Adventures in Japanese

The second stop on our three-country Asia tour will take us to Fukuoka, Japan.  After getting a primer on Suggestions for Daily Life: Rules and Manners* through informative (and amusing) videos for visitors to Fukuoka -- like the importance of being considerate in the spirit of "wa", or "thinking of others" -- I started compiling a list of useful Japanese phrases, similar to the one for Cantonese.  Here are my Top 20:

1. Hello.  今日は (konnichiwa)
2. How are you?  お元気ですか？ (o genki desu ka?)
3. I'm fine, thanks.  And you?   はい、元気です。あなたは？ (hai, genki desu. anata wa?)
4. What's your name?   お名前はなんですか? (o-namae wa nan desu ka?)
5. My name is...   ...です (...desu)
6. Where are you from?   どちらからですか (dochira kara desu ka?)
7. I'm from...   私は ... からです (watashi wa... kara desu)
8. Pleased to meet you.   初めまして (hajimemashite)
9. Good morning.  お早うございます (ohayo gozaimasu)
10. Good bye.  さようなら (sayonara)
11. Excuse me.   すみません (sumimasen)
12. Sorry.  ごめんなさい (gomen nasai)
13. Thank you.  ありがとうございます (arigato gaizaimasu);  どうもありがとう (domo arigato)
14. You're welcome.  どう致しましてどういたしまして (do itashimashite)
15. Where's the toilet?  便所はどこですか (benjo wa doko desu ka?)
16. How much is this?  いくらですか (ikura desu ka?)
17. Do you speak English?  英語ができますか (eigo ga dekimasu ka?)
18. Do you have an English menu?  英語のメ二ューはありますか (eigo no menu wa arimasu ka?)
19. Help!  助けて! (tasukete!)
20. My hovercraft is full of eels.  私のホバークラフトは鰻でいっぱいです (watashi no hobakurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu)

The phrase that I'm most eager to use when we arrive: Konnichiwa.  Hakata ramen, kudasai!  (Hello.  Hakata ramen [a popular local noodle dish], please!)

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*Suggestions for Daily Life (Fukuoka city website)