Title: MiniCore Japanese-EN / Booster: Sushi Restaurants
Tags: MinicoreJapanese-EN booster-sushi vocab sentence dialog-line dialog recognition

MinicoreJapanese: Kaitenzushi wa arimasu ka.
Native: 回転寿司はありますか。
English: Is there conveyor-belt sushi (around here)?
Literal: conveyor-sushi [topic] exists ?
Notes: kaitenzushi — "rotation sushi." Cheap, fast, family-loud, and the best possible first sushi outing: everything is visible, priced, and self-service.

MinicoreJapanese: Kono sara wa ikura desu ka.
Native: この皿はいくらですか。
English: How much is this plate? (pointing)
Literal: this plate [topic] how-much is ?
Notes: sara — the plate, which is the price: each color means a number, decoded by the chart on the wall. When the chart and the plate disagree in your head, Lesson 3's ikura settles it.

MinicoreJapanese: Botan wa doko desu ka.
Native: ボタンはどこですか。
English: Where is the (call) button?
Literal: button [topic] where is ?
Notes: The [Ticket-Machine booster](/boosters/booster-shokken/)'s botan, now on the table edge: it summons staff, and on the touchscreen it summons fish. Screens at the big chains have an English toggle — but the fish names below are faster.

MinicoreJapanese: Saamon o futatsu, onegaishimasu.
Native: サーモンをふたつ、お願いします。
English: Two salmon, please. (to staff, or reading it off the screen)
Literal: salmon [obj] two, please
Notes: saamon — salmon, the belt's best seller (and pure katakana, if you took [that booster](/boosters/booster-katakana/)). Lesson 3's futatsu counts orders here exactly as it counted everything else.

MinicoreJapanese: Maguro wa arimasu ka.
Native: まぐろはありますか。
English: Do you have tuna?
Literal: tuna [topic] exists ?
Notes: maguro — tuna, sushi's backbone.

MinicoreJapanese: Ebi mo kudasai.
Native: えびもください。
English: Shrimp too, please.
Literal: shrimp also give-me
Notes: ebi — shrimp, promoted at last from the open-noun wilderness to taught vocabulary.

MinicoreJapanese: Toro wa ikura desu ka.
Native: とろはいくらですか。
English: How much is the toro (fatty tuna)?
Literal: fatty-tuna [topic] how-much is ?
Notes: toro — the fatty belly cut of maguro, the belt's luxury tier and the counter's crown. Worth the gold-rimmed plate at least once.

MinicoreJapanese: Taishou, osusume wa nan desu ka.
Native: 大将、おすすめは何ですか。
English: Chef, what do you recommend?
Literal: chef, recommendation [topic] what is ?
Notes: taishou — "boss," the friendly way to address the chef behind the counter — plus the [Izakaya booster](/boosters/booster-izakaya/)'s osusume. This one sentence marks you as someone worth feeding well; expect the answer to be whatever came off the boat this morning.

MinicoreJapanese: Sabi-nuki, onegaishimasu.
Native: さび抜き、お願いします。
English: Without wasabi, please.
Literal: wasabi-removed, please
Notes: sabi-nuki — "wasabi withdrawn," the official counter term (it's how children order). Real sushi comes with wasabi already tucked inside the nigiri — this is the word that keeps it out, said when ordering, not after.

MinicoreJapanese: Wasabi wa chotto…
Native: わさびはちょっと…
English: Wasabi is… a bit much for me. (the polite dislike)
Literal: wasabi [topic] a-little… (trailing hedge)
Notes: Lesson 9's trailing hedge, doing exactly what it was built for: dislike without the word for dislike. The chef hears it, nods, and the next piece comes sabi-nuki without another word said.

MinicoreJapanese: Gari mo, onegaishimasu.
Native: ガリも、お願いします。
English: More gari (pickled ginger), please.
Literal: pickled-ginger also, please
Notes: gari — the pickled ginger, a free and bottomless palate cleanser. (Between pieces, not on them — behavior notes.)

MinicoreJapanese: Omakase, onegaishimasu.
Native: お任せ、お願いします。
English: Chef's choice, please. (handing the whole meal to the counter)
Literal: entrusting, please
Notes: omakase — "I leave it to you": the most elegant sentence in Japanese dining. The chef builds the meal piece by piece to what's best today; your job is to eat each one soon after it lands and look pleased (easy). At an unfamiliar counter, ask the price first — the repair drill below shows how that conversation goes.

MinicoreJapanese: kaitenzushi
Native: 回転寿司
English: conveyor-belt sushi
Notes: the best first sushi outing

MinicoreJapanese: sara
Native: 皿
English: plate
Notes: the color *is* the price

MinicoreJapanese: omakase
Native: お任せ
English: chef's choice
Notes: *Omakase, onegaishimasu.*

MinicoreJapanese: taishou
Native: 大将
English: "boss" — the counter chef
Notes: the friendly address

MinicoreJapanese: sabi-nuki
Native: さび抜き
English: without wasabi
Notes: say it when ordering

MinicoreJapanese: wasabi
Native: わさび
Notes: already *inside* real nigiri

MinicoreJapanese: gari
Native: ガリ
English: pickled ginger
Notes: free, bottomless, between pieces

