Lesson #4: それではまず、行きかたについてご説明します (Sore dewa mazu, iki-kata ni tsuite goseetsumee shimasu)

Offering Explanations Using Photos and Other Materials

English Title: First, I’ll explain how to get there.

🎧 Audio:
Listen to this lesson

Role-play Setup

You work at a travel company. Your supervisor asks you to present information about Lake Inle in Myanmar to a potential client. You need to explain how to get there and what the highlights are, using maps and photos to support your presentation.

Full Script & Explanation

Scene 1: Beginning the Presentation

Supervisor (上司):
では、ミャンマーに詳しいものからご説明します。
Dewa, Myanmar ni kuwashii mono kara goseetsumee shimasu.
Our expert will explain about Myanmar.

Explanation:「では」is a phrase used when changing the subject. It’s a shortened version of「それでは」. By adding the honorific「ご」in front of「説明します」to create「ご説明します」, the phrase becomes more polite.

Supervisor:
じゃあ、お願いします。
Jaa, onegai-shimasu.
OK, then please go ahead.

Explanation:「じゃあ」is a casual form of「では」. It’s appropriate for use from superiors to subordinates, or among equals.

Student:
はい、わかりました。
Hai, wakarimashita.
Understood.

🔑 KEY PHRASE

Student:
それではまず、行きかたについてご説明します。
Sore dewa mazu, iki-kata ni tsuite goseetsumee shimasu.
First, I’ll explain how to get there.

Explanation:
「それでは」is a phrase that responds to the previous speaker’s words, and precedes a reaction. In this case, the current speaker is responding to「お願いします」. This phrase is also used before making an explanation.

To show how to do something:
行きかた ⇒ use the ます form of the verb and add「かた」

Scene 2: Explaining with Visual Aids

Student:
こちらの地図をご覧ください。
Kochira no chizu o goran kudasai.
Please take a look at this map.

Explanation:「こちらの」is a more polite way to say「この」.「ご覧ください」is a more polite way to say「見てください」.

Student:
インレー湖はヤンゴンから飛行機で約１時間です。
Inre-ko wa Yangon kara hikooki de yaku ichi-jikan desu.
Lake Inle is about one hour from Yangon by plane.

Explanation: This phrase is useful for sharing how much time it takes to reach a destination. You can substitute「電車で」(by train),「車で」(by car),「タクシーで」(by taxi) instead of「飛行機で」to show how to get there by different modes of transportation. For “on foot” use「歩くと」. インレー湖 (Lake Inle) is the name of a lake. The character 湖 can be read as「みずうみ」or「こ」. Examples: 琵琶湖（びわこ - Lake Biwa), 芦ノ湖（あしのこ - Lake Ashi).

Client (客):
あ、１時間ですか。
A, ichi-jikan desu ka.
Ah, one hour?

Explanation: The listener is checking what the speaker said. Adding「あ」in the beginning shows the listener’s reaction to what they have just heard. To express disappointment, a long「あー」with falling intonation is used.

Scene 3: Explaining the Highlights

Student:
次に、インレー湖の見どころについてご説明します。
Tsugi ni, Inre-ko no midokoro ni tsuite goseetsumee shimasu.
Next, I’ll explain the highlights of Lake Inle.

Explanation: Using phrases like まず and 次に to connect phrases allows the listener to easily follow what is being said.「見どころ」means highlight. It can be used in cases like this, such as explaining the must-see sights at a destination.「見どころ」can also be used to mean “something to look out for” in reference to things like sports or movies.

Student:
ここに住む人たちは湖の上で生活をしています。
Koko ni sumu hitotachi wa mizuumi no ue de seekatsu o shite imasu.
The people who live here carry out their daily lives on the water.

Explanation:「ここに住む」modifies「人たち」. See the below examples:
「渋谷に来る人たち」→「渋谷に来る」「人たち」(the people who come to Shibuya)
「先に食べる人たち」→「先に食べる」「人たち」(the people who eat first)
「電車で帰る人たち」→「電車で帰る」「人たち」(the people who go home by train)

Student:
それを見ることができます。
Sore o miru koto ga dekimasu.
You can see that.

Student:
1年間に16万人以上の観光客が訪れます。
Ichi-nenkan ni juuroku-man-nin ijoo no kankookyaku ga otozuremasu.
Over 160,000 tourists visit each year.

Explanation: This is a useful phrase to describe a bustling tourist spot.「訪れます」(visit) uses the present tense to communicate that people regularly visit this spot.
For the past tense, use:「昨年は16万人以上の観光客が訪れました」(Last year, 160,000 tourists visited here).
To predict the future, use:「１年間に16万人以上の観光客が見込まれます」(It’s expected that 160,000 tourists will visit here yearly).

Client:
へえ、そうなんですね。
Hee, soo nan desu ne.
Wow, is that so?!

Explanation: へえ is a casual phrase, with a similar meaning to「ああ」. Phrases like「そうなんですね」communicate surprise and acknowledgment. It’s a common spoken phrase.

