Lesson #33: 今後、清掃のルールを徹底させます (Kongo, seisō no rūru o tettei sasemasu)

Dealing with a complaint from a neighbor

English Title: Dealing with a complaint from a neighbor

🎧 Audio:
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Role-play Setup

You work as a carpenter helping to construct homes. After your lunch break, a neighbor approaches with a complaint about litter found near the construction site. Even though you don’t believe it’s your company’s trash, you must handle the complaint professionally and take steps to prevent future issues.

Full Script & Explanation

The Neighbor’s Approach

Neighbor

あのー、すみません。
Anō, sumimasen.
Excuse me.

「すみません。」is often used when striking up a conversation. 「あの」or「あのー」are used before beginning a new topic. It’s common to add「あの」or「あのー」before「すみません。」when beginning a conversation with someone you don’t know.

Neighbor

ちょっといいですか。
Chotto ii desu ka.
Do you have a minute?

When beginning a conversation with someone who is working, ask them for a moment of their time. In this case, the speaker omits「今」and「お時間」and simply asks「ちょっといいですか。」.

You (Construction Worker)

はい。
Hai.
Yes.

The Complaint

Neighbor

このペットボトル、お宅が出したごみじゃない？
Kono pettobotoru, otaku ga dashita gomi ja nai?
Did you toss this plastic bottle?

「ペットボトル」, or “PET bottle”, is a plastic bottle. The phrase “PET bottle” was created by Japanese people using the abbreviation “PET” and the English word “bottle.” These are known as「和製英語」, or “Japanese-made English.” 「お宅」is a way of referring to someone you don’t know, often used when making complaints. It’s being used in the place of「あなた」here. In spoken Japanese,「では」often becomes「じゃ」. The phrase「●●●じゃない？」is a casual form of「●●●ではありませんか。」.

You

どちらに落ちてましたか。
Dochira ni ochite mashita ka.
Where did you find it?

「どちら」is a polite way to say「どこ」. The 「い」from 「落ちていましたか」is omitted to create「落ちてましたか」. In spoken Japanese, the「い」is often omitted in this way.

Neighbor

うちの前の道路よ。
Uchi no mae no dōro yo.
On the street in front of my house.

In this case,「うち」is being used to refer to「私の家」, or the speaker’s house. 「私の」is omitted. Here,「よ」is added at the end of the sentence because the speaker is sharing something the listener does not know.

Neighbor

最近、うちの周りにぽい捨てが増えたような気もするのよね。
Saikin, uchi no mawari ni poi-sute ga fueta yōna ki mo suru no yo ne.
I’m seeing a lot of litter around here these days.

「ぽい捨て」is litter. 「●●●ような気がする」is used to show what you think or feel, even if there may not be a specific reason behind it. When making complaints, you can soften expressions by using this phrase.

You

私たちが出したごみではないと思いますが…。
Watashitachi ga dashita gomi dewa nai to omoimasu ga…
I don’t believe it’s our trash…

「ごみを出す」means to throw away trash. When expressing an opinion, you can add 「と思います」afterward. When you aren’t confident in what you have said, add 「が」after 「思います」to show uncertainty.

You

ごみの処理は、十分気をつけておりますので。
Gomi no shori wa, jūbun ki o tsukete orimasu node.
We’re very careful about the disposal of garbage.

「気をつけております」is a polite version of「気をつけています」. In this case, the sentence could be extended to read 「ごみの処理は、十分気をつけていますので、道にごみを捨てることはありません。」, but the latter part is omitted.

Neighbor

そう？
Sō?
Really?

「そう？」is a shorter version of「本当にそうですか。」. Here, the speaker doesn’t believe what the listener has said. They pronounce「そう？」with a rising intonation to show doubt.

The Discovery

You

すみません。
Sumimasen.
Excuse me.

Coworker (Wada)

あっ、それ、僕が飲み終えたペットボトルです。
A, sore, boku ga nomioeta pettobotoru desu.
Oh, that’s my plastic bottle.

「あっ」is used when you suddenly discover or remember something. Here, the speaker is surprised to see their plastic bottle again. By using「終えた」to describe things that you’ve finished, it creates a stronger impression of being done.

Coworker (Wada)

風で飛ばされてしまったようです。
Kaze de tobasarete shimatta yōdesu.
The wind must have blown it away.

