Japanese Storytelling: Sharing Experiences from Other Cultures with 〜たとき
Learn to tell short stories about your time in other cultures using 〜たとき, 〜ていた, and 〜たことがある, with natural past-tense narration and time expressions.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
When you want to tell someone about a meaningful experience abroad, Japanese storytelling usually anchors the story in time first, then describes what happened. The core pattern is a past-tense clause plus とき (toki), meaning 'when...'. You will also use 〜ていた (te-ita) for ongoing situations and 〜たことがある (ta koto ga aru) for 'I have done...'. This lesson teaches you to build a short, natural story about another culture without needing to ask the listener questions. Focus on clear time anchors, past forms, and one or two reactions.
By the end, you can…
- describe when and where an experience in another culture happened using 〜たとき and 〜ていた.
- tell a short story about a cultural experience using past-tense verbs and time expressions.
- use 〜たことがある to say I have had a particular cultural experience.
- add a simple reaction or feeling to make my story sound natural.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
アメリカにいたとき、ホストファミリーと感謝祭を祝いました。
When I was in America, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my host family.
Amerika ni ita toki, hosuto famirī to kanshasai o iwaimashita.
Use 〜にいたとき for 'when I was in [place]'. いた is the plain past form of いる. This is a polite, neutral story opener.
そのとき、私は日本の文化と比べていました。
At that time, I was comparing it with Japanese culture.
Sono toki, watashi wa Nihon no bunka to kurabete imashita.
〜ていた marks an ongoing action in the past. 比べていました is the polite past progressive of 比べる, 'to compare'.
初めて韓国料理を作ったことがあります。
I have made Korean food before.
Hajimete Kankoku ryōri o tsukutta koto ga arimasu.
〜たことがある expresses past experience without a specific time. Use あります in polite speech. 初めて means 'for the first time'.
イタリアで電車に乗ったとき、とても緊張しました。
When I rode the train in Italy, I was very nervous.
Itaria de densha ni notta toki, totemo kinchō shimashita.
〜たとき uses the past plain form before とき when the first action is completed. 緊張しました is a common way to describe nervousness.
その経験は今でも忘れられません。
I still cannot forget that experience.
Sono keiken wa ima demo wasureraremasen.
A natural story closer. 忘れられません is the potential negative form of 忘れる, literally 'cannot forget'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The main storytelling pattern is [past plain clause] + とき, [main clause]. For example, 日本に来たとき、日本語を勉強し始めました (Nihon ni kita toki, Nihongo o benkyō shihajimemashita) means 'When I came to Japan, I started studying Japanese.' If the situation was ongoing, use 〜ていた: 日本にいたとき、毎日日本語を勉強していました (Nihon ni ita toki, mainichi Nihongo o benkyō shite imashita) — 'When I was in Japan, I was studying Japanese every day.' Use 〜たことがある for experience: タイに行ったことがあります (Tai ni itta koto ga arimasu) — 'I have been to Thailand.'
When to use it
Use 〜たとき when one completed past action happened at the same time as another. Use 〜ていたとき when you describe an ongoing background situation. Compare: 友達が来たとき、料理を作りました (Tomodachi ga kita toki, ryōri o tsukurimashita) — 'When my friend came, I cooked.' versus 友達が来ていたとき、料理を作っていました (Tomodachi ga kite ita toki, ryōri o tsukutte imashita) — 'While my friend was here, I was cooking.' In storytelling, 〜ていた often sets the scene, and 〜た moves the action forward.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
先月、タイに行ったとき、市場で珍しい果物を見ました。
Last month, when I went to Thailand, I saw unusual fruit at a market.Sengetsu, Tai ni itta toki, ichiba de mezurashii kudamono o mimashita.へえ、どんな果物でしたか。
Oh, what kind of fruit was it?Hē, donna kudamono deshita ka.ドリアンでした。においが強くて、最初は食べられませんでした。
It was durian. The smell was strong, and at first I couldn't eat it.Dorian deshita. Nioi ga tsuyokute, saisho wa taberaremasen deshita.それは大変でしたね。でも、いい経験になりましたね。
That sounds tough. But it became a good experience, didn't it?Sore wa taihen deshita ne. Demo, ii keiken ni narimashita ne.A little context goes a long way
Japanese storytelling often values shared reaction over dramatic detail. After a past-tense event, listeners may respond with へえ or それは大変でしたね to show they are following. In polite conversation, keep verbs in ます form unless you are close to the listener. Avoid overusing あなた; it is usually omitted. When talking about another culture, neutral phrasing such as 〜と比べて (compared with...) is safer than direct judgments.
One thing to watch for
Using the present tense before とき for a completed past event: タイに行くとき、市場を見ました.
Try this instead: Use the past plain form before とき when the first action is completed: タイに行ったとき、市場を見ました (Tai ni itta toki, ichiba o mimashita). 行くとき would suggest 'on the way to Thailand' or a habitual future situation, not a completed past trip.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'When I was in France, I was studying art.'
Show a sample answer
フランスにいたとき、美術を勉強していました。 (Furansu ni ita toki, bijutsu o benkyō shite imashita.)
〜にいたとき matches 'when I was in...' and 〜ていました marks the ongoing past activity. フランスにいたとき、美術を勉強しました is also possible if you mean a completed action rather than an ongoing one.
2Which form expresses 'I have eaten Indian food before'?
Show a sample answer
インド料理を食べたことがあります。 (Indo ryōri o tabeta koto ga arimasu.)
〜たことがあります expresses past experience without a specific time. インド料理を食べました would mean you ate it at a specific time, not 'have eaten before.'
3Complete the sentence: 日本に＿＿とき、お寺をたくさん見ました。 (When I came to Japan, I saw many temples.)
Show a sample answer
来た (kita)
来た marks the completed action of coming. 来る would suggest 'when I come' in a future or habitual sense, which does not fit the past story.
Anchor your story with a past-time phrase, use 〜たとき for completed events and 〜ていた for background scenes, and close with 〜たことがある or a simple reaction to make your cultural experience sound natural.
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