Client:
インレー湖は日本人観光客にも人気が出ますかね。
Inre-ko wa Nihon-jin kankookyaku ni mo ninki ga demasu ka ne.
Do many Japanese tourists visit Lake Inle?

Explanation: The phrase「人気が出ますかね」, like「人気が出るかな？」shows that the speaker is wondering if this is the case or not. This phrase is more polite than「かな」and gently asks for the listener’s agreement. By adding「も」onto「日本人の観光客にも」includes the idea that the spot is already popular with tourists from other countries and regions.

Student:
はい、日本の方も楽しめると思います。
Hai, Nihon no kata mo tanoshimeru to omoimasu.
Yes, I think Japanese people would really enjoy it.

Explanation:「～と思います」is a phrase commonly used to express one’s opinion.

Client:
そうですか。検討します。
Soo desu ka. Kentoo shimasu.
I see. Please give me some time to consider.

Explanation:「検討します」means consider, but is not a guarantee that the speaker will enter business negotiations.「前向きに検討します」(I’ll consider it positively.) may indicate a better chance!

Vocabulary

説明 (seetsumee) - explanation
Example: 説明します。(I’ll explain.)

行きかた (iki-kata) - how to get there
Example: 駅への行きかたを教えてください。(Please tell me how to get to the station.)

地図 (chizu) - map
Example: 地図を見ます。(I’ll look at the map.)

飛行機 (hikooki) - airplane
Example: 飛行機で行きます。(I’ll go by plane.)

見どころ (midokoro) - highlight, attraction
Example: この街の見どころを教えてください。(Please tell me the highlights of this city.)

住む (sumu) - to live, to reside
Example: 東京に住んでいます。(I live in Tokyo.)

訪れる (otozureru) - to visit
Example: 毎年多くの人が訪れます。(Many people visit every year.)

観光客 (kankookyaku) - tourist
Example: 観光客が増えています。(The number of tourists is increasing.)

検討する (kentoo-suru) - to consider, to examine
Example: 前向きに検討します。(I’ll consider it positively.)

Cultural Notes

Using Transition Words in Presentations

To make explanations that are easy for listeners to understand, it’s important to use words that indicate order:

This will help the listener to know what’s coming next and follow your presentation easily.

The Meaning of「検討します」

「検討します」(I’ll consider it) is a common business phrase, but it’s important to understand its nuanced meaning:

Literal meaning: To consider something
Often used when: An idea is being considered by multiple staff members at a meeting
Important note: There is no guarantee that「検討」will lead to a positive response

Different levels of commitment:

Grammar Points

Pattern 1: ～かた (How to do something)

Pattern: [Verb ます-stem] + かた

Shows how to do something.

Examples:

Pattern 2: ～についてご説明します (Explaining about ~)

Pattern: [Topic] + について + ご説明します

Polite way to introduce what you will explain.

Examples:

Pattern 3: ～から～まで (Transportation and time)

Pattern: [Place A] + から + [Transportation method] + で + [Time]

Describes how long it takes to get somewhere.

Examples:

Transportation methods:

Tips from this Dialogue

Using Polite Forms for客様

When presenting to clients, use polite language:

Expressing Opinion with「～と思います」

This is a soft, polite way to express your opinion without being too assertive:

Reading Kanji for Place Names

The character 湖 (lake) can be read as:

Examples:

Keego (Polite Language)

Different Levels of “Please Look”

From casual to formal:

  1. 見て (Look - casual)
  2. 見てください (Please look - polite)
  3. ご覧ください (Please look - very polite/respectful)

Different Levels of “Explain”

From casual to formal:

  1. 説明する (Explain - casual)
  2. 説明します (I’ll explain - polite)
  3. ご説明します (I’ll explain - very polite)
  4. ご説明いたします (I’ll explain - extremely polite/humble)

Kanji

説 - explain, theory
Reading: セツ (setsu), ゼイ (zei), と (to)
Example: 説得 (settoku - persuasion), 解説 (kaisetsu - commentary), ご説明します (goseetsumee shimasu - I’ll explain)

覧 - look at, view
Reading: ラン (ran)
Example: ご覧ください (goran kudasai - please look), 一覧 (ichiran - list/catalog), 展覧会 (tenrankai - exhibition)

Words from this Dialogue

まず (mazu) - first

「まず」has a similar meaning to「はじめに」「最初に」. It’s a phrase that can be used to start off an explanation.

To make explanations that are easy for listeners to understand, it’s important to use words that indicate order, such as:

This will help the listener to know what’s coming next.

Example presentation structure:

  1. まず、行きかたについてご説明します。(First, I’ll explain how to get there.)
  2. 次に、見どころについてご説明します。(Next, I’ll explain the highlights.)
  3. 最後に、料金についてご説明します。(Finally, I’ll explain about the fees.)

検討 (kentoo) - consideration

「検討」means to consider something. It’s often used in the workplace when an idea is being considered by multiple staff members at a meeting.

Important: There is no guarantee that「検討」will lead to a positive response.

「前向きに検討します」may indicate more strongly that a response will be positive.

Usage examples:

Source: Based on NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson #4
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit04.html