Buying Souvenirs near Tōdai-ji in Nara — JLPT N5 Japanese Conversation
The situation
Yattan (ヤッタン) stops at a souvenir shop (おみやげ屋) beside Tōdai-ji and talks with the shop staff (店員さん) about what to buy.
すみません、おすすめは何ですか。
すみません、おすすめは なんですか。
Excuse me, what do you recommend?
そうですね、これが人気ですよ。鹿のクッキーです。
そうですね、これが にんきですよ。しかの クッキーです。
Let's see, this one is popular. They're deer cookies.
かわいいですね。じゃあ、それは何ですか。
かわいいですね。じゃあ、それは なんですか。
How cute. Then, what is that one?
それは奈良のお茶です。とてもおいしいです。
それは ならの おちゃです。とても おいしいです。
That's Nara tea. It's very tasty.
このクッキーをください。いくらですか。
この クッキーを ください。いくらですか。
I'll take these cookies. How much are they?
一つ500円です。いくつ要りますか。
ひとつ ごひゃくえんです。いくつ いりますか。
They're 500 yen each. How many would you like?
二つください。お願いします。
ふたつ ください。おねがいします。
Two, please. Thank you.
はい、1000円です。ありがとうございます！
はい、せんえんです。ありがとうございます！
Sure, that's 1000 yen. Thank you very much!
Key expressions
- おすすめは何ですか — "What do you recommend?" おすすめ is the noun "recommendation," so this literally asks "As for the recommendation, what is it?" It works in any shop or restaurant.
- これ・それ・どれ — "this one / that one / which one." These stand alone as nouns (no item word needed): これは何ですか ("What is this?"), それがおすすめです ("That one is recommended"). Use どれ to ask which of several.
- 〜をください — "Please give me ~ / I'll take ~." The everyday way to ask for something in a shop: このクッキーをください. See 〜てください and requests for the polite-request pattern ください builds on.
- いくつ／〜個 — "How many? / ~ items." いくつ asks the quantity of general objects; you answer with the native counters 一つ (ひとつ), 二つ (ふたつ), 三つ (みっつ), or with 〜個 (こ): 二個ください.
About Tōdai-ji and the Nara deer
Tōdai-ji (東大寺) houses the Daibutsu (大仏), a 15-meter bronze Great Buddha, and is one of Japan's oldest and most famous temples. The surrounding Nara Park is home to over a thousand freely roaming deer (鹿), long considered sacred messengers of the gods. You can buy 鹿せんべい (deer crackers) to feed them — and many deer will actually bow their heads to ask for one. If a deer gets too pushy, the survival phrase you want is 「ありません」 ("I don't have any"), with your empty hands shown.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between これ, それ, and あれ?
これ is near the speaker ('this'), それ is near the listener ('that, by you'), and あれ is far from both ('that over there'). どれ is the question form, 'which one?' They act as nouns, so no extra item word is needed.
How do I ask 'how many' in Japanese?
Use いくつ for general objects: いくつ要りますか ('How many do you need?'). Answer with native counters — 一つ, 二つ, 三つ — or with 〜個 (こ), like 三個 ('three'). For flat things like tickets you'd switch to 〜枚 instead.
Is 〜をください polite enough for a shop?
Yes. 〜をください ('please give me ~') is polite and perfectly natural for shops and restaurants. Adding お願いします afterward makes it a touch warmer and rounds off the request nicely.