Directions That Work: Landmarks, Intersections, and Confirming the Route

What Makes Directions in Japan “Work”

In many Japanese cities, directions are often given using landmarks (a convenience store, a traffic light, a big building) and intersections, not street names. Your goal as a traveler is to: (1) identify the key landmark words, (2) catch the turn/straight instructions, (3) confirm the route and the correct exit, and (4) estimate walking time or distance.

Vocabulary by Function (What You Actually Listen For)

1) Places you navigate from/to

• eki（駅）station
• deguchi（出口）exit
• kōban（交番）police box (common landmark)
• chikadō（地下道）underground passage
• kaidan（階段）stairs
• erebētā（エレベーター）elevator
• esukarētā（エスカレーター）escalator
• iriguchi（入口）entrance

2) Intersections and “decision points”

• kōsaten（交差点）intersection
• shingō（信号）traffic light
• ōdōri（大通り）main road/avenue
• yokochō（横丁）small side alley/lane
• kado（角）corner
• hashi（橋）bridge

3) Landmarks people use instead of street names

• konbini（コンビニ）convenience store
• suupā（スーパー）supermarket
• ginkō（銀行）bank
• yūbinkyoku（郵便局）post office
• byōin（病院）hospital/clinic
• hoteru（ホテル）hotel
• kōen（公園）park
• takushī noriba（タクシー乗り場）taxi stand
• basutei（バス停）bus stop

4) Direction words (the core set)

• migi（右）right
• hidari（左）left
• massugu（まっすぐ）straight
• chokushin（直進）go straight (more “instruction-like”)
• magaru（曲がる）to turn
• wataru（渡る）to cross (a road/bridge)
• tsugi（次）next
• hitotsu-me / futatsu-me（一つ目／二つ目）first / second (intersection, traffic light, etc.)

5) Distance/time approximations (what you’ll hear and what you can ask)

• ~fun（〜分）~ minutes
• ~kiro（〜キロ）~ kilometers
• sugu（すぐ）right away / very soon
• chotto（ちょっと）a little (often: not far)
• sukoshi（少し）a bit
• tooi（遠い）far
• chikai（近い）near
• aruite（歩いて）on foot / walking

Sentence Patterns You Can Reuse Anywhere

1) Ask for the best exit (stations can be huge)

Pattern A: ___ ni wa, dono deguchi ga ii desu ka?

• Meaning: Which exit is good/best for ___?
• Example: Shibuya Sukuranburu Kōsaten ni wa, dono deguchi ga ii desu ka?（渋谷スクランブル交差点には、どの出口がいいですか？）

Pattern B (more specific): ___ ni chikai deguchi wa doko desu ka?

• Meaning: Where is the exit close to ___?
• Example: Hachikō-guchi wa doko desu ka?（ハチ公口はどこですか？）

2) Confirm you understood the route (must-have)

Pattern: Kono michi de ii desu ka?

• Meaning: Is this road/way okay (to go)?
• Use it when you’re standing at a fork, outside an exit, or after repeating directions back.

Make it more concrete: Kono michi de ___ ni ikemasu ka?

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• Meaning: Can I get to ___ via this way?

3) Ask how long it takes on foot (time is more useful than meters)

Pattern (required): ___ made aruite donokurai desu ka?

• Meaning: About how long is it to ___ on foot?
• Example: Kono hoteru made aruite donokurai desu ka?（このホテルまで歩いてどのくらいですか？）

Common answers you may hear:

• 5-fun gurai desu.（5分ぐらいです。）About 5 minutes.
• 10-pun mo kakaranai desu.（10分もかからないです。）It won’t even take 10 minutes.
• Chotto arukimasu.（ちょっと歩きます。）You’ll walk a bit.

4) Ask for landmark-based directions (so you get usable cues)

Pattern: Chikaku ni wakariyasui mon wa arimasu ka?

• Meaning: Is there an easy-to-recognize landmark nearby?

Pattern: Konbini ya shingō o mejirushi ni dekimasu ka?

