Lesson #3: 私のおすすめは、墨田区の水族館です (Watashi no osusume wa, Sumida-ku no suizokukan desu)

Expressing an Opinion Concisely

English Title: I recommend the aquarium in Sumida.

🎧 Audio:
Listen to this lesson

Role-play Setup

You work at a company and your superior asks you for a recommendation about aquariums in Tokyo. He knows you’re knowledgeable about aquariums and wants your opinion for a visitor. You need to give a clear, concise recommendation with reasons.

Full Script & Explanation

Scene 1: Being Asked for Advice

Supervisor (上司):
ごめん、ちょっといいかな。
Gomen, chotto ii ka na.
Do you have a minute?

Explanation: In this case, a superior is speaking to a subordinate.「ごめん」is a casual way to let a person know that you need some of their time. For a subordinate asking for a superior’s time, use:「すみません。ちょっといいですか」

Student:
はい、何でしょうか。
Hai, nan deshoo ka.
Yes, what is it?

Explanation: This is a polite response to a superior.「はい、何ですか」may be seen as a bit blunt.「～でしょうか」is commonly used in a professional environment. If you change「書類は何部必要ですか」(How many copies do you need?) to「必要でしょうか」, the question sounds much more polite. Try using「～でしょうか」instead of「～ですか」when speaking to superiors or clients.

Supervisor:
君は確か、水族館に詳しかったよね。
Kimi wa tashika, suizokukan ni kuwashikatta yo ne.
You know a lot about aquariums, right?

Explanation: Using the phrase「確か〜（た）よね」is a way to check your memory of something.「Tomanik さんは確かポーランド出身だったよね」→ Tomanik-san, you’re from Poland, right?「確か上野にも水族館があったよね」→ There’s an aquarium in Ueno, right?

Student:
はい、よく行きますが。
Hai, yoku ikimasu ga.
Yes, I go pretty often…

Explanation: The speaker is wondering why they are being asked this question.「はい、よく行きますが、そのことについて何かありますか（どうしましたか）」→ Yes, I go pretty often, but why are you asking me? It is common in Japanese for only the first half of a phrase to be used. By adding「が」, the speaker is wondering aloud why they are being asked, and prompting the other person to continue what they were saying.

Supervisor:
水族館だったら、どこがいいかな。
Suizokukan dattara, doko ga ii ka na.
What aquarium do you recommend?

Explanation: This phrase「～だったら、どこがいいかな」(What ~ do you recommend?) is used by superiors to subordinates, or among equals, when a recommendation is needed. For a subordinate asking a superior for a recommendation, use:「～でしたら、どこがいいでしょうか」

🔑 KEY PHRASE

Student:
私のおすすめは、墨田区の水族館です。
Watashi no osusume wa, Sumida-ku no suizokukan desu.
I recommend the aquarium in Sumida.

Explanation:
This form of recommendation is very common.
「私のおすすめは、～です」→ I recommend the ~.

You can change the order like this:
「墨田区の水族館が私のおすすめです」→ My recommendation is the aquarium in Sumida.
In this case, use「～が」instead of「～は」to add emphasis.

In the business world, it’s important to lead with a conclusion. These phrases are commonly used:
「この製品の特長は〜です」→ This product’s advantage is ~.
「調査からわかったことは〜です」→ What we learned from the research is ~.

Sentences using the「～は～です」structure are very simple. Try using this structure to lead with a conclusion first, then provide details.

Scene 2: Providing Reasons

Supervisor:
墨田区か。それはどうして。
Sumida-ku ka. Sore wa dooshite.
Sumida Aquarium. Why’s that?

Explanation: As a written sentence,「どうして墨田区ですか」would be more appropriate. As a spoken sentence, the structure may change as above. The speaker can arrange the sentence so that the most important part is spoken first, like this:「詳しいんだね、水族館のこと」→ You know a lot about aquariums.「ありがとうね、いろいろ教えてくれて」→ Thanks for everything you have told me.

Student:
理由は二つあります。
Riyuu wa futatsu arimasu.
I have two reasons.

Explanation: When listing reasons, explanations tend to get long. By letting the listener know in advance what to expect, you can make your answer sound logical.

Student:
まず一つ目の理由は、900種類以上の魚が見られることです。
Mazu hitotsu-me no riyuu wa, kyuuhyaku shurui ijoo no sakana ga mirareru koto desu.
Reason one, it has more than 900 types of fish.

Explanation: This expression is used when sharing the first reason. Insert what you wish into the following template to make an explanation:「一つ目の理由は～ことです」→ The first reason is ~.「珍しい魚が多いことです」→ There are lots of rare fish.「貴重な魚が見られることです」→ You can see lots of valuable fish.

Student:
二つ目の理由は、夜遅くまで開いていて、会社の帰りにも行けることです。
Futatsume no riyuu wa, yoru osoku made aite ite, kaisha no kaeri ni mo ikeru koto desu.
Reason two, it’s open late, so I can go on the way home from work.

