As we hit the latter part of August and head into September, there’s one question you may hear more and more: 夏休みはどこかに行きましたか？ (Natsu yasumi wa dokoka ni ikimashita ka?, Did you go anywhere over summer vacation?)
There’s a lot to explore in Japan, including 47 都道府県 (todōfuken, administrative divisions), 百名山 (hyakumeizan, 100 famous mountains), 260 inhabited 島 (shima, islands) and over 13,000 無人島 (mujintō, uninhabited islands). In order to talk about past and future trips, you’ll need a good grasp on the language of getting around.
In figuring out where you’ve been, where you are and where you’re going, though, it’s first and foremost important to know the 四方 (shihō, four cardinal directions) in Japanese: 東 (higashi, east), 西 (nishi, west), 南 (minami, south) and 北 (kita, north). Together, they are read as 東西南北 (tōzainanboku, east, west, south and north). Additionally, kanji like 中 (chū, central) and 近 (kin, near) often feature in directional terminology and, when it comes to regional names, would have likely been used to determine proximity to 大阪 (Ōsaka) or 奈良 (Nara), previous 首都 (shuto, capital cities).