How to make a reservation at a restaurant in Japanese
Eating Japanese food is probably one of the things that everybody looks forward to when traveling to Japan.
We at BATTERA feature many famous restaurants that do not appear on guidebooks, but you may not be able to eat at the most popular ones if you do not make a reservation.
Also, since most Japanese people cannot speak other languages but Japanese, you cannot make a reservation in most restaurants even if you speak English or Chinese.
In order to solve this problem, this time we will show you how to call a restaurant and make a reservation in Japanese with sound examples.
Here is a sample conversation to make a reservation at a fictitious restaurant that we will call ”和食のBATTERA(Japanese style food BATTERA)”.
You can listen to each of the sentences in Japanese, so please use the sound recordings to learn the pronunciation.
First of all, let’s learn the basic flow of the process of making a reservation
Restaurant’s staff
お電話ありがとうございます。”和食のBATTERA”です。
Odenwa arigatou gozaimasu. “Washoku no BATTERA” desu.
Thank you for calling. This is “和食のBATTERA”.
You
予約をお願いします。
Yoyaku wo onegai shimasu.
I would like to make a reservation.
Restaurant’s staff
お日にちはいつでしょうか？
Ohinichi wa itsudeshouka ?
Could you please let me know the date when you would like to make your reservation?
You
1月15日です。
Ichi gatsu juugo nichi desu.
January 15th.
Restaurant’s staff
お時間は何時からでしょうか？
Ojikan wa nanjikaradeshouka ?
At what time?
You
7時です。
Shichiji desu.
7 PM.
Restaurant’s staff
何名様でしょうか？
Nanmeisama deshouka ?
How many people will be in your party?
You
2名です。
Nimei desu.
Two.
Restaurant’s staff
カウンター席でもよろしいでしょうか？
Kaunta-seki demo yoroshiideshouka ?
Would a counter seat be alright for you?
You
はい、大丈夫です。
Hai, daijoubu desu.
Yes, that would do.
Restaurant’s staff
それではお名前を教えて頂けますでしょうか？
Soredewa onamae wo oshiete itadakemasudeshouka ?
Could you please let me know your name?
You
私の名前はTaro Irodoriです。
Watashi no namae wa Taro Irodori desu.
My name is Taro Irodori.
Restaurant’s staff
お電話番号を教えて頂けますでしょうか？
Odenwabangou wo oshiete itadakemasudeshouka ?
Could you please let me know your phone number?
You
090-1234-5678です。
090-1234-5678 desu.
It is 090-1234-5678.
Restaurant’s staff
ありがとうございます。それでは1月15日7時より、イロドリ様2名でご予約承りました。
Arigatou gozaimasu. Soredewa ichi gatsu juugo nichi shichi ji yori, irodori sama nimeide goyoyaku uketamawarimashita.
Thank you very much. We have made a reservation under the name of Irodori for two people on January 15th at 7 pm.
This is the basic conversation that takes place when making a restaurant reservation.
Things may be different depending on how congested the restaurant is, so here are a few other examples for different situations.
Your reply when asked “Could you please let me know the date when you would like to make your reservation?”
今日です。
Kyou desu.
Today.
明日です。
Ashita desu.
Tomorrow.
Explanation from the staff regarding available seats
すいません、今は満席となっております。
Suimasen, Ima ha manseki to natteorimasu.
I am sorry, we are currently full.
すいません、その日は予約が一杯です。
Suimasen, sonohi wa yoyaku ga ippai desu.
I am sorry, we are fully booked on that day.
すいません、その時間は予約が一杯です。8時はいかがでしょうか？
Suimasen, sonojikan wa yoyaku ga ippai desu. Hachi ji wa ikagadeshouka ?
I am sorry, we are fully booked at that time. Would 8 pm be alright with you?
2つのテーブルに分かれて座って頂く事になりますがよろしいでしょうか？
Ftatsu no te-buru ni wakarete suwatte itadakukotoninarimasuga yoroshiideshouka ?
We will need to have your party separate to seat in two different tables. Would that be alright?
When to call to make your reservation
Since popular restaurants tend to be really crowded during business hours, the staff will be very busy and may not be able to deal with your call properly.
If you are calling a restaurant that opens during both lunch and dinner time, the staff may be able to deal with you in a relatively gentler way between 10:00 〜 11:00, 14:00 〜 17:00.
*If you are calling a restaurant that opens only for dinner, call between 15:00 〜 17:00.
Japanese is very difficult, and making a phone reservation is definitely not easy, but please give it a shot at least once!
[These articles are also recommended]
Useful phrases in Japanese for when you’re in trouble during your stay in Japan
You can make friends with people in Osaka immediately if you use these 13 phrases
