Learn Japanese: Signs and Symbols
There is nothing worse than being in a foreign country and not understanding the signs, and Japanese signs can be the trickiest. In this guide, we get acquainted with some important signs, symbols, and characters that will enable you to safely and pleasantly stay in Japan, as well as save you precious time!
Emergency Exit
Wherever you are, it’s a relief to know the locations of emergency exits. Most emergency exit signs are pictorial, but some contain only Japanese characters.
Entrance
Exit
Restroom
Push
Pull
Do Not Enter!
If you know this sign and its characters, you will be able to avoid unnecessary danger.
Telephone
Although you can take your cell phone abroad with you or rent one at the airport, you might still need to use a public phone.
Coin Locker
Many tourists visiting Japan are surprised by the number of coin lockers in train stations, department stores, and other public places. The fee is usually 300 yen per day. A larger locker for a suitcase often costs more, ranging from 400 to 500 yen per day.
Police Box or Koban
Police Station
When you get into trouble—for example, by getting lost or losing your belongings—look for a koban, a small houselike building where a couple of police officers are stationed to offer citizens help. When you want to know whether a building is a police station, look for a gold star on the front of the building, as shown in the picture.
Pharmacy
Many drugstore signs contain a blue or green cross accompanied by a word referring to medicine: kusuri.
Bank
Currency Exchange
You can exchange foreign currency at a bank or an airport, but you can also change money at a currency exchange shop.
Post Office
As shown in the pictures, post offices have a distinct symbol that looks like a T with a bar above it.
Bookstore
Coffee Shop
Japanese people are crazy about coffee (Japan is the third-largest coffee-importing country following the United States and Germany), and coffee shops are everywhere. Caution: If you are a coffee lover but not a smoker, keep in mind that many local coffee shops still allow smoking.
Cashier
Finding cashiers in a huge shop like a department store might not be easy because they are scattered around the store and not necessarily located near the exit.
Taxi Stand
Keep in mind that cab doors in Japan open automatically, so rather than opening the door with the handle, just wait by the taxi’s left-side rear door until the driver activates the door.
Taxi Vacancy
You might have to catch a cab on the street. At night, this is an easy task—you simply raise your hand when you see a cab with its roof lamp on, meaning the cab is vacant. But in daytime, you need to check the sign behind the passenger-side windshield. If vacant, the sign should be in red. If the cab is not available, the sign should be in green.
Subway Sign
Subway Track
Near a subway track you will find a sign like that in the picture. By the way, each subway line has its own distinct color for identification. So at a big station where several lines are interconnected, knowing the color of your desired subway line is handy. For example, the Ginza Line trains, logos, and tracks are all indicated in yellow; the Marunouchi Line in red; and so on.
Now that you know the signs you will be able to move around Japan much more easily. Good luck, and happy travels!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Conversational Japanese, Second Edition, by Naoya Fujita, Ph.D.
