May 6, 2013
Posted by gimmeabreakman
Golden Week Train Sign (Reading Japanese Signs)
So today is the end of an odd series of holidays in Japan known as Golden Week or GW (ゴールデンウィーク Goorudenwiiku). Golden Week is the series of national holidays at the end of April and the beginning of May. Combined with Saturday and Sunday, which most people have off anyway, it is a great time to take a short trip somewhere. The downside is that in the middle of GW there are a few days that are regulary work days. So instead of having a real one full week off, we actually have two short long weekends. This year GW was April 27 to April 29 and May 3 to May 6.
Anyway, to accomodate the increased number of GW travelers, train companies offer more travel friendly schedules. Here is sign advertising just those schedules.
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GW期間を中心に GW kikan o chūshin ni
臨時列車増発 rin ji ressha zōhatsu
ご旅行や行楽に便利な列車のご案内 go ryo kō ya kōraku ni ben ri na ressha no go an nai
列車旅をおトク!「JRのトクトクきっぷ情報」 ressha tabi wo o to ku ! 「 JR no to ku to ku kippu jō hō 」
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A rough translation of the sign, line per line….
GW期間を中心に = In the middle of Golden Week
臨時列車増発 = increase in special trains
ご旅行や行楽に便利な列車のご案内 = guide to convenient trains for trips & excursions
列車旅をおトク!「JRのトクトクきっぷ情報」= Discounts for train trips! 「Information about special discount tickets for JR」
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Vocabulary:
GW ゴールデンウィーク Goorudenwiiku = Golden Week
期間 kikan = a period of time
を wo = article indicating a verb’s object
中心 chūshin = the center
に ni = in
臨時 rinji = temporary
列車 ressha = train
増発 zōhatsu = increase in trains, buses, etc.
ご go = honorable prefix, add this to a noun to make it more polite
旅行 ryokō = trip
や ya = and
行楽 kōraku = an outing, an excursion
に ni = for, to
便利な benrina = (adjective) convenient
列車 ressha = train
の no = ‘s
ご go = honorable prefix, add this to a noun to make it more polite
案内 an nai = guidance, information
列車旅 ressha tabi = train trip
お o = honorable prefix, add this to a noun to make it more polite
トク toku = advantage, special (often means discount)
JR jei aaru = Japan Railways
トクトク toku toku = this just emphasizes “toku”
きっぷ kippu = ticket
情報 jōhō = information, news, intelligence
2 Comments
May 6, 2013
thank you for the knowledge vic!
June 3, 2013
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