東京の電車、24時間になる？

Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is May twenty-fifth. Today's story: Tokyo might run its trains twenty-four hours a day. Right now, trains stop around midnight. That could change. Let's listen.

Let's break it down.

The first sentence.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is thinking about running trains twenty-four hours a day. Let's look at the key words.

Train. One of the first words you learn in Japanese. You'll use it every day in Tokyo.

To make something run. The base verb means to run. This form means to make something run. Trains run, but people make trains run.

Is thinking about, is considering. It means they are currently thinking about it. No decision yet.

Next sentence.

Right now, Tokyo's trains stop around midnight.

Around, approximately. But only for time. For amounts, you use a different word.

Stops. One of the most useful verbs for daily life in Japan.

Who needs this change?

For people who work late at night and travelers from abroad, this is inconvenient.

To work. A very common verb. You'll hear it in many news stories.

Traveler. The first part means travel, the last character means person.

Inconvenient. The first character is a prefix that means not. The opposite means convenient.

The plan.

First, they plan to try it only on Friday and Saturday nights.

First, to begin with. A great word for explaining steps.

To try doing something. When you add this ending to a verb, it means let's try it and see.

Plan, schedule. Very useful for everyday conversation.

Which lines will they use?

The lines they'll use are the Yamanote Line and the Chuo Line. If you've been to Tokyo, you know these. The green circle line and the orange line.

Train line, route. Very common in news about transportation.

But there's a problem.

But they do track inspections during the night, so there are safety concerns.

Safety. You'll see this word on signs everywhere in Japan.

Problem, issue. Another word you'll hear constantly.

And the official's comment.

Safety is the most important thing. We will investigate carefully before deciding.

Number one, the most. You can combine it with any adjective. The most important. The most fun. Very useful pattern.

Important, precious. A warm word. You use it for things you truly care about.

To decide. A word you'll use a lot in daily life.

Let's listen to the full story one more time.

Quiz time. Three questions.

What time do Tokyo trains stop? Around midnight.

What days will they try first? Friday and Saturday.

What is the most important thing? Safety.

That's today's Japanese Daily News. Full transcript with furigana at podcast.jpnotes.dev. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. See you tomorrow.