As we hit the latter part of August and head into September, there’s one question you may hear more and more: 夏休みはどこかに行きましたか？ (Natsu yasumi wa dokoka ni ikimashita ka?, Did you go anywhere over summer vacation?)
There’s a lot to explore in Japan, including 47 都道府県 (迟辞诲ō蹿耻办别苍, administrative divisions), 百名山 (hyakumeizan, 100 famous mountains), 260 inhabited 島 (shima, islands) and over 13,000 無人島 (尘耻箩颈苍迟ō, uninhabited islands). In order to talk about past and future trips, you’ll need a good grasp on the language of getting around.
In figuring out where you’ve been, where you are and where you’re going, though, it’s first and foremost important to know the 四方 (蝉丑颈丑ō, four cardinal directions) in Japanese: 東 (higashi, east), 西 (nishi, west), 南 (minami, south) and 北 (kita, north). Together, they are read as 東西南北 (迟ō锄补颈苍补苍产辞办耻, east, west, south and north). Additionally, kanji like 中 (肠丑ū, central) and 近 (kin, near) often feature in directional terminology and, when it comes to regional names, would have likely been used to determine proximity to 大阪 (?saka) or 奈良 (Nara), previous 首都 (shuto, capital cities).
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