Survival Japanese for Travelers
Like Duolingo, but for Survival Japanese for Travelers. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
Free during early access · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Survival Japanese for Travelers
- Sumimasen is the standard way to get someone's attention
- Directly calling for help without a soft opener can be seen as rude
- Sumimasen acknowledges a social debt or burden created
- It replaces 'thank you' when the other person went out of their way for you
- Recognizing the three distinct functional roles of sumimasen
- Japanese gratitude often focuses on the trouble the other person took
- Sumimasen literally means 'it does not end,' implying an unfinished social obligation
- 'Kore' is used to indicate 'this one' when pointing
- 'Sumimasen' is used to get the server's attention
- 'Onegaishimasu' is the standard polite way to say 'please' when making a request
- The physical gesture of pointing must accompany the word 'kore'
- Applying the 'kore' + 'onegaishimasu' pattern to a real-world scenario
- The sequence of a polite transaction from signaling to requesting
- Pointing while saying 'kore' is a standard and acceptable way for foreigners to communicate
- Adding 'onegaishimasu' provides the necessary politeness to the interaction
- The small tray (torei) is the designated spot for all payment methods
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Survival Japanese for Travelers the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
You're at a busy ramen shop and need to call the server. Which word should you use to get their attention?
Get it right to open this lesson and 25 more in the app.
Where Survival Japanese for Travelers takes you
Skip the grammar drills and learn how to actually navigate Japan. From ordering the best ramen to finding your way through Shinjuku station, this course focuses on getting what you need with confidence.
- 1
Get What You Need Right Now
- The Magic Word: Sumimasen
- Ordering Food by Pointing
- Paying Without the Stress
- Asking Where the Bathroom Is
- 2
Navigate Like a Local
- Reading Essential Station Signs
- Buying a Train Ticket
- Asking for Directions When Lost
- Checking Into Your Hotel
- Convenience Store Survival Skills
- Using a Japanese Vending Machine
- 3
Understand the Culture Behind the Words
- When to Bow and How Much
- The Logic of Japanese Politeness
- Reading the Three Writing Systems
3 sections · 13 units · 26 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Survival Japanese for Travelers is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Survival Japanese for Travelers today.
Download Tomo, search Survival Japanese for Travelers, and play your first lesson in under a minute.