「ようです」is used to describe what you think based on your observations. Here, the speaker believes that the wind must have blown away the bottle into the street after he finished drinking it. 「飛ばされる」is the passive form of「飛ばす」. When you feel regret about something, you can use the -te form of a verb and add「しまいました」.

Neighbor

ほらね、もう、気をつけてくださいね。
Hora ne, mō, ki o tsukete kudasai ne.
See? You be more careful.

「ほら」is being used to draw the attention of others. Here, the speaker is using it to highlight that the plastic bottle came from the construction site. 「ね」is used at the end of sentences as a confirmation. To emphasize an opinion, use「もう」in front of it.

KEY PHRASE

You

ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ありません。今後、清掃のルールを徹底させます。
Gomeiwaku o okakeshite mōshiwake arimasen. Kongo, seisō no rūru o tettei sasemasu.
I’m sorry we were a nuisance. We’ll be extra careful from now on.

The speaker apologizes right away for the nuisance. Then, they tell the listener how they will be careful to avoid making the same mistake in the future. 「徹底」means「細かいところまで完全にする」, or to be very thorough about something. Here, the speaker uses it to mean they will make sure that all employees understand how to properly dispose of trash.

Neighbor

じゃ、よろしくお願いします。
Ja, yoroshiku onegai-shimasu.
Please do.

Vocabulary

お宅 (otaku) - you
「宅」from「お宅」means「住むところ」, or one’s home. When asking politely where someone lives, you could ask: 「お宅はどちらですか。」.
「お宅」is also used instead of「あなた」when speaking with someone unfamiliar to you, particularly when making complaints. Don’t use「お宅」with friends or superiors, as it would be rude.

ぽい捨て (poi-sute) - litter
There are many Japanese words that are used to describe sounds or appearances. 「ぽい」creates a mental image of something being tossed or thrown away. It’s also written 「ポイ」.
「ぽい捨て」refers to litter, or trash that’s been left on the street. You can see signs and posters all over Japan that say「ぽい捨て禁止」and「ポイ捨て禁止」: No Littering!
Example: ぽい捨て対策 (strategies against littering)
Example: 登山をしているとき「ぽい捨て禁止」の看板を何度も見た。(I saw lots of signs saying “No Littering” when I went mountain climbing.)

ルール (rūru) - rule
「ルール」is the Japanese version of the English word “rule.” In Japanese, the word 「規則」can also be used to refer to rules. They mean the same thing, but「ルール」is more commonly used in sports. For rules at schools or companies, 「規則」is more common. Company rules are called「社則」, and school rules are called 「校則」.
Example: 試合のルールブックを読んだ。(I read the rulebook for the match.)
Example: ごみ出しのルールがあることで、この町はいつもきれいだ。(There are rules about putting out the trash, which is why our town is so clean.)

Cultural Notes

Handling Neighborhood Complaints in Japan

In Japan, maintaining good relationships with neighbors is very important, especially for businesses:

  1. Apologize first - Even if you’re not entirely at fault
  2. Listen carefully - Don’t dismiss the complaint
  3. Take responsibility - Show you’ll address the issue
  4. Explain preventive measures - State clearly what you’ll do differently
  5. Follow through - Actually implement the changes

Construction Sites and Community Relations

Construction companies in Japan must:

Grammar Points

Using「お宅」in Complaints

「お宅」is used when making complaints to someone you don’t know well. It’s more formal than「あなた」but has an accusatory tone when used in complaints.

Examples:

Using「〜ような気がする」

This pattern softens statements by expressing them as feelings or impressions rather than facts.

Examples:

Using「徹底させる」

「徹底させる」means to thoroughly implement or enforce something.

Examples:

Tips from this Dialogue

Responding to Complaints

  1. Don’t be defensive - Even if you think you’re not at fault
  2. Apologize immediately - ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ありません
  3. Investigate - Find out what actually happened
  4. Take responsibility - Don’t blame others
  5. State clear actions - Explain what you’ll do to prevent recurrence
  6. Follow through - Actually do what you said

The Importance of “Gomeiwaku”

「ご迷惑をおかけして」(We caused you trouble/inconvenience) is a powerful phrase for:

Keego (Polite Language)

いる (iru) - to be
Polite/Respectful Forms:

Kanji

現 - present, appear, actual
Reading: げん (gen), あらわ (arawa)
Example: 現金 (genkin - cash), 現場 (genba - site/scene), 現れる (arawareru - to appear)

Source

Based on NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson #33
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit33.html