Japanese Phrases for a Night Out in Kabukicho

You do not need fluent Japanese for Kabukicho. You need a few sentences that do real work: How much in total? Is there a seat charge? No, thank you. I am leaving now. Please call the police. Put the Japanese text on your phone so you can show it as well as say it.

The six phrases worth saving

| English | Japanese | Say it like this | | --- | --- | --- | | How much is it in total? | 全部でいくらですか？ | Zenbu de ikura desu ka? | | Is there a seat charge? | 席料はありますか？ | Sekiryō wa arimasu ka? | | Please show me the price list. | 料金表を見せてください。 | Ryōkinhyō o misete kudasai. | | No, thank you. | 結構です。 | Kekkō desu. | | I am leaving now. | もう帰ります。 | Mō kaerimasu. | | Please call the police. | 警察を呼んでください。 | Keisatsu o yonde kudasai. |

Polite Japanese is enough. You do not have to sound native, and in a tense situation a short sentence is better than a perfect one.

Ask about the whole bill, not one drink

いくらですか？ (Ikura desu ka?) means “How much is it?” That can get you the price of one item while leaving out the cover, seat charge, service percentage, tax, time limit or companion’s drink. Use the more specific questions below before you sit or order:

• 全部でいくらですか？ (Zenbu de ikura desu ka?) — How much is it in total?
• 一人いくらですか？ (Hitori ikura desu ka?) — How much per person?
• 席料はありますか？ (Sekiryō wa arimasu ka?) — Is there a seat charge?
• サービス料はありますか？ (Sābisu-ryō wa arimasu ka?) — Is there a service charge?
• 税込みですか？ (Zeikomi desu ka?) — Is tax included?
• 何分ですか？ (Nan-pun desu ka?) — How many minutes is the set?
• 延長はいくらですか？ (Enchō wa ikura desu ka?) — How much is an extension?
• 自動延長ですか？ (Jidō enchō desu ka?) — Does it extend automatically?

Do not rely on a spoken “cheap.” Ask to see the written list:

料金表を見せてください。全部でいくらですか？ Ryōkinhyō o misete kudasai. Zenbu de ikura desu ka? Please show me the price list. How much is it in total?

Tokyo Metropolitan Police specifically tells Shinjuku visitors to check what an all-you-can-drink plan covers and warns that drinks ordered for hosts or hostesses may be charged separately. See its current Tips for Safe Drinking in Shinjuku.

Say no to a tout without starting a conversation

A tout wants you to stop. Keep moving and use one of these:

• 結構です。 (Kekkō desu.) — No, thank you.
• 行きません。 (Ikimasen.) — I am not going.
• 必要ありません。 (Hitsuyō arimasen.) — I do not need it.
• ついて行きません。 (Tsuite ikimasen.) — I will not follow you.

Say it once, face the direction you are walking, and go. Avoid joking, arguing or asking what is on offer. Tokyo police says street touting is prohibited in Shinjuku and warns that visitors who follow touts are being overcharged. The practical rule is simpler than the language: do not follow anyone to a second location.

Read how Kabukicho tout and overcharging scams work before your night out.

Order a drink, or skip alcohol

• ビールを一つお願いします。 (Bīru o hitotsu onegaishimasu.) — One beer, please.
• これをお願いします。 (Kore o onegaishimasu.) — This one, please. Point at the menu.
• お水をください。 (Omizu o kudasai.) — Water, please.
• お酒は飲みません。 (Osake wa nomimasen.) — I do not drink alcohol.
• ノンアルコールはありますか？ (Non-arukōru wa arimasu ka?) — Do you have non-alcoholic drinks?
• もう飲みません。 (Mō nomimasen.) — I am not drinking any more.

Japan’s drinking age remains 20 even though the general age of adulthood is 18, as the Government of Japan explains. Bring photo ID; a venue may check it or set a stricter entry policy.

If you do not drink, you can still have a good night here. Karaoke, food counters, cinemas, arcades and the neon streets do not require alcohol. See the Kabukicho guide for solo travelers, couples and non-drinkers.

Stop an order or ask for the bill

• これは注文していません。 (Kore wa chūmon shite imasen.) — I did not order this.
• それはいりません。 (Sore wa irimasen.) — I do not want that.
• お会計をお願いします。 (Okaikei o onegaishimasu.) — The bill, please.
• 明細をください。 (Meisai o kudasai.) — Please give me an itemized bill.
• この料金は何ですか？ (Kono ryōkin wa nan desu ka?) — What is this charge?
• カードで払えますか？ (Kādo de haraemasu ka?) — Can I pay by card?

Point to the exact line when asking about a charge. Photograph the menu and the bill if it is safe to do so, and keep card slips or receipts. Those details matter if you later report a dispute.

Leave clearly

Japanese can become indirect, but your exit sentence should not be:

• もう帰ります。 (Mō kaerimasu.) — I am leaving now.
• 延長しません。 (Enchō shimasen.) — I am not extending.
• ドアを開けてください。 (Doa o akete kudasai.) — Please open the door.
• 通してください。 (Tōshite kudasai.) — Please let me pass.

If someone physically blocks you, threatens you or will not let you leave, this is no longer an awkward service conversation. Call 110 and say:

歌舞伎町にいます。店から出られません。 Kabukichō ni imasu. Mise kara deraremasen. I am in Kabukicho. I cannot leave the establishment.

Give the building name, floor, nearby sign or map pin. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police English guide says to call 110 for a crime or traffic accident and that a police interpreter can assist callers who do not speak Japanese.

Find the station, a police box or a taxi

• 新宿駅はどこですか？ (Shinjuku-eki wa doko desu ka?) — Where is Shinjuku Station?
• 東口はどこですか？ (Higashi-guchi wa doko desu ka?) — Where is the east exit?
• 交番はどこですか？ (Kōban wa doko desu ka?) — Where is the police box?
• タクシー乗り場はどこですか？ (Takushī noriba wa doko desu ka?) — Where is the taxi stand?
• この住所までお願いします。 (Kono jūsho made onegaishimasu.) — Please take me to this address.

Have your hotel address saved in Japanese. A screenshot still works when your signal or battery does not. For station choices and the last-train problem, use the getting around Kabukicho at night guide.

When you need outside help

• 110 — police for an active crime, threat or emergency.
• 119 — ambulance or fire.
• #9110 — non-emergency police advice. Tokyo police says English is available.
• 050-3816-2787 — the Japan Visitor Hotline, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English, Chinese and Korean for visitor information and assistance during accidents, illness, emergencies or disasters. Confirm the current service on the official JNTO hotline page.

If the problem is an excessive or disputed bill, follow the evidence and reporting steps in what to do after a Kabukicho bar scam.

Save this one-screen version

料金表を見せてください。 — Please show me the price list. 全部でいくらですか？ — How much in total? 席料はありますか？ — Is there a seat charge? 結構です。行きません。 — No, thank you. I am not going. お会計と明細をお願いします。 — The bill and an itemized statement, please. もう帰ります。 — I am leaving now. 警察を呼んでください。 — Please call the police.

Related guides

• Kabukicho etiquette and scam warning signs
• How to report a Kabukicho bar scam and preserve evidence
• Getting around Kabukicho at night and planning for the last train
• Kabukicho for solo travelers, couples and non-drinkers