When I checked in at Narita on my way to New York, I realized that I’d been assigned a middle seat. Great. I guess that’s what you get when you book a ticket yourself rather than through a travel agent, I thought. I pressed the button to try and change it, but all the seats were full. Twenty minutes before my flight, I decided to try and ask one of the ladies at the gate – 空いている通路席(つうろせき)はありませんか。Are there any aisle seats available? Miraculously one was free. She tore up my old boarding pass and handed me a new one. Don’t ask me how it happened, I’m just glad I had the leg space and easy access to the bathroom. Maybe she was so surprised someone wasn’t asking for an upgrade to business class that she was happy to oblige me.
If you’re looking for a window seat, the word you want is 窓席(まどせき). I’m not sure why you would request a middle seat, but I believe the word is 中央席(ちゅうおうせき).
I’m not sure how you would say it in Japanese, but I always ask for an emergency row seat or bulkhead. 90% of the time they give it to me (I’m 192cm, so they should!). Maybe 非常席?
I usually just ask for an anaesthetic.
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I love your blog, and saw on your twitter feed that you found out today that Pinball, 1973 was reprinted. It’s kind of funny; I discovered that today too, as I was writing about Pinball, 1973 as my first entry in my new blog about Japan and literature. Small world!
Brian: ALC suggests 非常口座席. Just 非常口席 is probably ok, too.
Matt: Good point. This was my first time on a US carrier where the booze was free. It wasn’t very good, though.
Will: Hey, thanks. I can’t believe I just found out about it today. Being in Japan means I can get my copy for just over 800 yen, which makes me feel less bad about the $20 copy of Hear the Wind Sing I bought off ebay a few years ago. Looking forward to more posts on your site.