LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Akihabara & otaku Japan · Oct 4, 2026

Japanese lessons in Akihabara: your options, and what to learn before you go

If you want Japanese lessons for Akihabara, you have two real choices: a language school or course in Tokyo that you attend in person, or one-to-one lessons (often online) that prepare you for the trip. For most visitors, a few targeted lessons before you land do more than a class you squeeze in during the trip, because Akihabara rewards a small, specific vocabulary: 中古ちゅうこ, 買取かいとり, ジャンク, 税込ぜいこみ and a handful of questions.

People who search for "Japanese lessons in Akihabara" usually want one of two things. Some live in Tokyo, or are moving there, and want a school they can walk to. Others are planning a trip and want to be able to talk in the shops they have been watching on YouTube for years. This post covers both, honestly, and then spends most of its time on the second group, because that is the part a teacher can actually help with from here: what to learn, in what order, and which words on the price tags trip people up.

What kinds of Japanese lessons can you take for Akihabara?

There are four kinds: a full-time language school, a short-term course, an in-person private tutor, and online one-to-one lessons. They suit very different people, so the right choice depends far more on how long you are staying than on where the classroom is.

Option Who it suits What to check
Full-time language school in Tokyo People moving to Japan to study for months Visa conditions, intake dates, class level
Short-term course Visitors staying a few weeks Whether visitors can join, minimum length
In-person private tutor People living in Tokyo Where you meet, cancellation terms
Online one-to-one lessons Anyone preparing before a trip Time zone, whether lessons fit your goal

Full-time schools are built for long stays. They follow a curriculum, they group you with other students at your level, and they usually expect a commitment of months, not days. If you are visiting for a week, a school is the wrong tool, however close it is to the station.

Short courses exist for visitors, and some private tutors in Tokyo will meet in a café. These can be good, but they take time out of a trip that is already short. The honest trade-off is this: an hour in a classroom in Tokyo is an hour you are not spending in the shops.

That is why I usually suggest the fourth option for visitors: a few one-to-one lessons in the weeks before you fly, built around the exact places you plan to visit. You arrive with the words already in your mouth, and the trip itself becomes your practice.

Do you need lessons at all before visiting Akihabara?

No. You can shop in Akihabara with zero Japanese, because prices are on the tags and many staff are used to visitors. Lessons are not about survival. They are about the moments a gesture cannot handle: asking whether a figure has its box, asking if there is stock in the back, or understanding why a shop with a huge sign may not sell you anything at all.

これ、ありますか? — Do you have this? (polite enough for any shop, said while showing a photo) 見みてもいいですか? — May I look at it? (polite, before you pick something up off the shelf)

Those two lines, plus pointing and a smile, cover most of a shopping day. Everything below is about the step after that.

What should you learn first for an Akihabara trip?

Learn three things in this order: how to ask for help, how to ask about a specific item, and how to talk about what you like. That order matters. If you can only manage the first one, you still get by. If you skip it and learn the third one first, you can describe your favorite anime beautifully and still be stuck at the counter.

Step 1: asking for help when you do not understand

The most useful sentence for a beginner is not a shopping phrase. It is a repair phrase: もう一度いちどお願ねがいします, "Once more, please." Shop staff speak fast, and they often say a whole polite set phrase at once. Being able to slow them down keeps the conversation going instead of ending it.

すみません、もう一度いちどお願ねがいします。 — Sorry, could you say that once more? (polite, the single best repair line) ゆっくりお願ねがいします。 — Slowly, please. (polite, short, very effective)

We cover more of these in how to ask someone to repeat in Japanese. In a first lesson, this is often the first thing I make sure a learner can say without thinking.

Step 2: asking about one specific item

The core pattern is [item] は ありますか?, "Do you have [item]?" You swap in the character, the series, or just これ (this) while showing a picture on your phone.

このキャラのフィギュアはありますか? — Do you have a figure of this character? (polite, showing a photo) 新品しんぴんはありますか? — Do you have a new one? (polite, when the one on display is secondhand)

For prices, sizes and the ten phrases staff will say back to you, see Japanese shopping phrases for Akihabara and いくらですか and asking prices. In lessons, I keep this step short on purpose: one pattern you can reuse fifty times beats ten phrases you half-remember.

Step 3: talking about what you like

Use [series] が好すきです, "I like [series]", and 〜を見みたことがあります, "I have seen ~". Staff in hobby shops are often fans themselves, and a short line about what you love can turn a transaction into a real conversation.

