Getting Off at the Right Stop

In this lesson you will learn how to navigate your train or bus ride: finding out if the next stop is your destination, asking how many stops remain, requesting someone to let you know when you arrive, and — crucially — announcing “Let me out!” on a crowded train.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Is This My Stop?

Mrs. Brown is on a crowded subway heading to Akasaka-mitsuke. She didn’t catch the conductor’s announcement.

Romaji	English
Buraun: Sumimasen. Koko wa Akasaka-mitsuke desu ka?	Excuse me. Is this Akasaka-mitsuke?
Nihonjin: Iie, Akasaka-mitsuke wa tsugi no tsugi desu yo.	No, Akasaka-mitsuke is the one after next.
Buraun: Soo desu ka. Doomo.	Oh. Thanks.
(later)
Buraun: Orimasu!	Let me out, please!

Situation 2 — Please Tell Me When We Arrive

Ms. Lambert is taking a bus to Aoyama 3-chome. She first confirms the bus stop, then asks the driver for help.

Romaji	English
Ranbaato: Sumimasen. Shibuya-iki no basu-tee wa koko desu ka?	Excuse me. Is this the bus stop for Shibuya?
Nihonjin: Iie, kono chotto saki desu.	No, it’s a little further ahead.
Ranbaato: Doomo.	Thanks.
(on the bus)
Ranbaato: Sumimasen. Aoyama san-chome e ikitai n desu ga, tsuitara oshiete kudasaimasen ka?	Excuse me. I’d like to go to Aoyama 3-chome — would you tell me when we get there?
Untenshu: Ee, ii desu yo.	Sure.
(later)
Untenshu: Okyaku-san, Aoyama san-chome desu yo.	Passenger, this is Aoyama 3-chome.
Ranbaato: Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu.	Thank you very much.
Untenshu: Iie.	You’re welcome.

Situation 3 — How Many Stops to Hibiya?

Mr. Turner is at Harajuku Station and wants to go to Hibiya by subway.

Romaji	English
Taanaa: Sumimasen. Hibiya e ikitai n desu ga, ikutsu-me desu ka?	Excuse me. I want to go to Hibiya — how many stops is it?
Nihonjin: Eeto… Koko kara itsutsu-me ka muttsu-me desu.	Let me see… Hibiya is the fifth or sixth from here.
Taanaa: Aa, soo desu ka. Doomo arigatoo.	I see. Thank you.
(later, on the train)
Taanaa: Sumimasen. Hibiya wa tsugi desu ka?	Excuse me. Is Hibiya next?
Nihonjin: Ee, soo desu.	Yes, it is.
Taanaa: Doomo.	Thanks.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	English	Kana
tsugi no tsugi	the one after next	つぎのつぎ
orimasu	get off, get down	おります
basu-tee	bus stop	バスてい
tsuitara	when (we) arrive (TARA form of tsukimasu)	ついたら
oshiete kudasaimasen ka	please tell me (polite request)	おしえてくださいませんか
oshiete	tell, teach (TE form of oshiemasu)	おしえて
okyaku-san	guest, passenger, customer	おきゃくさん
doomo arigatoo gozaimasu	thank you very much (formal)	どうもありがとうございます
ikutsu-me	which one (in a numbered series)	いくつめ
itsutsu-me	fifth	いつつめ
muttsu-me	sixth	むっつめ
yottsu-me	fourth	よっつめ
nanatsu-me	seventh	ななつめ
yattsu-me	eighth	やっつめ
sugimashita	passed	すぎました

Ordinal Numbers (Stops)

Ordinal	Romaji
1st	hitotsu-me
2nd	futatsu-me
3rd	mittsu-me
4th	yottsu-me
5th	itsutsu-me
6th	muttsu-me
7th	nanatsu-me
8th	yattsu-me
9th	kokonotsu-me
10th	too-me

These use native Japanese numerals with the ordinal suffix -me.

