Self Learning Material
February/2012 - August/2017
Welcome to our homework page. We'll be posting regular articles that we hope you will find interesting, along with discussion questions. Listen to the recordings, read the articles and then discuss the questions with your teacher. Or, if you would like to practice your writing skills, why don't you write answers to some of the questions and send them to us? We'd be happy to correct your English and send it back to you.
TOPICS
No.106 Staying Cool in Summer
Pre-intermediate-Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
How do you stay cool in summer?
No.105 Politicians' perks
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Is it easy to balance public and private life?
No.104 Child Poverty in Japan
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Were you surprised to read that Japan has a significant child poverty issue? Why? Why not?
No.103 TEPCO on trial
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Should Japan continue to use nuclear power?
No.102 Moderate drinking linked to brain damage
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you drink too much?
Moderate drinking linked to brain damage
No.101 How much do you think the Olympics will cost?
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Tokyo Olympics to cost twice as much as initial estimate. Why?
No.100 Smoking Ban?
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think about the latest smoking ban proposals?
No.99 Host clubs
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Have you ever been to a host/hostess club?
No.98 Gambling on Japan’s future
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are you looking forward to Japan’s first casino?
No.97 Patriotism vs Nationalism
Advanced
No.96 Hard work - no reward
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are you satisfied with your current salary?
No.95 Elderly drivers: When will you stop driving?
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think there should be an upper age limit for driving? If so, what should the age be? If not, why not?
No.94 Teasing vs Bullying
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What’s the difference between teasing and bullying?
No.93 Northern Islands
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think Prime Minister Abe can resolve the Northern Islands dispute?
No.92 Power Harrassment
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Have you ever been harassed at work?
No.91 Unhealthy Longevity
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you do to prolong your life?
No.90 Real Names
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are you comfortable showing your real name at work?
No.89 Voting Age in Japan
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think the voting age in Japan should be?
No.88 Konkatsu boom or bust
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think about the future of marriage in Japan?
No.87 Be like an Osaka Aunty to avoid fraud
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No.86 Do you suffer from hay fever?
Pre-reading Questions
Do you suffer from hay fever?
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No.85 Saving the world through vegetables
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Could you reduce your meat intake to save the world?
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Saving the world through vegetables
No.84 Eight Reasons to love Kuroneko takkyubin
Pre-reading Questions
Do you use delivery services (takkyubin)? Which one is your favourite?
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No.83 Childhood Hunger in Japan
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are grandparents a cash cow?
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No.82 Childhood Hunger in Japan
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Did you know that some children in Japan go hungry?
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Organisations tackle problem of childhood hunger in Japan
No.81 Living in a Truck to Save Money
Beginners - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Could you live in a truck to save money?
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No.80 Hard-Wired Beliefs: Gun Rights v Gun Control
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think America can control gun violence?
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Hard-Wired Beliefs: Gun Rights v Gun Control
No.79 Falling in Love Again
Beginners - Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
What makes you fall in love with your spouse once more?
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No.78 What do you think about the Death Penalty?
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think about the Death Penalty?
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No.77 Are you drinking more, or less these days?
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are you drinking less than you used to?
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No.76 Greece v Japan - are they the same?
Advanced
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Greece v Japan - are they the same?
No.75 Is this your ideal man?
Beginner
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No.74 New Rules of Work
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“How has your working life changed?"
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No.73 Cup Noodles - Japan’s greatest invention
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“What do you think is Japan’s greatest ever invention?"
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Cup noodles - Japan's greatest invention
No.72 British Houses
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
“Did you know that British houses are the smallest in Europe?"
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No.71 Who should pay on a date?
Beginner
Pre-reading Questions
“Who should pay on a date?"
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No.70 Mixed messages on how to increase the birth rate
Intermediate to Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“Do you think young people want to get married and have children?"
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Mixed messages on how to increase the birth rate - Intermediate to Advanced
No.69 Tourist agency to survey onsets on tattoo policy
Pre-reading Questions
“Do you have any tattoos? Many visitors do!"
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Tourist agency to survey onsets on tattoo policy
No.68 Bureaucratic bungling behind butter shortage
Pre-reading Questions
“What do you think about the butter shortage?"