このアニメが大好だいすきです。 — I love this anime. (polite, simple, always welcome) まだ見みたことがありません。 — I haven't seen it yet. (polite, when someone recommends something)

If you want the grammar behind the second line, it is in 〜たことがあります, "have you ever".

Beyond the basics: the words on Akihabara price tags

Here is where lessons pay off most. Akihabara shops are full of short labels that a dictionary translates correctly and a visitor still misreads. These are worth learning as a set.

What does 中古ちゅうこ mean?

中古ちゅうこ (ちゅうこ) means secondhand or used. Much of Akihabara is secondhand stock: games, figures, cameras, manga. The opposite is 新品しんぴん (しんぴん), "brand new".

これは中古ちゅうこですか、新品しんぴんですか? — Is this used or new? (polite, a choice question) 中古ちゅうこでも大丈夫だいじょうぶです。 — Used is fine too. (polite, telling staff you don't need new)

With secondhand goods, you will also see condition notes: 未開封みかいふう (みかいふう, "unopened"), 箱はこなし (はこなし, "no box"), and 傷きずあり (きずあり, "has scratches"). These three decide most of the price.

Why does a shop with a huge 買取かいとり sign not sell anything?

買取かいとり (かいとり) means "we buy from you", not "buy here". It is the counter where the shop purchases your used items. Because the kanji contain 買か (buy), many visitors walk in expecting to shop and find only a counter with forms.

買取かいとりはどこですか? — Where is the buyback counter? (polite, if you want to sell) ここは買取かいとりだけですか? — Is this place only for buying from customers? (polite, checking before you queue)

Selling usually requires 本人ほんにん確認かくにん (ほんにんかくにん, "identity check"), so staff will ask for 身分みぶん証しょう (みぶんしょう, "ID"). If you are only shopping, look for the floor that says 販売はんばい (はんばい, "sales") instead.

What is ジャンク?

ジャンク (junk) is an item sold "as is", usually because it may be broken or untested. It is cheap for a reason, and you normally cannot return it. Some people love ジャンク because they repair old consoles and cameras themselves. Others buy it by accident.

これはジャンクですか? — Is this sold as junk (as is)? (polite, checking a suspiciously cheap item) 動うごきますか? — Does it work? (polite, the next question to ask)

The words to pair with it are 動作確認どうさかくにん済すみ (どうさかくにんずみ, "tested and working") and 返品へんぴん不可ふか (へんぴんふか, "no returns").

What do 税込ぜいこみ and 税抜ぜいぬき mean?

税込ぜいこみ (ぜいこみ) means tax included and 税抜ぜいぬき (ぜいぬき) means tax not included. Both appear on tags, sometimes side by side, and the number printed largest is not always the one you pay. Look for which word sits next to which number: the 税込ぜいこみ one is what you pay at the register.

What other labels should you know?

You will see 予約よやく (よやく, "preorder or reservation"), 在庫ざいこ (ざいこ, "stock"), 限定げんてい (げんてい, "limited"; see 限定げんてい in Japanese), and 売り切うりきれ (うりきれ, "sold out"). With these, you can ask the most useful question in a busy shop:

在庫ざいこはありますか? — Do you have any in stock? (polite, when the shelf is empty)

Common mistakes

  • Booking classroom time during a short trip. For a week-long visit, lessons before the trip are worth more than lessons during it.
  • Learning ten shopping phrases and no repair phrase. もう一度いちどお願ねがいします keeps a conversation alive when everything else fails.
  • Reading 買取かいとり as "buy here". It means the shop buys from you.
  • Assuming ジャンク just means "cheap". It means "as is", often untested and not returnable.
  • Comparing the wrong price. Check whether the number says 税込ぜいこみ or 税抜ぜいぬき before you decide.
  • Saying 新あたらしい when you mean "brand new" in a shop. 新あたらしい is fine in conversation, but on tags and in shop talk the word is 新品しんぴん.

Quick reference

Word Reading Meaning Where you see it
中古ちゅうこ ちゅうこ secondhand tags, floor signs
新品しんぴん しんぴん brand new tags
買取かいとり かいとり we buy from you big signs, counters
販売はんばい はんばい sales floor guides
ジャンク — sold as is bins, cheap shelves
未開封みかいふう みかいふう unopened figure and game tags
税込ぜいこみ / 税抜ぜいぬき ぜいこみ / ぜいぬき tax included / excluded every price tag
在庫ざいこ ざいこ stock shop talk

Practice

Try each one yourself before opening the answer. Questions 4 and 5 are a pair: they look alike and mean opposite things for you as a customer.