Explanation: Reasons can be counted as 一つ目 (first)、二つ目 (second)、and 三つ目 (third). When there are lots of reasons, say:「理由はいろいろありますが、主な理由は三つあります」→ There are many reasons, but here are the main three. This creates a simpler explanation.

Supervisor:
それはいいね。
Sore wa ii ne.
That’s great.

Supervisor:
いい情報をありがとう。
Ii joohoo o arigatoo.
Thanks for the information.

Explanation: Rather than simply saying「ありがとうございます」, in this case the speaker is thanking the other person for something specific.

Student:
どういたしまして。
Doo itashimashite.
You’re welcome.

Explanation: Here are some other phrases you can use:「いえいえ」→ Not at all.「いえ、お役に立てたなら嬉しいです」→ I’m glad I could help.

Vocabulary

おすすめ (osusume) - recommendation
Example: 私のおすすめは寿司です。(I recommend sushi.)

水族館 (suizokukan) - aquarium
Example: 水族館に行きます。(I’ll go to the aquarium.)

詳しい (kuwashii) - knowledgeable, detailed
Example: 彼は歴史に詳しいです。(He knows a lot about history.)

理由 (riyuu) - reason
Example: 理由を教えてください。(Please tell me the reason.)

種類 (shurui) - type, kind
Example: いろいろな種類があります。(There are various types.)

以上 (ijoo) - more than, above
Example: 100人以上来ました。(More than 100 people came.)

開く (aku) - to open, to be open
Example: 店は10時に開きます。(The store opens at 10.)

情報 (joohoo) - information
Example: 情報を集めます。(I’ll gather information.)

Cultural Notes

Leading with Conclusions

In Japanese business communication, it’s important to state your conclusion first, then provide supporting details. This is different from some communication styles that build up to a conclusion.

Structure:

  1. State conclusion:「私のおすすめは〜です」
  2. Announce number of reasons:「理由は二つあります」
  3. First reason:「まず一つ目の理由は〜」
  4. Second reason:「二つ目の理由は〜」

This makes your explanation clear and easy to follow.

Being Concise in Explanations

It’s important to make concise explanations in the business world. Keep the listener’s feelings in mind, and keep explanations short. Watch out for phrases like「・・・して、・・・して」. They allow the speaker to keep going endlessly! Remember to be concise and keep sentences short.

Grammar Points

Pattern 1: ～は～です (Topic-Comment Structure)

Pattern: [Topic] + は + [Comment] + です

Used to clearly state what you’re talking about and provide information about it.

Examples:

Alternative with が for emphasis:

Pattern 2: ～目 (Ordinal Counter)

Pattern: [Number] + つ + 目

Used to count items in a sequence.

Examples:

Pattern 3: ～だったら、～がいい (Conditional Recommendation)

Pattern: [Topic] + だったら、[Recommendation] + がいい

Used to give recommendations about specific topics.

Examples:

Polite form: ～でしたら、～がいいでしょうか

Tips from this Dialogue

Structuring Multi-Part Answers

When you have multiple reasons or points:

  1. State how many upfront:「理由は二つあります」
  2. Use ordinal markers:「一つ目」「二つ目」「三つ目」
  3. Keep each point concise
  4. Use parallel structure for each reason

Using「確か」to Check Memory

「確か〜よね」is useful for confirming information you think you know:

Ending Sentences with「が」

In conversation, ending with「が」leaves the sentence unfinished, inviting the other person to continue:

Keego (Polite Language)

Asking “What Do You Recommend?”

From casual to formal:

  1. どこがいい？(Very casual)
  2. どこがいいかな (Casual - superior to subordinate)
  3. どこがいいですか (Polite)
  4. どこがいいでしょうか (More polite - to superiors)

Saying “Do You Have a Minute?”

From casual to formal:

  1. ちょっといい？(Very casual)
  2. ちょっといいかな (Casual - superior to subordinate)
  3. ごめん、ちょっといいかな (Casual - with apology)
  4. すみません、ちょっといいですか (Polite)
  5. すみませんが、今少しよろしいでしょうか (Formal - to superiors)

Kanji

私 - I, private
Reading: わたし (watashi), わたくし (watakushi), シ (shi)
Example: 私用 (shiyoo - personal matter), 公私 (kooshi - public and private), 私の (watashi no - my)

見 - see, watch
Reading: み (mi), ケン (ken)
Example: 見る (miru - to see), 意見 (iken - opinion), 見られる (mirareru - can be seen)

Words from this Dialogue

理由 (riyuu) - reason

It’s important to make concise explanations in the business world. Keep the listener’s feelings in mind, and keep explanations short. Watch out for phrases like「・・・して、・・・して」. They allow the speaker to keep going endlessly! Remember to be concise and keep sentences short.

Aim to lead with the conclusion. When providing reasons, try to let the listener know in advance how many reasons to expect. You can use the following phrases:

Pattern:

This structure makes your explanation:

Source: Based on NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson #3
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit03.html