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No.67 Free house in the country
Intermediate to Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“Would you like a free house in the country?"
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No.66 Things we missed about Japan
Beginners
Pre-reading Questions
“What would you miss if you left Japan?"
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No.65 Population decline? No problem! | Reading
Intermediate to Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“What are the bright sides of Japan’s falling population?"
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Population decline? No problem!
No.64 5 Ways to bug your older coworkers | Reading
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“What do you think about the current crop of company freshmen?"
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5 Ways to bug your older coworkers
No.63 Early bird gets the worm | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
“ What time do you wake up in the morning?"
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No.62 Japan awash in weird warnings | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
“Do you think there are too many warnings in Japan?"
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No.61 Would you like to eat insects? | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
“Would you like to eat insects?"
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No.60 Why don’t people visit Japan? | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
“Why do you think Japan isn’t a popular tourist destination?"
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No.59 The winds of change - predicting the future | Reading
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
“Can you make some predictions for 2015? What do you think will be in the news?"
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The winds of change - predicting the future
No.58 7 Cool things for Japan in 2015 | Reading
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
“Are you excited about these 7 things that will happen in Japan in 2015? Which ones?"
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7 Cool things for Japan in 2015
No.57 What are your New Year Resolutions? | Reading
Beginner - lower intermediate
Discussion questions
1. Did you make any New Year Resolutions last year? What were they? Were you successful?
2. If you were successful, tell the group how you reached your goal.
3. If you were unsuccessful, tell the group why you failed.
4. What are your New Year Resolutions for 2015? If you didn’t make any yet, make at least 1 today.
5. How will you reach your goal in 2015?
6. Will you use any technology to help you with your goal? What technology will you use? Apps? PC?
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No.56 Have you ever worked for a “black company”? | Reading
Advanced
Discussion questions
1. Do you think the economy is improving? Why? Why not?
2. Do you think the number of black companies is increasing?
3. What do you think about “Service Overtime” in minimum wage jobs?
4. Do you/did you do “service overtime” in your job? How much? What did you think about that?
5. Have you ever done this kind of job? Do you think that company was a black company?
6. Do you think the government should doanything about this problem?
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No.55 What do you think about smoking manners in Japan? | Reading
Discussion questions
1. Do you smoke? Why? Why not?
2. Non-smokers: Have you ever smoked? Was it easy to stop?
3. Smokers: How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?
4. What do you think about each of the three cases of aggressive non-smokers? Is their
behaviour reasonable? Why? Why not?
5. What do you think about smoking manners in Japan? Are they good? Bad?
6. Smokers: Do you do any of the “good manners” things listed in the article? Which ones?
7. Non-smokers: Do you do any of the actions listed at the end of the article? Which ones? Why/ Why not?
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No.54 Have a Great British Christmas | Reading
Discussion questions
1. Have you ever spent Christmas in England? Did you enjoy it? Why? Why not?
2. Do you do any of these things for Christmas in Japan? Which ones? Do you feel that they are Japanese or British customs?
3. What other things do you do at Christmas in Japan?
4. British people eat turkey on Christmas Day. Why do Japanese people eat chicken?
5. Does Japan have something similar to Christmas Number One?
6. Do you have a Christmas tree in your house? Why? Why not?
7. Will you buy Christmas presents? For whom?
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No.53 King for a day | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
What would you do it you were King or Queen for a day?
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No.52 Who is your ideal man? | Reading
Intermediate
Discussion questions
1. What do you think about the Four Lows? Are they good characteristics for a man tohave?
2. Women: Would you prefer to have a man who has the Three Highs, or the Four Lows? Why? Who not?
3. Men: Are a Three Highs or Four Lows type? Why?
4. What other characteristics do women find attractive?
5. Women: Tell us about your ideal man. What kind of personality does he have?
6. Men: Tell us about your ideal woman. What kind of personality does she have?
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No.51 Job fairs attract parents of jobseekers | Reading
Advanced
Discussion questions
1. Do you think the current generation of young adults is less mature than past generations?
2. When you got your first job, were your parents involved in your decision? In what way?
3. Did you get involved in your childrens’ job hunting? How?
4. Do you agree that “black companies” are proliferating? If so, why do you think this is?
5. Have you ever worked for a black company? Why was it black company? What did you do?
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Job fairs attract parents of jobseekers
No.50 100yen disaster prep | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have a disaster kit?
