Finding the Right Exit and Changing Trains

In this lesson you will learn how to find the right exit at a train station, ask for directions within the station, and — importantly — how to change trains or transfer between lines. Large stations can have dozens of exits and multiple intersecting lines, so these skills are essential for navigating Japan’s rail network.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Which Exit for Isetan?

Ms. Harman gets off the train at Shinjuku Station and needs to find the right exit for the Isetan department store.

Romaji	English
Haaman: Sumimasen. Isetan e ikitai n desu ga, dono deguchi desu ka?	Excuse me. I want to go to Isetan. Which exit is it?
Nihonjin: Isetan desu ka? Minami-guchi ga chikai desu yo.	Isetan? The south exit is closer.
Haaman: Minami-guchi wa dotchi desu ka?	Which way is the south exit?
Nihonjin: Koko o massugu itte, migi no hoo desu.	Go straight and it’s on your right side.
Haaman: Soo desu ka. Doomo arigatoo.	I see. Thank you.
(at the exit)
Haaman: Sumimasen. Isetan wa koko kara migi no hoo desu ka, hidari no hoo desu ka?	Pardon me. From here, is Isetan on the right or on the left?
Nihonjin: Koko o dete, hidari no hoo desu.	Leaving from here, it’s on the left.
Haaman: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you.

Situation 2 — Is This the West Exit?

Mr. Sullivan is going to Mitsukoshi department store in Yokohama. He asks about the exit.

Romaji	English
Sariban: Sumimasen. Koko wa nishi-guchi desu ka?	Excuse me. Is this the west exit?
Nihonjin: Iie, koko wa higashi-guchi desu yo.	No, this is the east exit.
Sariban: Soo desu ka. Doko e ikitai n desu ka?	I see.
Nihonjin: Mitsukoshi e ikitai n desu ga…	I want to go to Mitsukoshi…
Nihonjin: Jaa, ano kaidan o orite, chikadoo o massugu migi no hoo e iku to Mitsukoshi no iriguchi ga arimasu yo.	Well then, go down that stairway and if you go right along the underground passageway, there is an entrance to Mitsukoshi.
Sariban: Sumimasen. Wakarimasen.	I’m sorry. I don’t understand.
Nihonjin: Eeto… Kaidan o orite, chikadoo o migi desu.	Let me see… Go down the stairs, then right through the underground passage.
Sariban: Aa, wakarimasu. Doomo arigatoo gozaimashita.	Oh, I see. Thank you very much.

Situation 3 — Transferring Lines

Mr. Walker is at Toranomon subway station on the Ginza line and wants to go to Shinjuku Gyoen.

Romaji	English
Uookaa: Sumimasen. Shinjuku wa kono sen de ii desu ne?	Excuse me. This line goes to Shinjuku, right?
Ekiin: Kono sen wa Shinjuku e ikimasen yo. Koko kara Akasaka-mitsuke e itte, Marunouchi-sen ni norikaete kudasai.	This line doesn’t go to Shinjuku. Go from here to Akasaka-mitsuke, then transfer to the Marunouchi line.
Uookaa: Akasaka-mitsuke e itte…	Go to Akasaka-mitsuke…
Ekiin: Ee, soko de Marunouchi-sen ni norikaete kudasai.	Yes, there transfer to the Marunouchi line.
Uookaa: Wakarimashita. Doomo arigatoo.	I understand. Thank you.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	English	Kana
dono	which?	どの
deguchi	exit	でぐち
minami-guchi	south gate/exit	みなみぐち
minami	south	みなみ
…guchi	gate, door, exit	…ぐち
dotchi	which way?	どっち
dete	leave, go out (TE form of demasu)	でて
nishi	west	にし
higashi	east	ひがし
kita	north	きた
orite	go down (TE form of orimasu)	おりて
chikadoo	underground passage	ちかどう
iriguchi	entrance	いりぐち
de	at (particle marking location of action)	で
norikaete	change/transfer (TE form of norikaemasu)	のりかえて
sen	line	せん
Marunouchi-sen	Marunouchi line	まるのうちせん
noborimasu	climb, go up	のぼります
norikae	a change (of trains, etc.)	のりかえ

