Where is the lost and found department?

At the shopping center, Osamu went to the restroom and washed his hands. Then he noticed that someone forgot their attache case. Osamu wanted to follow him and give it to him but he hesitated because he didn't want to get into trouble. He didn't want to be holding onto someone else's stuff and be accused of stealing. Then Osamu left it in the restroom but he felt down about it all day. If you see someone leave something behind, you should run after them and try to return it. You can say: "Did you lose this? or Is this yours? You should be honest. Some people are not honest and try to keep whatever they find. There's a sayingthat goes like this: "Finders, keepers, losers, weepers." This means that if you find anything, you can keep it. And that people who find things are the winners. If no one claims the item, you can keep it. You may sound greedy trying to claim something, but some people do. Here's a sentence you can use: "If no one claims it, may I have it? My number is 390-9098 and my name is Sally Jud."

遺失物取扱所はどこにありますか？
いしつぶつとりあつかいしょはどこにありますか？

Where is the lost and found department?

ここには遺失物取扱所はありますか？
ここにはいしつぶつとりあつかいしょはありますか？

Do you have a lost and found department?

どのように行けばよいですか？
どのようにいけばよいですか？

How can I get there?

これを男子用のトイレの中で見つけました。
これをだんしようのトイレのなかでみつけました。

I found this in the men’s room.

7/1/1993

（ジャパニーズビーチプレス連載）

鬱病

（ハワイパシフィックプレス連載）

This cream doesn't dissolve.

Osamu ordered coffee at the restaurant but the milkdidn't melt in the coffee. He thought that it was old or something was wrong with it but he didn't know what to tell them. He just didn't drink it.Americans will complain even if they are in a foreign country. If you go to a Chinese restaurant, you should inspect all your dishes and silverware because sometimes it is not clean. Look into the condiments too. "There's a bug in the mustard. May I have new one?"

他のものと替えて頂けますか？
たのものとかえていただけますか？

May I have another one?

コーヒーの表面に小さなかたまりが浮かんでいます。
コーヒーのひょうめんにちいさなかたまりがうかんでいます。

It’s floating to the top in little chunks.

クリームがコーヒーに溶けません。
クリームがコーヒーにとけません。

This cream doesn’t dissolve.
This cream is not mixing in with the coffee.

クリームが腐っています。
クリームがくさっています。

This cream is spoiled.


5/15/1993





（ジャパニーズビーチプレス連載）

I think I was overcharged.

Osamu paid his restaurant bill without looking at it over carefully. He was not used to checking to see if he was charged correctly. One day, he had some doubt about the bill but the handwriting was illegible. He thought that they added an addtional fee for tourists but left 15% tip just like the guide book told him to. He decided not to go to that restaurant again. When foreigners go to restaurants, sometimes it is presumed that they don't know how to give tips. So it is sometimes added to the bill. That is why it is important for visitors to read the bill before they pay it because you could be paying the tip twice. On the bill, it's usually called a "service charge." If you don't know if you should pay tip, you can ask these questions: "Was a service charge added to the bill?" ( or another way to say it:) "Did you add a service charge (to the bill)?" Another word for "tip" is gratuity. You can use this in a sentence also. Example: "Was the gratuity included in the bill?"

請求書をもう一度、チェックして頂けますか？
せいきゅうしょをもういちどチェックしていただけますか？

Could you check this bill agian?

請求が多過ぎるように思います。
せいきゅうがおおすぎるようにおもいます。

I think I was overcharged.

請求が少な過ぎるように思います。
せいきゅうがすくなすぎるようにおもいます。

I think I was undercharged.

支払いは４０ドル位で、６７ドルではないはずです。
しはらいはよんじゅうドルくらいで、ろくじゅうななドルではないはずです。

The bill should be around 40 dollars, not 67 dollars.

請求書に間違いを見つけました。
（ここに間違いがあります。）
せいきゅうしょにまちがいをみつけました。８ここにまちがいがあります。）

I found a mistake in this bill. (There’s a mistake here.)

請求書の合計に誤りがあります。
せいきゅうしょのごうけいにあやまりがあります。

The bill’s total is wrong.

4/15/1993

（ジャパニーズビーチプレス連載）

Can I get my parking ticket validated here?

Osamu rented a car and went to a restaurant in the hotel. In the entrance of the parking lot, he got the parking ticket by pushing a button. Then he parked his car safely. When he paid the dinner bill, he wondered if they gave him a stamp on his parking ticket. He didn''t know how to ask this question.You may two sentences to get a stamp.. "Could you validate this? or "Can I get this validated?" If you have a hard time with this word, you don't have to use it. "Could you stamp my parking ticket? You should always get a parking validation, otherwise, you will have to pay a lot of money. With validation, you will pay about 2 or 3 dollars. Without it you pay $10 or more.

ここで、駐車券にスタンプを押してもらえますか？
ここで、ちゅうしゃけんにスタンプをおしてもらえますか？

Can I get my parking ticket validated here?
Can I get this validated?
Do you do validations here?
Can you validate this?

4/1/1993

（ジャパニーズビーチプレス連載）