What’s in it?
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No.49 Tired, depressed and working too hard | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
Do you work too hard?
Does this make you feel depressed?
DOWNLOAD
Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced
No.48 Minimum Wage | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
How much do you think you need to earn to survive?
Do you think you could live on the minimum wage?
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Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced
No.47 Olympic legacy | Reading
Pre-reading Questions
Do you remember the last Tokyo Olympics?
What legacy do you hope the 2020 Olympics will have?
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Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced
No.46 Japanese women's opinions on foreign and Japanese men | Reading
Intermediate and above
Pre-reading Questions
“Have you ever had a relationship with someone from another culture? Did you experience any difficulties or challenges?"
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"J-women on J-v-foreign men" 【PDF】
No.45 New Year Resolution | Reading
Intermediate and above
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No.44 Police and yakuza prepare for 2020 Olympic battle
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have any experience of dealing with yakuza?
Do you think the police will be able to suppress the yakuza during the Olympics?
DOWNLOAD
"Police and yakuza prepare for 2020 Olympic battle" 【MP3】
"Police and yakuza prepare for 2020 Olympic battle" 【PDF】
No.43 Police and yakuza prepare for 2020 Olympic battle
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have any experience of dealing with yakuza?
Do you think the police will be able to suppress the yakuza during the Olympics?
DOWNLOAD
"Police and yakuza prepare for 2020 Olympic battle" 【MP3】
"Police and yakuza prepare for 2020 Olympic battle" 【PDF】
No.42 Japanese kids weigh in on the difficulties of the past
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think life was more difficult for kids in the past? Why? Why not?
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"Japanese kids weigh in on the difficulties of the past" 【MP3】
"Japanese kids weigh in on the difficulties of the past" 【PDF】
No.41 Pitcher rejects corporal punishment?
Intermediate - advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Were you physically punished when you were a student? Do you think it made you stronger?
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"Pitcher rejects corporal punishment" 【MP3】
"Pitcher rejects corporal punishment" 【PDF】
No.40 What makes you feel Japanese?
Beginner - Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Do you feel very Japanese? What makes you feel most Japanese?
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"What makes you Japanese" 【MP3】
"What makes you Japanese" 【PDF】
No.39 Picking Up Women Day, Grilled Meat Day, and many more
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Have you heard of Honey day? How about no garbage day?
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No.38 Stress Overload
Intermediate - Upper Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have a lot of stress in your life? What was the most stressful age in your life so far?
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No.37 Too old to drive
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
How old is too old to drive? When do you think people should stop driving?
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No.36 Cellphone wallpaper
Pre-intermediate - intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
What's your cellphone wallpaper? Do you look at other people's wallpaper?
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No.35 Geisha Wannabe
Intermediate to advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are you interested in traditional Japanese culture? Did you know that there are foreign geisha?
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No.34 Geisha Wannabe
Pre-intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Are you interested in traditional Japanese culture? Did you know that there are foreign geisha?
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No.33 Decline of entrepreneurship blamed for Japan's woes
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think that Japan has become less entrepreneurial in recent years?
DOWNLOAD
"Decline of entrepreneurship blamed for Japan's woes" 【MP3】
"Decline of entrepreneurship blamed for Japan's woes" 【PDF】
No.32 Useful tips for daily life
beginner - intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
What tips do you have to make daily life easier?
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"Useful tips for daily life" 【MP3】
"Useful tips for daily life" 【PDF】
No.31 Japanese men turn to parasols to beat the heat
Lower Intermediate - Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Is it OK for men to use parasols on hot days?
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"Japanese men turn to parasols to beat the heat" 【MP3】
"Japanese men turn to parasols to beat the heat" 【PDF】
No.31 Whatever Happened to the Olympic Spirit?
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Is it OK to deliberately lose a match if it helps you to win a medal?
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" Whatever Happened to the Olympic Spirit?" 【MP3】
" Whatever Happened to the Olympic Spirit?" 【PDF】
No.30 New Hirees Quitting in Droves
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think young adults today have less commitment than previous generations? Are they spoiled by their parents?