Station Exit Names

Romaji	Kanji	English
higashi-guchi	東口	east exit/entrance
nishi-guchi	西口	west exit/entrance
kita-guchi	北口	north exit/entrance
minami-guchi	南口	south exit/entrance
deguchi	出口	exit
iriguchi	入口	entrance

Grammar & Usage Notes

1. Finding the Right Exit

Larger stations have multiple exits (deguchi). To find the right one:

• (Destination) e ikitai n desu ga, deguchi wa doko desu ka? — I want to go to (destination). Which exit should I use?
• (Destination) e ikitai n desu ga, dono deguchi desu ka? — I want to go to (destination). Which exit is it?

2. Compass Directions for Exits

Station exits are often named by compass direction:

Japanese	English
kita	north
minami	south
higashi	east
nishi	west

To ask which way an exit is: Minami-guchi wa dotchi desu ka? — Which way is the south exit?

3. Stairways: Going Up and Down

The word for stairway is kaidan. Japanese has specific verbs for going up and down:

Japanese	English
Kaidan o noborimasu / agarimasu.	Go up the stairs.
Kaidan o orimasu.	Go down the stairs.

If you can identify the keyword kaidan and locate the staircase, you can usually figure out which direction to go.

4. Transferring: Norikae

When you need to change trains or buses, the key word is norikae (transfer):

Japanese	English
Tokyo-iki ni norikaemasu.	Transfer to a Tokyo-bound train.
Yokohama de norikaemasu.	Transfer in Yokohama.
Yokohama de Tokyo-iki ni norikaemasu.	Transfer to a Tokyo-bound train in Yokohama.

Different verb forms may appear (norikaete, norikae, norikaemasu), but if you can catch norikae, you’ll understand the meaning.

5. The Particle de — Location of Action

The particle de after a place indicates where an action takes place:

• Soko de Marunouchi-sen ni norikaete kudasai. — Transfer to the Marunouchi line there.
• Koko de tometekudasai. — Please stop here.

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Exit Inquiry Drill

Base sentence: Koko wa minami-guchi desu ka?

Substitute: kita-guchi, higashi-guchi, nishi-guchi, minami-guchi

B. Which Way? Drill

Base sentence: Minami-guchi wa dotchi desu ka?

Substitute: kita-guchi, higashi-guchi, iriguchi, migi no hoo

C. Destination Exit Drill

Base sentence: ___ e ikitai n desu ga, deguchi wa dotchi desu ka?

Practice with: Kokuritsu Gekijoo, Kabukiza, Mitsukoshi

D. Direction Drill — Opposites

Given a direction, say the opposite:

Given	Answer
higashi	nishi
kita	minami
minami	kita
nishi	higashi

E. Compass Comprehension

You are facing north. On your right is…? (higashi) You are facing east. On your right is…? (minami) You are facing south. On your left is…? (higashi) You are facing west. On your left is…? (kita)

F. Transfer Exercise

You are at Toranomon station on the Ginza line. Find out how to get to these destinations. Some require transfers:

Destination	Transfer Needed?	Where?	To Which Line?
Ginza	No	—	—
Asakusa	Yes	Ginza	Ginza-sen (Asakusa-bound)
Tokyo-eki	Yes	Ginza	Marunouchi-sen
Ueno	No	—	—
Shinjuku	Yes	Kasumigaseki	Marunouchi-sen
Ikebukuro	Yes	Hibiya	Yurakucho-sen

Cultural Notes

• Large stations like Shinjuku and Tokyo can have many exits spread over a wide area — sometimes more than 100 meters apart. Always ask which exit is closest to your destination.
• The kanji 出 in deguchi (出口) means “go out” and 入 in iriguchi (入口) means “enter.” Learning these two characters helps you navigate any station.
• Underground passages (chikadoo) connect many stations to department stores and commercial areas. These can be a convenient way to avoid weather or traffic.

Reading Practice (漢字)

Kanji	Romaji	English
東口	higashi-guchi	east exit/entrance
西口	nishi-guchi	west exit/entrance
南口	minami-guchi	south exit/entrance
北口	kita-guchi	north exit/entrance
出口	deguchi	exit
入口	iriguchi	entrance
地下道	chikadoo	underground passage