New here? This is lesson 180 of a free 240-lesson Japanese course.
Old streets and a temple in Japanese
Leo and Haruka walk a wooden street in Kyoto. Stone sits underfoot, and old shop fronts lean in close.
Haruka grew up here, so her stories stretch. A shop becomes a hundred years old before they reach the next corner.
You will describe an old street and a temple, and notice how the air feels.
Leo thinks of the lanes in Yanaka. Keep fortune slips for another lesson.
By the end of this lesson
Describe an old street and a temple, and a little of its past.
- この通りは、とても古いです。This street is very old.
- 石畳がきれいですね。The stone pavement is beautiful.
- この店は、何代も続いています。This shop has been here for generations.
- お寺は、まだ開いていますか。Is the temple still open?
- 谷中の道と少し似ています。It’s a bit like the lanes in Yanaka.
- 静かで、空気が違いますね。It’s quiet, and the air feels different.
Scene — a wooden Kyoto street
A narrow Kyoto street of wooden shop fronts. Stone pavement runs between them, and a tea-shop curtain hangs with no writing on it.
Haruka tucks her sketchbook under one arm. Leo looks down the lane toward a small temple gate in the trees.
Learn — old streets and a temple
Six lines for an old street, stone underfoot, a shop that has lasted, and a temple gate.
You will also compare this lane with Yanaka, and notice the quiet air.
この通りは、とても古いです。
This street is very old.
When to use it: Use this when you notice how old a street feels.
は marks the street as the topic you are talking about.
石畳がきれいですね。
The stone pavement is beautiful.
When to use it: Use this when the stone underfoot looks beautiful.
が marks the pavement as the thing you have just noticed.
この店は、何代も続いています。
This shop has been here for generations.
When to use it: Use this for a shop that has lasted many generations.
ています shows a state that still continues now.
お寺は、まだ開いていますか。
Is the temple still open?
When to use it: Ask this when you hope a temple is still open.
まだ plus か asks if that state is still true.
谷中の道と少し似ています。
It’s a bit like the lanes in Yanaka.
When to use it: Use this to compare this street with Yanaka’s lanes.
と marks what you are comparing this street with.
静かで、空気が違いますね。
It’s quiet, and the air feels different.
When to use it: Use this when a place feels calm and a little different.
で links 静か to the next comment about the air.
Story — a hundred years, maybe
Haruka leads Leo down a wooden Kyoto street. Her story of a shop grows as they walk.
Highlighted phrases are the new lines. Turn on Show English if you want a gloss.
- Wooden shop fronts close in. Stone sits underfoot.
Harukaこの通りは、とても古いです。This street is very old.
Leo石畳がきれいですね。The stone pavement is beautiful.- They stop at a shop with a blank curtain.
- Harukaこの店は、何代も続いています。This shop has been here for generations.
- Leoへえ。Huh.
- Haruka百年は続いてると思うよ。I think it’s been going a hundred years.
- Leoすごいですね。That’s amazing.
- A small temple gate shows through the trees.
- Harukaあ、お寺だ。Oh, a temple.
- Leoお寺は、まだ開いていますか。Is the temple still open?
- Harukaまだ開いてるよ。It’s still open.
- Leo谷中の道と少し似ています。It’s a bit like the lanes in Yanaka.
- Harukaレオは、今どこに住んでるの？Leo, where do you live now?
- Leo谷中に住んでいます。I live in Yanaka.
- Haruka静かで、空気が違いますね。It’s quiet, and the air feels different.
- Leoこの辺は静かです。This area is quiet.
Practice — pick the right description
Twelve short tasks wait in this round. You will listen, fill a gap, build a line, and spot a slip.
Each one stays small, so you can keep walking.
0 of 12 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
Japanese
この通りは、とても古いです。Drop the English here石畳がきれいですね。Drop the English here静かで、空気が違いますね。Drop the English hereEnglish
What do you say?
What do you say?
You look down a wooden Kyoto street and remark on its age.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
The stone pavement is beautiful.
石畳____きれいですね。
Pick the reply
Haruka says:
Pick the reply
レオは、今どこに住んでるの？
Leo, where do you live now?
And you reply with:
Build the line
Build the line
This shop has been here for generations.
、。
Tap the words in order.
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
静かで、空気が違いますね。
Find the mistake
Find the mistake
Swap the word
Swap the word
You want to ask if the temple is still open. Fix the time word.
お寺は、____開いていますか。
True or false?
True or false?
This line says the area around you is noisy.
What do you say?
What do you say?
Haruka asks where you live these days, while you walk the Kyoto street.
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Say it — your turn to speak
You are Leo on that Kyoto street. 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.
- Harukaこの通り、どう？What do you think of this street?
- Leo (you)Tell her this street is very old.
Tell her this street is very old.
この通りは、とても古いです。
This street is very old.
0 of 6 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Japanese | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| この通りは、とても古いです。 | This street is very old. | |
| 石畳がきれいですね。 | The stone pavement is beautiful. | |
| この店は、何代も続いています。 | This shop has been here for generations. | |
| お寺は、まだ開いていますか。 | Is the temple still open? | |
| 谷中の道と少し似ています。 | It’s a bit like the lanes in Yanaka. | |
| 静かで、空気が違いますね。 | It’s quiet, and the air feels different. |
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 these street lines in your pocket. Open the Yak Cards for this lesson and run them on the train.
A short Yak Cards round on the shinkansen keeps the old-street lines ready.
Open Yak Cards