MinicoreJapanese: maguro
Native: まぐろ
English: tuna
Notes: sushi's backbone

MinicoreJapanese: saamon
Native: サーモン
English: salmon
Notes: the belt's best seller

MinicoreJapanese: ebi
Native: えび
English: shrimp
Notes: promoted from the open-noun wilds

MinicoreJapanese: toro
Native: とろ
English: fatty tuna
Notes: the gold-rimmed plate

MinicoreJapanese: botan
Native: ボタン
English: button
Notes: *Kono botan desu ka.*

MinicoreJapanese: osusume
Native: おすすめ
English: recommendation
Notes: *Osusume wa nan desu ka.*

MinicoreJapanese: Chuumon no shouhin ga touchaku shimasu.
Native: 注文の商品が到着します。
English: your order is arriving
Notes: clear a spot, take your plates

MinicoreJapanese: Tsugi wa nani o nigirimashou ka.
Native: 次は何をにぎりましょうか。
English: what shall I make next?
Notes: a fish name, or *onegaishimasu*

MinicoreJapanese: At the kaitenzushi
Notes: Staff: Osuki na seki e douzo.
Sit wherever you like. (the ticket-shop line, back again)
[(honorific) liked seat toward go-ahead]
Traveler: Sumimasen. Menyuu no botan wa doko desu ka.
Excuse me — where is the menu button?
[excuse-me. menu of button [topic] where is ?]
Staff: Koko desu yo. Douzo.
Right here — go ahead.
[here is [yo]. go-ahead]
Traveler: Kono sara wa ikura desu ka.
(a mystery plate glides past) How much is this plate?
[this plate [topic] how-much is ?]
Staff: Ni-hyaku en desu.
200 yen.
[two-hundred yen is]
Traveler: Toro mo, onegaishimasu.
The toro too, please.
[fatty-tuna also, please]
Staff: Hai!
Coming up!
[yes!]
Traveler: Sumimasen. Okaikei, onegaishimasu.
(a proud stack later) Excuse me — the bill, please.
[excuse-me. bill, please]
Staff: Hai. Sara wa juu desu ne.
Sure — that's ten plates, yes?
[yes. plate [topic] ten is [ne]]
Traveler: Arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you.
[thank you (full polite form)]

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Menyuu no botan wa doko desu ka.
Native: すみません。メニューのボタンはどこですか。
English: Excuse me — where is the menu button?
Literal: excuse-me. menu of button [topic] where is ?

MinicoreJapanese: Koko desu yo. Douzo.
Native: ここですよ。どうぞ。
English: Right here — go ahead.
Literal: here is [yo]. go-ahead

MinicoreJapanese: Toro mo, onegaishimasu.
Native: とろも、お願いします。
English: The toro too, please.
Literal: fatty-tuna also, please

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Okaikei, onegaishimasu.
Native: すみません。お会計、お願いします。
English: (a proud stack later) Excuse me — the bill, please.
Literal: excuse-me. bill, please

MinicoreJapanese: Hai. Sara wa juu desu ne.
Native: はい。皿は十ですね。
English: Sure — that's ten plates, yes?
Literal: yes. plate [topic] ten is [ne]

MinicoreJapanese: Sushi scripts
Notes: Announcement: Chuumon no shouhin ga touchaku shimasu.
Your order is arriving. (the kaiten express-lane jingle) → clear a landing spot and take your plates
[order of item [ga] arrives]
Chef: Tsugi wa nani o nigirimashou ka.
What shall I make next? (the counter's rhythm question) → a fish name, osusume wa?, or onegaishimasu to keep the omakase rolling
[next [topic] what [obj] shall-I-press ?]

MinicoreJapanese: The omakase question
Notes: Traveler: Sumimasen. Omakase wa ikura desu ka.
Excuse me — how much is the omakase?
[excuse-me. entrusting [topic] how-much is ?]
Chef: Omakase wa gosen-en to ichiman-en no koosu ga gozaimashite, honjitsu wa Hokkaidou no uni ga haitte orimasu.
The omakase comes as a 5,000-yen or a 10,000-yen course, and today we have sea urchin in from Hokkaido.
[(too fast — that's the point)]
Traveler: Sumimasen. Yukkuri onegaishimasu.
Sorry — slowly, please.
[excuse-me. slowly, please]
Chef: Gosen-en to, ichiman-en desu.
5,000 yen — or 10,000 yen.
[five-thousand yen and, ten-thousand yen is]

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Omakase wa ikura desu ka.
Native: すみません。お任せはいくらですか。
English: Excuse me — how much is the omakase?
Literal: excuse-me. entrusting [topic] how-much is ?

MinicoreJapanese: Omakase wa gosen-en to ichiman-en no koosu ga gozaimashite, honjitsu wa Hokkaidou no uni ga haitte orimasu.
Native: お任せは五千円と一万円のコースがございまして、本日は北海道の雲丹が入っております。
English: The omakase comes as a 5,000-yen or a 10,000-yen course, and today we have sea urchin in from Hokkaido.
Literal: (too fast — that's the point)

MinicoreJapanese: Gosen-en to, ichiman-en desu.
Native: 五千円と、一万円です。
English: 5,000 yen — or 10,000 yen.
Literal: five-thousand yen and, ten-thousand yen is