🇯🇵 Tokyo · Japanese
Learn Japanese in Tokyo — polite Japanese in a Shōwa-era kissaten
Tokyo Japanese runs on register: the です・ます you give, the keigo you receive, the いらっしゃいませ that opens every door. Kenji's fifty-year-old kissaten teaches politeness as a living system — ordering, paying, being welcomed back — with furigana and romaji support built in.
いらっしゃいませ。
How Tokyo actually talks
What you'll pick up
- Polite form first, keigo decoded — hear 「かしこまりました」 and know what it means
- Real Tokyo scenes: the konbini, the station ticket window, the izakaya with a friend who speaks タメ口
- Kana readings and mora-level pronunciation coaching on everything you say
Where you'll practise in Tokyo
107 missions across 14 scenes and 1 guided tour. Each mission is a real errand with a goal, a person who talks back, and a debrief afterwards in your own language.
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はやし内科クリニック 内科クリニック
林先生 (Dr. Hayashi), internist / 内科医 · 7 missions · A2–C1
- State your symptoms A2 — Tell Dr. Hayashi you have a fever and a headache, say when it started, and get his simple instructions.
- Tell the doctor the story A2 — Dr. Hayashi asks HOW you hurt your ankle — tell the little story in order, one past-tense sentence at a time.
- See the doctor B1 — Describe your symptoms and their timeline, answer Dr. Hayashi's questions, and understand the diagnosis and dosage.
+ 4 more at this scene
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みどりの窓口 駅
武田 (Takeda), station attendant / 駅員 · 7 missions · A1–C1
- Buy a ticket A1 — Buy one train ticket from Takeda at the window — say where to, hear the fare, and pay.
- Charge card, find platform A2 — Top up your IC card and ask Takeda which platform your train goes from.
- Missed connection B1 — You missed your train. Ask Takeda which line to Yokohama, where to change, and when the next one leaves.
+ 4 more at this scene
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ゆうなぎ不動産 中野北口店 不動産屋
宮田 洋介 (Yōsuke), Branch manager and letting agent at ゆうなぎ不動産 中野北口店 · 6 missions · A1–C1
- Find me a room A1 — Four facts, two floor plans, and every question answerable in one word.
- See the room A2 — A 1K, an empty room, three questions — and 「いかがですか？」 waiting at the end.
- The application B1 — Four dates that have to line up — and a job that starts on the 1st.
+ 3 more at this scene
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青空モータース 自動車整備工場
茂雄 (Shigeo), auto mechanic · 6 missions · A1–C1
- The strange noise A1 — Tell Shigeo the car is making a noise, imitate it — 「カタカタ」 — and leave him the key.
- The pick-up A1 — Arrange when to collect the car: tomorrow, a time, and don't miss closing — 「7時までです」.
- The brake squeal A2 — Describe the squeal to Shigeo — what sound, when it happens, since when — and leave the car.
+ 3 more at this scene
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ホテル銀杏 ビジネスホテル
香織 (Kaori), Front-desk clerk at a small family-run business hotel in Tokyo · 8 missions · A1–C1
- Get your key A1 — Come back to the hotel and collect your room key with one short set phrase.
- Key trouble A1 — Your room key won't open the door. Tell Kaori, give your room number, and get the spare.
- Check in A2 — Arrive at a small Tokyo business hotel — give your name, hand over your passport, settle breakfast, and get your key.
+ 5 more at this scene
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井の頭公園 公園
久美子 (Kumiko), Keeper of the boat hut and kiosk at Inokashira Park pond · 9 missions · A1–C1
- Buy a drink A1 — Buy one bottle of tea at the park kiosk window with a simple set phrase, and pay.
- Ask about the boats A1 — Swap names with Kumiko and ask a question or two about the pond and its swan boats — no ride, just talking.
- Tomorrow at ten A1 — The wind closed the pond early. Arrange with Kumiko to come back at ten tomorrow — she'll keep you a swan boat.
+ 6 more at this scene
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居酒屋 とり平 居酒屋
陽太 (Yōta), izakaya friend / regular · 10 missions · A2–C1
- First beer & bites A2 — Order a draft and a couple of small plates with your friend Yōta, then cheers.
- Get to know Yōta A2 — Between orders, get Yōta to tell you his name, his home town, and one story from his life.
- Tell your day A2 — Beer in hand, tell Yōta your Tokyo day — four or five past-tense sentences, in order, with それから.
+ 7 more at this scene
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喫茶さくら 喫茶店
健二 (Kenji), kissaten master · 9 missions · A1–C1
- Order a coffee A1 — Order one coffee from Kenji with a simple set phrase, and thank him.
- Coffee and a bite A2 — Order a drink plus toast or pudding, pick hot or iced, and ask the price.
