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:48 am
//digitaljo -san
I’ll try to answer your question, I hope I can get it right. 
First, the reason why san was not attached to the party’s name is because you consider the party as they are on your side. So, as you don’t put san when you say your own name, you don’t attach it. However, if it was an important job meeting or if you were invited by someone you didn’t know well, then you can attach san or even sama(politer) when you ask.
And if the party was not there but they had the reservation, then they might say 「まだ、来られていませんが。」(Hasn’t come yet) or 「まだ、お見えになっておられませんが。」(the same, but politer)
If the person stepped out,
「今、はずされておりますが。」(Now, he/she is out.)
If there were more than one same name, they might ask you the first name of the party, which is called 「下の名前」(bottom name)
「下の名前もよろしいですか。」(May I have the first name also?)
If the host didn’t see the name of the party but you know they are there, then you might wanna say,
「来てると思うので、ちょっとのぞいてもよろしいですか。」(I think they are here, so I can peek a little bit?)
Well, these are standard polite ways, and it might differ by the situations or the class of restaurants, and also these are just a few out of many ways to say them, but it doesn’t hurt to be polite anyways.
And I think “fashionably late” thing works in Japan, too. But maybe not in job meetings or other important appointments. If you were visiting someone’s house, then it should work or when you have a date. I usually tell them I’m fashionably late when I’m just late and sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Well I think I can say Japanese culture is more strikt on time schedule than other places(maybe) but it all depends. Some people are late and some peeple are not.
bakaneko says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:24 pm
I remember reading from some book on Japanese etiquette that the proper time to arrive at a meeting is 3 to 5 minutes AFTER the supposedly appointed time.
The rationale is that if you arrive earlier than the appointed time, then you’re rushing the host. So, expecting that the host has made preparation at the appointed time, you should allow a few minutes for the host to rest. This explains the “3-5 minutes after” part. However, if you show yourself 5 minutes after, that will just be considered late.
But I haven’t confirmed this to be actually in practice in Japan.
bakaneko says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:27 pm
“I remember reading from some book on Japanese etiquette that the proper time to arrive at a meeting is 3 to 5 minutes AFTER the supposedly appointed time.”
I actually tried to put that sentence in Japanese, but not for a million dollar could I invoke the proper grammar to put it all together.
Does someone has any suggestion? Perhaps someone about to take the JLPT?
//digitaljo says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:05 pm
なるほど。勉強になりました。どうもありがとうございます。Thank you for your insights, Yoshi-san and bakaneko-san.
Yoshi-san, thank you for the phrases! What blew me away was the reasoning behind the why san was not attached to the name when asking for the party. The logic behind the reasoning makes perfect sense!
lishijie says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:57 pm
I’m very fond of your programme!Thank you!Wish your programme willl be better and better!Thank you again! 
mikuji says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:09 pm
Matthew Mudge-san
I see Belton-san has already given you a good answer but here is some more with kanjis you may encounter when reading grammar stuff.
いこうけい volitional form ; from 意向【いこう】 (n) intention, idea, inclination, (P)
仮定形 【かていけい】(n) (gram) hypothetical form
かのうけい potential; from 可能【かのう】(adj-na,n) possible, practicable, feasible, (P)
受身形 【うけみけい】(gram) passive voice
そんけいこ do you mean 尊敬語 【そんけいご】(n) honorific language？
しえきけい causative form as in 使役動詞 【しえきどうし】causative verb
NOTE: 形 =かたち [けい in compounds]= form
I hope this helps
mikuji
mikuji says:
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:33 pm
bakaneko-san
you threw the gauntlet and, despite not being at any JPLT level, I had a go.
私は読んだ日本の交際法【こうさいほう】について本によると、刻限前の三分にや五分にはお見えになりの方がいいです.
which literally means ‘according to a book I read about Japanese etiquette, it is better to arrive something like 3 or 5 minutes before the appointed time’
よし様, 教えていただけませんか？
正しいでしょうか？
どうすればでしょうか？
よろしくお願いします
mikuji
Nate says:
October 4th, 2006 at 12:27 am
I love any lesson having anything, even remotely, having to do with food. Hence, many thanks for a great lesson.
ネイト
Yoshi says:
October 4th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
mikujiさん
If you were going to like a job meeting or auditions for a job or a play or something, I say it’s good to arrive a little before the appointment time because it shows you are down for it rather than being late. And for other parties or dates, I think it’s really up to you. If you arrive on time or before, when you have a date, then, they might think you are せっかち(sekkachi means impatient) but people have different perspectives, so I can’t really tell you. 
So I would say it depends on the situation, but generally for formal things, you can get there a little before the time, and for casual things it’s up to your character I guess. Is this any different from other cultures? I’m curious.
Sindy-san says:
October 5th, 2006 at 5:27 am
Did someone say food and restaurant yummy I’m hungry I love food! excellent lesson! S_R_C
mikuji says:
October 5th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
よしーさん、その説明でありがとうごさいます。
イタリアでも、イギリスでも五分ぐらい刻限後で良いです。
私の質問は邦訳【ほうやく】についてでした。
私の日本語はどうですしたか？正しいでしたか？
コッメントじゃないですから、大丈夫でしょう。
毎度、あ世話になっております。
よろしくお願いします。
mikuji
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