Finding someplace or someone in Japan can be very difficult. The Japanese address structure is virtually incomprehensible to foreigners, and even local taxi drivers may have difficulty finding a location based on address, since multiple residences/businesses can share a common addressTohsaku, Yasu-Hiko, 1994. "Yookoso! An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese." McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York.. Furthermore, the use of kanji, which is the characters of Japanese writing, is considerably harder for non-native speakers to read. Therefore, at some point, one will likely have to ask for directions. Here's how to ask directions in Japanese.

Many business, especially hotels, will have business cards available that present the name of the establishment in both English and Japanese and frequently a map. These are helpful when asking for directions, because it eliminates confusion from inaccurate or incorrectly pronounced verbal requests.

Likewise, bilingual maps are available in some bookstores that can aid one in getting around or to find someone who wishes to help you out. If neither is available, it may also help to simply write names down oneself to avoid spoken confusion.

The most common and easiest way to ask directions is simply to state what you are looking for and add "...wa doko desu ka" (wah doh ko day sue), which effectively means "where is...". This can be said almost anytime you want to find something, both on the street or in a store. For example, "Kinokuniya wa doko desu ka" asks "where is the Kinokuniya bookstore". "Kesa wa doko desu ka" asked in a store asks "where are the umbrellas".

Of course it is not enough to just ask for directions, but one also has to understand the answer. Most Japanese are very helpful and will understand the difficulty this presents to non-Japanese speakers, and so will frequently point, use charades, or even walk someone to their destination. However, below are a few common terms, which will help understand the spoken aspect of one's answer.

• Migi (me gee) - Right
• Hidari (hee dah ree) - Left
• Naka (nah kah) - On, inside
• Yoko (yo koh) - Beside
• Soba (so bah) - Near

Check out these other helpful How Tos to learn more about Japanese.

1. How to Say Hello in Japanese
2. How to Say Goodbye in Japanese
3. How to Flirt in Japanese
4. How to Ask For Directions in Japanese
5. How to Order Food in Japanese
6. How to Pronounce Japanese Words
7. How to Ask Questions in Japanese
8. How to Count in Japanese
9. How to Greet Somebdoy in Japanese
10. How to Say No in Japanese
11. How to Say Excuse Me in Japanese
12. How to Say Please in Japanese
13. How to Say Thank You in Japanese
14. How to Ask For Help in Japanese
15. How to Say I Want to in Japanese
16. How to Say This and That in Japanese
17. How to Say I Dont Understand in Japanese
18. How to Say Common Hotel Phrases in Japanese
19. How to Ride the Train in Japanese
20. How to Buy Something in Japanese
21. How to Say Cheers in Japanese
22. How to Read Basic Japanese
23. How to Say Good Morning in Japanese
24. How to Say Good Afternoon in Japanese
25. How to Say Good Evening in Japanese