New here? This is lesson 176 of a free 240-lesson Japanese course.
Planning a weekend trip in Japanese
Haruka pings Leo on LINE with a Kyoto idea. She grew up there and wants a weekend of old streets and sweets.
At Kissa Hotaru they sketch a plan: the shinkansen, a hotel, and what to eat. She likes Hikari. He almost says Kodama, the slow one.
You will invite someone for a weekend trip, pick a train, offer to book the hotel, and ask about food and nights.
By the end of this lesson
Plan a weekend trip: train, hotel, and food.
- 今週末、京都に行かない？Want to go to Kyoto this weekend?
- 新幹線で行こう。Let’s take the shinkansen.
- ホテルは私が予約するよ。I’ll book the hotel.
- 何を食べたい？What do you want to eat?
- 一泊でいい？Is one night enough?
- ひかりとこだま、どっちがいい？Which is better, Hikari or Kodama?
Scene — a Kyoto weekend
Leo sits at a booth in Kissa Hotaru with his phone open. A sticker from Haruka waits on the screen. She walks in with her sketchbook under one arm.
Masako sets down two unmatched cups. Outside, Yanaka is quiet. The old black umbrella still stands by the door, tag unread.
Learn — train, hotel, food
These six lines plan a weekend: an invite, the shinkansen, a hotel, food, nights, and two train names.
Plain form with a friend. Polite です and ます stay for staff.
今週末、京都に行かない？
Want to go to Kyoto this weekend?
When to use it: Use this to invite a friend on a weekend trip.
行かない？ is a casual invite, not a real no.
Say it: Give ん its own beat; do not skip it.
新幹線で行こう。
Let’s take the shinkansen.
When to use it: Use this when you pick the bullet train together.
行こう is the casual let's-go form with a friend.
Say it: This word has three ん sounds; give each a beat.
ホテルは私が予約するよ。
I’ll book the hotel.
When to use it: Use this to take the hotel booking yourself.
が marks who does the booking, not the topic.
何を食べたい？
What do you want to eat?
When to use it: Ask a friend this when you plan meals.
たい after the stem means you want to do it.
一泊でいい？
Is one night enough?
When to use it: Use this to check if one night is enough.
で marks the length of stay you are offering.
Say it: Hold the small っ; do not skip ahead.
ひかりとこだま、どっちがいい？
Which is better, Hikari or Kodama?
When to use it: Use this to choose between two shinkansen names.
と links the two train names you are comparing.
Story — Hikari or Kodama
Haruka sits down with a Kyoto weekend in mind. Leo almost picks the slow train.
Highlighted phrases are the new lines. Turn on Show English if you want a gloss.
- Haruka slides into the booth. Her sketchbook hits the table.
Haruka今週末、空いてる？Are you free this weekend?
Leoまだ特に予定ないよ。I don't have any plans yet.- Haruka今週末、京都に行かない？Want to go to Kyoto this weekend?
- Leoいいね。Nice.
- Harukaよかった。Great.
Goroいいですね。That sounds good.- Leo新幹線で行こう。Let’s take the shinkansen.
- Harukaひかりとこだま、どっちがいい？Which is better, Hikari or Kodama?
- Leoええと、こだまが…Um, Kodama…
- Harukaひかりがいいよ。早いから。Hikari is better. It's faster.
- Leoそうだね。Yeah.
- Goro's blend coffee still sits full. He stays in two seats.
- Leoホテルは私が予約するよ。I’ll book the hotel.
- Haruka一泊でいい？Is one night enough?
- Leoうん、いいよ。Yeah, that's fine.
- Harukaじゃあ、それで。All right, then.
- Leo何を食べたい？What do you want to eat?
- Harukaそうだね。甘いもの、まだ考えてる。Right. I'm still thinking about sweets.
Practice — pick the right plan
Ten short tasks wait here. You will listen, fill a gap, swap a particle, and build a line.
Each one is small, so you move on quickly.
0 of 10 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
What do you say?
What do you say?
Haruka is free. Invite her on a Kyoto weekend.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
Is one night enough?
一泊____いい？
Pick the reply
Haruka says:
Pick the reply
今週末、空いてる？
Are you free this weekend?
And you reply with:
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
ひかりとこだま、どっちがいい？
Build the line
Build the line
I’ll book the hotel.
。
Tap the words in order.
Swap the word
Swap the word
You will book the hotel yourself. Fix who does it.
ホテルは私____予約するよ。
Match the pairs
Japanese
今週末は空いていますか。Drop the English hereまだ特に予定はありません。Drop the English hereいいですね。Drop the English hereEnglish
What do you say?
What do you say?
The train is settled. Ask what she wants to eat.
True or false?
True or false?
This asks if someone is free this weekend.
Say it — your turn to speak
You are Leo at the booth. When the cue is yours, tap the microphone and say the line.
Tap play first if you want to hear it. The recording stays on this device.
- Leo (you)Invite her to Kyoto this weekend.
Invite her to Kyoto this weekend.
今週末、京都に行かない？
Want to go to Kyoto this weekend?
0 of 6 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Japanese | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| 今週末、京都に行かない？ | Want to go to Kyoto this weekend? | |
| 新幹線で行こう。 | Let’s take the shinkansen. | |
| ホテルは私が予約するよ。 | I’ll book the hotel. | |
| 何を食べたい？ | What do you want to eat? | |
| 一泊でいい？ | Is one night enough? | |
| ひかりとこだま、どっちがいい？ | Which is better, Hikari or Kodama? |
Save your progress — it’s free
Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Keep this Kyoto plan in your pocket. Open the Yak Cards for this lesson and run them on the train.
A short Yak Cards round makes the invite ready before Friday.
Open Yak Cards