Grammar & Usage Notes

1. Tsugi — “Next”

You already learned tsugi in direction contexts (tsugi no shingoo — “the next traffic light”). It works the same way for stations:

• Tsugi no eki wa Ginza desu ka? — Is the next station Ginza?
• Tsugi wa Ginza desu ka? — Is the next one Ginza? (shorter, more common on trains)
• Tsugi no tsugi desu. — It’s the one after next.

2. Ordinal Numbers for Stations

Use ikutsu-me to ask “how many stops” and ordinal numbers to answer:

• Yokohama wa ikutsu-me desu ka? — How many stops to Yokohama?
• Yottsu-me desu yo. — It’s the fourth one.

You don’t need to say no eki (“station”) after the ordinal — context makes it clear.

3. Asking to Be Told When You Arrive

The pattern (destination) ni tsuitara oshiete kudasaimasen ka? is a polite way to ask someone to notify you when you reach your stop. Literally: “When we arrive at (destination), won’t you please tell me?“

4. Orimasu! — “Let me out!”

On crowded commuter trains and buses, you must announce that you are getting off so people will make way. Simply call out:

• Orimasu! — I’m getting off! / Let me out!

5. When You’ve Already Passed Your Stop

If you ask about your destination and you’ve already gone past it, the Japanese person will say:

• (Destination) wa moo sugimashita yo. — We’ve already passed (destination).

If the person doesn’t know the answer: Saa, wata(ku)shi mo shirimasen. — I don’t know either.

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Substitution Drill — Is This My Stop?

Base sentence: Akasaka-mitsuke wa koko desu ka?

Substitute: tsugi / tsugi no tsugi / mittsu-me / mittsu-me no eki

B. How Many Stops?

Base sentence: Hibiya wa ikutsu-me desu ka?

Practice asking about: Ginza, Toranomon, Shinbashi, Nihonbashi, Aoyama 1-chome

C. Combination Drill

Combine two options into a question:

Items	Question
tsugi / tsugi no tsugi	Tsugi desu ka, tsugi no tsugi desu ka?
chikatetsu / JR-sen	Chikatetsu desu ka, JR-sen desu ka?
mittsu-me / yottsu-me	Mittsu-me desu ka, yottsu-me desu ka?
basu / takushii	Basu desu ka, takushii desu ka?

D. Please Tell Me Drill

Base sentence: ___ ni tsuitara oshiete kudasaimasen ka?

Practice with: Osaka, Ueno, Yotsuya, Toranomon, Ginza yon-chome, Shinbashi, Asakusa, Akasaka-mitsuke

E. Comprehension Exercise — Subway Line

Using the Ginza subway line stations (Shibuya → Aoyama 1-chome → Akasaka-mitsuke → Toranomon → Shinbashi → Ginza → Nihonbashi), practice:

1. Ask: Koko wa Akasaka-mitsuke desu ka?
2. Count: Toranomon wa ikutsu-me desu ka? (from Shibuya)
3. Confirm: Tsugi wa Ginza desu ka?

Cultural Notes

Riding Buses in Japan

• Japanese buses have a pre-recorded tape that announces the next stop.
• In most cases, you pay as you enter. Have exact change ready — there is usually a money exchange machine for 100-yen coins (bills are not accepted).
• Kaisuu-ken (coupon tickets) and teeki-ken (season passes) are available but must be bought at the main bus terminal, not on the bus.
• There is no free transfer system between buses.

Crowded Trains

During rush hours, commuter trains and buses are incredibly crowded. Familiarize yourself with the kanji for the station before your destination so you know when to get ready. Don’t hesitate to call out Orimasu! loudly — it is expected and necessary.

Reading Practice (漢字)

Kanji	Romaji	English
精算所	seesanjo	fare adjustment office
連絡口	renrakuguchi	connection to…
のりば	noriba	(bus) stop, (taxi) stand
東京行	Tokyo-iki	Tokyo-bound
新宿行	Shinjuku-iki	Shinjuku-bound
東京方面	Tokyo-hoomen	Tokyo direction
銀座方面	Ginza-hoomen	Ginza direction