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The Bureaucracy (Bank & Ward Office)
Welcome to the final boss of moving to Japan: the bureaucracy. Whether you are opening a bank account or registering your address at the Ward Office, you will encounter endless paper forms, personal seals (Hanko), and staff members who speak in incredibly dense, polite Japanese. The trick is to know what documents to hand over before they even ask.
Scenes
Scene Vocabulary
お待たせいたしました
o-matase itashimashitaThank you for waiting用件
youkenBusiness / Purpose口座
kouzaBank account印鑑 / ハンコいんかん / はんこ
inkan / hankoPersonal seal目的
mokutekiPurpose給料
kyuuryouSalary / Wages用紙
youshiForm / Paper blank暗証番号
anshou bangouPIN / Password後ほど
nochi-hodoLater入力
nyuuryokuInput / Data entryでしょう
deshouRight? / Probablyでは
dewaWell thenどこ
dokoWhereどの
donoWhichご記入
go-kinyuuEntry / Filling outはい
haiYes開きたい
hirakitaiWant to open本日
honjitsuTodayいただきます
itadakimasuI humbly receive / Let's eatカード
kaadoCard書きます
kakimasuWriteかしこまりました
kashikomarimashitaCertainly / Understoodカタカナ
katakanaKatakana聞いた通りきいたとうり
kiita-dooriAs I heard機会
kikaiOpportunity / Machineこちら
kochiraThis way / This person / Hereください
kudasaiPlease give me / Please do持っています
motteimasuI have / I am holdingお持ち
o-mochiHolding / Havingお名前
o-namaeNameお願いします
onegaishimasuPlease仕事
shigotoWork / Jobして
shiteDoため
tameFor the sake of在留
zairyuuResidenceDialogue A: Opening a Bank Account
You are at a major Japanese bank to open your first account. You must have your Residence Card (Zairyuu Kaado) and, usually, a personal seal (Hanko/Inkan). You will need to tell them exactly why you are opening the account (for salary).
Display Options
Teller
お待たせいたしました。本日はどのようなご用件でしょうか？O-matase itashimashita. Honjitsu wa dono you na go-youken deshou ka?
Thank you for waiting. What is your business with us today?
You
口座を開きたいんですが。Kouza o hirakitai n desu ga.
I would like to open an account.
Teller
かしこまりました。在留カードと印鑑はお持ちですか？Kashikomarimashita. Zairyuu kaado to inkan wa o-mochi desu ka?
Understood. Do you have your residence card and personal seal (inkan)?
You
はい、持っています。Hai, motteimasu.
Yes, I have them.
Teller
口座の目的は給料の受け取りでしょうか？Kouza no mokuteki wa kyuuryou no uketori deshou ka?
Is the purpose of the account to receive your salary?
You
はい、仕事の給料のためです。Hai, shigoto no kyuuryou no tame desu.
Yes, it is for my work salary.
Teller
では、こちらの用紙に、聞いた通りにご記入ください。お名前はカタカナでお願いします。Dewa, kochira no youshi ni, kiita-doori ni go-kinyuu kudasai. O-namae wa katakana de onegaishimasu.
Then, please fill out this form exactly as instructed. Please write your name in Katakana.
You
暗証番号はどこに書きますか？Anshou bangou wa doko ni kakimasu ka?
Where do I write the PIN number?
Teller
暗証番号は後ほど機械で入力していただきます。Anshou bangou wa nochi-hodo kikai de nyuuryoku shite itadakimasu.
You will input the PIN number into the machine later.