• Meaning: Can I use a convenience store or traffic light as a landmark?

5) Repeat back using “then” steps (simple and effective)

Pattern: ___ de, ___ shite, sorekara ___ desu ne?

• Meaning: So, at ___, do ___, and then ___, right?
• Tip: Even if your grammar is not perfect, the sequence words help: de (at/then), sorekara (after that).

Practical Step-by-Step: How to Get Directions You Can Actually Follow

Step 1: Set the starting point clearly

Stations and buildings have multiple floors and exits. Start by anchoring where you are.

• Ima, ___ no mae ni imasu. I’m in front of ___.
• ___ no naka desu. I’m inside ___.
• ___-guchi ni imasu. I’m at the ___ exit.

Step 2: Ask for the best exit (before you walk outside)

Inside a station, the “best exit” question saves time.

• ___ ni wa, dono deguchi ga ii desu ka?
• ___-guchi wa docchi desu ka? Which way is ___ exit?

Step 3: Listen for the three core cues

• Turn/straight: migi / hidari / massugu
• Decision point: kōsaten / shingō / kado
• Landmark: konbini / ginkō / kōban

Step 4: Confirm immediately with a short check

• Kono michi de ii desu ka?
• Tsugi no shingō o migi desu ka? Right at the next traffic light?
• Futatsu-me no kōsaten desu ka? The second intersection?

Step 5: Ask for walking time so you can judge if you’re on track

• ___ made aruite donokurai desu ka?
• Aruite ikemasu ka? Can I walk there?

Realistic Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Asking at a station (best exit + first steps)

Dialogue 2: Asking on the street (landmarks + confirmation)

Dialogue 3: Inside a building (finding an entrance/exit, then the route)

Reading and Saying Place Names (So You Can Match Signs and Maps)

1) The “say it in chunks” method

Many place names are long. Break them into 2–3 chunks and say them clearly. If you have a map pin, show it, then say the chunk you can.

• Shin-juku（新宿）
• Ha-ra-ju-ku（原宿）
• A-sa-ku-sa（浅草）

2) Common suffixes you’ll see on signs

Recognizing these helps you understand what the place is, even if you can’t read the full name.

• -eki（駅）station: Tokyo-eki
• -guchi（口）exit: Hachikō-guchi
• -bashi（橋）bridge: Nihonbashi
• -dōri（通り）street/avenue: Omotesandōri (often written as 表参道)
• -kōen（公園）park: Ueno-kōen

3) When you can’t pronounce it

If a place name is hard, use one of these tactics:

• Point to the text on your phone and ask: Kore wa nan to yomimasu ka? How do you read this?
• Confirm the exit name (often in romaji/English on signs): ___-guchi de ii desu ka?
• Use category words: Kono hoteru (this hotel), kono mise (this shop), kono biru (this building) + show the screen.

Handling Landmark-Based Directions (No Street Names)

Landmark grammar you’ll hear a lot

These patterns tell you how the landmark relates to your movement.

• ___ no mae（〜の前）in front of ___
• ___ no tonari（〜の隣）next to ___
• ___ no mukai（〜の向かい）across from ___
• ___ o sugite（〜を過ぎて）pass ___
• ___ no tokoro de（〜のところで）at the place/point of ___

Turn landmarks into a checklist you can follow

When someone gives you directions like “Go straight, pass the convenience store, turn right at the traffic light,” convert it into a 3-step checklist and repeat it back.

1) massugu 2) konbini o sugiru 3) shingō o migi

Then confirm:

• Massugu itte, konbini o sugite, tsugi no shingō o migi desu ne?
• Kono michi de ii desu ka?

If you lose the landmark

Sometimes the “convenience store” they mentioned is gone or you miss it. Ask for an alternative landmark or a more fixed point like an intersection count.

• Konbini ga nakattara, dō shitara ii desu ka? If there’s no convenience store, what should I do?
• Shingō wa ikutsu arimasu ka? How many traffic lights are there?
• Kōsaten wa hitotsu-me desu ka, futatsu-me desu ka? Is it the first intersection or the second?