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Dealing with Customer Service
Japanese customer service (Omotenashi) is famous for being incredibly polite and attentive. However, this also means that when you need to cancel a reservation or complain about a broken service, you must navigate their extreme politeness without being rude yourself. Firm but apologetic is the golden rule.
Scenes
Scene Vocabulary
予約
yoyakuReservation変更
henkouChange / Modificationお日にちおにちにち
onichiDate (Polite)4人4にん
yo-ninFour people〜様〜
~samaMr./Ms. (Very Polite)行けなくなって
ikenaku natteBecame unable to go3名様3めいさま
san-mei-samaThree people (Polite)アレックス
alexAlexアレックス様あれっくすさま
alex-samaMr/Ms Alexありがとう
arigatouThank you大丈夫
daijoubuOkay / Fineできます
dekimasuCan do銀座
ginzaGinzaございました
gozaimashitaWas / Existedはい
haiYes本当
hontouReally / Truthいたしました
itashimashitaDid実み
jitsuActually / Truth確認
kakuninConfirmationから
karaFrom / Becauseかしこまりました
kashikomarimashitaCertainly / Understood金曜日きんようび
kinyoubiFriday今週
konshuuThis weekお電話
o-denwaPhone callお名前
o-namaeNameお願いします
onegaishimasuPlease7時7とき
shichi-ji7 o'clockしまいました
shimaimashitaDid accidentally / completelyして
shiteDoすみません
sumimasenExcuse me / I'm sorry寿司
sushiSushi夜
yoruNightDialogue A: Canceling a Reservation
You made a reservation at a strict, high-end Sushi restaurant for four people. One person got sick, so you need to call and change the number of people, or cancel. You must be extremely apologetic (Moushiwake arimasen).
Display Options
Staff
はい、寿司銀座でございます。Hai, Sushi Ginza de gozaimasu.
Yes, this is Sushi Ginza.
You
予約の変更をしたいんですが。Yoyaku no henkou o shitai n desu ga.
I would like to change my reservation, but...
Staff
かしこまりました。お名前とお日にちをお願いします。Kashikomarimashita. O-namae to onichi o onegaishimasu.
Understood. Your name and the date, please.
You
アレックスです。今週の金曜日の夜7時から、4人で予約しています。Alex desu. Konshuu no kinyoubi no yoru shichi-ji kara, yo-nin de yoyaku shite imasu.
It's Alex. I have a reservation for four people from 7 PM this Friday night.
Staff
アレックス様ですね。確認いたしました。Alex-sama desu ne. Kakunin itashimashita.
Alex-sama, correct. I have confirmed it.
You
実は、一人行けなくなってしまいました。3人に変更できますか？本当にすみません。Jitsu wa, hitori ikenaku natte shimaimashita. San-nin ni henkou dekimasu ka? Hontou ni sumimasen.
Actually, one person is unable to go. Can I change it to three people? I'm truly sorry.
Staff
3名様に変更ですね。大丈夫でございます。お電話ありがとうございました。San-mei-sama ni henkou desu ne. Daijoubu de gozaimasu. O-denwa arigatou gozaimashita.
Changing to three people. That is perfectly fine. Thank you for calling.