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"New Hirees Quitting in Droves" 【MP３2.33MB】
"New Hirees Quitting in Droves" 【PDF 68KB】
No.29 Saving Money in Japan
Beginner - pre-intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have any good ideas to save money?
DOWNLOAD
"Saving Money in Japan" 【MP３2.33MB】
"Saving Money in Japan" 【PDF 68KB】
No.28 45 surprising things about Japan
Beginner-intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think foreigners find surprising about Japan?
DOWNLOAD
"45 surprising things about Japan" 【MP３2.33MB】
"45 surprising things about Japan" 【PDF 68KB】
No.27 The US penny: Should it be scrapped?
Intermediate to Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think the US penny should be scrapped? How about the 1-yen coin?
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"The US penny: Should it be scrapped?" 【MP３2.33MB】
"The US penny: Should it be scrapped?" 【PDF 68KB】
No.26 Welcome to the Toy cafe
Intermediate to Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you play with toys? If not, would you like to?
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"Welcome to the Toy cafe" 【MP３2.33MB】
"Welcome to the Toy cafe" 【PDF 68KB】
No.25 Health Mistakes that everyone makes
Beginner to Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have any unhealthy habits? Could you change your daily routine to become healthier?
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" 'Health Mistakes that everyone makes" 【MP３2.33MB】
"Health Mistakes that everyone makes" 【PDF 68KB】
No.24 Health Mistakes that everyone makes
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you have any unhealthy habits? Could you change your daily routine to become healthier?
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"'Health Mistakes that everyone makes" 【MP３2.33MB】
"Health Mistakes that everyone makes" 【PDF 68KB】
No.23 Wayward general wants to whip Japan's wimpy civilians into winners
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are young Japanese men weak? Do you think corporal punishment should be introduced to Japanese schools?
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" 'Wayward general wants to whip Japan's wimpy civilians into winners" 【MP３2.33MB】
"Wayward general wants to whip Japan's wimpy civilians into winners" 【PDF 68KB】
No.22 How healthy are you?
Beginner-Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
How healthy are you? Would you like to be more healthy? How?
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" 'How healthy are you?" 【MP３2.33MB】
" 'How healthy are you?" 【PDF 68KB】
No.21 "Otaku" men become popular
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Are you an Otaku? Would you be interested in marrying one?
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" 'Otaku' men become popular" 【MP３2.33MB】
" 'Otaku' men become popular" 【PDF 68KB】
No.20 "Otaku" men find themselves much sought after
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Are you an Otaku? Would you be interested in marrying one?
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"'Otaku' men find themselves much sought afte>" 【MP３2.33MB】
" 'Otaku' men find themselves much sought after" 【PDF 68KB】
No.19 Perfect Mothers
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Do you think there is too much pressure on women to be perfect mothers?
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No.18 Food adaptations
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Why do you think American chain restaurants change their menus for Japan?
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"Food adaptations" 【MP３2.08MB】
No.17 Strange foods from around the world
Beginner - Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
What's the strangest food you've ever eaten? How was it?
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"Strange foods from around the world" 【MP３2.36MB】
"Strange foods from around the world" 【PDF 76KB】
No.16 Hashimoto's school for politicians
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think about Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto?
DOWNLOAD
"Hashimoto's school for politicians" 【MP３2.36MB】
"Hashimoto's school for politicians" 【PDF 76KB】
No.15 Historical Myths
Intermediate - Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
Who do you think drew Mickey Mouse? Who do you think was the first American president?
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"Historical Myths" 【MP３2.36MB】
No.14 You eat what you are.
High Beginner - Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
Pre-listening questions: What is your "comfort food"? What would you choose for your last meal?
DOWNLOAD
"You eat what you arer" 【MP３2.36MB】
"You eat what you are" 【PDF 76KB】
No.13 Earth Hour
Intermediate | Listening file - 4 minutes
Pre-reading Questions
Pre-listening questions: Have you heard of Earth Hour? Do you think we should try to raise awareness of climate change?
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No.12 Seniors urged to eat Fukushima rice
Intermediate to advanced | Listening file - 4 minutes
Pre-reading Questions
Would you eat Fukushima rice? What do you think we should do to help farmers in the Fukushima area?