- Take the master's pick B1 — Your usual's sold out — ask Kenji what he recommends and take it.
+ 6 more at this scene
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スマイルマート コンビニ
葵 (Aoi), konbini clerk · 10 missions · A1–C1
- One onigiri A1 — Point, say «これください», and pay for one rice ball at Smile Mart.
- Your Tokyo day A1 — 2 a.m., empty store. Tell Aoi three things you ate or did today, one small sentence each.
- Swap the wrong one A1 — The bag has the wrong rice ball. Tell Aoi, point at the right one, and get it swapped.
+ 7 more at this scene
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東雲国際空港 ターミナル1 空港
美咲 (Misaki), Airline ground-staff agent at Terminal 1 of 東雲国際空港 · 6 missions · A1–C1
- Check in the bag A1 — Passport, one suitcase, 「窓側ですか、通路側ですか？」 — one word an answer is plenty.
- Through security A2 — Laptop out, liquids in the bag, the shampoo is too big — and then 「こちらへどうぞ」.
- Delay and connection B1 — A wall of polite Japanese, one fact inside it, and forty minutes to change planes.
+ 3 more at this scene
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ゆきわり食品株式会社 本社 オフィス
慎一 (Shinichi), 人事課長 (HR section manager) at ゆきわり食品株式会社 · 6 missions · A1–C1
- Your first morning A1 — Name, badge, timecard, locker — one word is a complete answer.
- I did it wrong A2 — Report the mistake, ask for it again, and get it shown to you.
- Sorting out the hours B1 — Start date, hours, a half-day for the hospital, and how to call in.
+ 3 more at this scene
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東京のタクシー タクシー
源太 (Genta), taxi driver / タクシー運転手 · 9 missions · A1–C1
- Your Tokyo day A1 — Nothing to sort out — the ride is set. Just tell Genta three things you did in Tokyo today.
- Take a taxi A2 — State your destination, make one simple request on the way, and pay the fare.
- Ask about the gloves A2 — Ask Genta why the white gloves and the lace seat covers — one small fact at a time, and he asks you something back.
+ 6 more at this scene
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やなか薬局 薬局
芽衣 (Mei), pharmacist / 薬剤師 · 8 missions · A1–C1
- Buy plasters A1 — Ask Mei for a pack of plasters with one set phrase, choose a size, and pay.
- Buy cold medicine A2 — Ask for cold medicine, pick between Mei's either/or options, and pay.
- Bring back the wrong one A2 — The bag from the pharmacy holds eye drops, not your cold medicine — go back, explain, and swap it.
+ 5 more at this scene
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谷中郵便局 郵便局
晴美 (Harumi), post-office counter clerk · 6 missions · A1–B2
- The pretty stamps A1 — Ask Harumi about the folded-crane stamps under the glass, swap names, and earn an origami crane.
- Hold a box A1 — No parcel yet — just arrange it: Harumi keeps a box, you promise tomorrow, morning or afternoon.
- Send the box A2 — EMS or slow boat? Declare what's inside, fill the customs form with Harumi, and send your presents home.
+ 3 more at this scene
Tours
- 東京食べ歩き with 誠 (Makoto), Tokyo food-tour guide — 5 stops: 豊洲市場で海鮮丼, ラーメン店で醤油ラーメン, 思い出横丁で焼き鳥, 浅草で人形焼き・たい焼き and デパ地下でお惣菜・お弁当.
Questions people ask about Tokyo
Which Japanese will I hear in Tokyo?
Tokyo Japanese. Kenji and the other locals in the Tokyo scenes speak the way people in Tokyo actually speak — accent, pace, register and vocabulary.
Do I need to speak Japanese already?
No. Missions in Tokyo run from A1 (first words: greet, order, ask for the bill) to C1 (argue a point, handle a complication, hold a real conversation). You pick a level, the scene meets you there, and the coach explains anything you missed in your own language.
What will I actually do in the Tokyo scenes?
107 missions across 14 scenes — はやし内科クリニック, みどりの窓口, ゆうなぎ不動産 中野北口店 and 青空モータース and more. Each mission is an errand with a goal: order, negotiate, describe a symptom, get directions, small-talk your way through a wait. The person you're talking to has their own agenda, so it never goes exactly to script. There is also a guided tour — 東京食べ歩き — where the guide talks and you ask.
Is it free?
You can start speaking without creating an account. A free account keeps your notebook and progress and comes with a monthly allowance of speaking minutes; the app tells you where you stand.
How does the feedback work?
Kenji answers in Japanese, and a separate coach watches the conversation and flags what to fix — grammar, a word choice that isn't Tokyo's, pronunciation — in your language, without interrupting the scene. Words you didn't know go into your notebook with the Tokyo pronunciation, and after each mission you get a debrief you can review.