1. You did not catch what the staff member said. What do you say?

Show answer

すみません、もう一度いちどお願ねがいします。 — A repair phrase keeps the conversation going. ゆっくりお願ねがいします (slowly, please) also works.

2. Showing a photo on your phone, ask "Do you have this?"

Show answer

これ、ありますか? — The pattern is [item] は ありますか. With a photo, これ is enough.

3. Ask whether an item is used or new.

Show answer

これは中古ちゅうこですか、新品しんぴんですか? — 中古ちゅうこ is secondhand and 新品しんぴん is brand new. Putting both in one question makes it a choice.

4. A shop has a giant 買取かいとり sign. Can you buy figures there?

Show answer

Not necessarily. 買取かいとり means the shop buys from customers. Look for 販売はんばい (sales) to find where they sell.

5. Which sign tells you a floor is for selling to customers: 買取かいとり or 販売はんばい?

Show answer

販売はんばい — it means sales. This is the pair to question 4: 買取かいとり contains 買か (buy), but it is the shop doing the buying. 販売はんばい is where the shop sells to you.

6. A camera is very cheap and its tag says ジャンク. What should you ask next?

Show answer

動うごきますか? — ジャンク means sold as is, often untested. Asking "does it work?" is the sensible follow-up, and expect no returns.

7. Two numbers are on a tag, one marked 税抜ぜいぬき and one marked 税込ぜいこみ. Which one do you pay at the register?

Show answer

税込ぜいこみ — it means tax included. 税抜ぜいぬき is the price before tax.

8. The shelf is empty. Ask whether there is any stock.

Show answer

在庫ざいこはありますか? — 在庫ざいこ means stock or inventory, so this asks if more are in the back.

9. A figure's tag says 未開封みかいふう. Is the box opened?

Show answer

No. 未開封みかいふう means unopened. 未み is "not yet" and 開封かいふう is "opening a seal".

10. A staff member recommends an anime you have not watched. How do you say "I haven't seen it yet"?

Show answer

まだ見みたことがありません。 — まだ means "not yet", and 〜たことがありません means "have never done".

FAQ

Are there Japanese language schools near Akihabara? Tokyo has many language schools, and some are within easy reach of Akihabara by train. Check each school's own website for visa conditions, intake dates and whether short-term visitors can join.

Can I take a Japanese lesson as a tourist? Yes. Short courses and private tutors exist, and online lessons work from anywhere. For a short trip, lessons before you travel usually give you more time in the shops.

How many lessons do I need before visiting Akihabara? There is no fixed number. A few lessons focused on asking for help, asking about items and reading tags already change how a shopping day feels. Longer goals, like real conversations, take longer.

Do shop staff in Akihabara speak English? Some do, especially in large stores, but you cannot count on it in smaller secondhand shops. A few Japanese questions make those shops much easier.

What is the difference between 中古ちゅうこ and ジャンク? 中古ちゅうこ is secondhand and usually checked. ジャンク is sold as is, often untested, and normally cannot be returned.

Do I need ID to sell items at a 買取かいとり counter? Usually, yes. Shops typically ask for 身分みぶん証しょう (ID) for 本人ほんにん確認かくにん (identity check) when they buy from you.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

中古	ちゅうこ — secondhand, used
新品	しんぴん — brand new
買取	かいとり — buyback (the shop buys from you)
販売	はんばい — sales
未開封	みかいふう — unopened
箱なし	はこなし — no box
傷あり	きずあり — has scratches
税込	ぜいこみ — tax included
税抜	ぜいぬき — tax not included
在庫	ざいこ — stock, inventory
予約	よやく — preorder, reservation
売り切れ	うりきれ — sold out
本人確認	ほんにんかくにん — identity check
身分証	みぶんしょう — ID card
動作確認済み	どうさかくにんずみ — tested and working
返品不可	へんぴんふか — no returns
もう一度	もういちど — once more
ゆっくり	ゆっくり — slowly

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher, watched over 1,500 anime, and I also guide private Akihabara anime tours. My lessons are online, one-to-one over Google Meet, so you can prepare from home and use the words on the trip. Book a trial lesson · $13, or warm up with the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and Akihabara tours; standard reference dictionaries for readings.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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