DOWNLOAD
"Seniors urged to eat Fukushima rice" 【MP３1.95MB】
"Seniors urged to eat Fukushima rice" 【PDF 75KB】
No.11 Why do Japanese change their attitudes when they communicate with foreigners?
Intermediate - advanced | 3 minutes
Pre-reading Questions
Do you change your attitude when you communicate with foreigners? Why? Why not?
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"Why do Japanese change their attitudes when they communicate with foreigners?" 【MP３ 2.27MB】
Why do Japanese change their attitudes when they communicate with foreigners?" 【PDF 82KB】
No.10 Must-see destinations in Japan
High beginner - intermediate 5 minutes
Pre-reading Questions
Which places in Japan would you recommend visitors should go to? Why?
DOWNLOAD
"Must-see destinations in Japan" 【MP３ 2.29MB】
"Must-see destinations in Japan" 【PDF 81KB】
No.9 Herbivores and Carnivores
Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you think we can divide men into various clear categories?
2. How many different types of men can you think of?
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"From carnivores to herbivores: how men are defined in Japan" 【MP３ 2.27MB】
"From carnivores to herbivores: how men are defined in Japan" 【PDF 82KB】
No.8 Confusing Japanese customs
High beginner to Intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
What Japanese customs do you think foreigners might find confusing?
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"Some Japanese customs that may confuse foreigners " 【MP３ 2.27MB】
"Some Japanese customs that may confuse foreigners " 【PDF 82KB】
No.7 Descending from Heaven
Advanced
Pre-reading Questions
What do you think about amakudari? Is it a good custom? Should we change it?
DOWNLOAD
"Descending from Heaven" 【MP３ 2.03MB】
"Descending from Heaven" 【PDF 89KB】
No.6 Six things that foreigners feel are overpriced in Japan
Beginner-pre-intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
1. What are some things that are cheaper abroad? What things are more expensive?
2. Have you ever been to another country and been shocked by the prices?
3. Have you ever had culture shock? Please tell the class the story.
4. Do you shop online for things that you can't get in Japan? If yes, what do you shop for?
5. When abroad, what did you miss the most about Japan?
6. Why are the six things listed above cheaper in other countries?
7. Do you think that prices in Japan are generally going up or down? Why?
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"Six things that foreigners feel are overpriced in Japan" 【MP３ 2.99MB】
"Six things that foreigners feel are overpriced in Japan" 【PDF 73KB】
No.5 China outperforming Japan in campus romance
Level: Upper-intermediate
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you think it’s true that young Japanese men are more “herbivorous” than previous generations? Is it also true that Chinese men are “carnivorous”?
2. What do you thin about Sudo’s story? What should he have done? Why do you think he did nothing? Should we feel sorry for him? Or is it his fault?
3. What’s your opinion about Chiemi, her boyfriend, and Yang? Was Yang’s behavior bad? Was Chiemi’s? How about her boyfriend? Do you feel sorry for him? What should he have done about this situation?
4. Chiemi thought Yang’s boldness and persistence were attractive, and also that they were un-Japanese. Do you agree? Do Japanese men lack boldness and persistence? Why? Why not?
5. Yang can cook. What do you think about the cooking skills of Japanese men? Are younger men better cooks than older men? Why? Why not?
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"China outperforming Japan in campus romance" 【MP３ 4.03MB】
"China outperforming Japan in campus romance" 【PDF 63KB】
No.4 Should English be the official language at Japanese companies?
Level: Intermediate
Some companies are making English their company language. Some people think this is a bad idea. What do you think?
Pre-reading Questions
Do you use English in your job? How often? Do you think it's a good idea for Japanese companies to use English every day?
Pre-reading Questions
1. Japanese Companies like Rakuten and Uniqlo are making English their official company language. Is this a good idea? Why? Why not?
2. Do you agree with Makoto Naruke that only 10% of Japanese people need to speak English? If you disagree, what percentage do you think is correct?
3. Why do you think Japan is behind other countries in English fluency?
4. Do you think it would be better for Japanese children to study Chinese instead of English? Why? Why not?
5. If you could return to your teenage years, would you spend more time studying English? Something else?
6. Do/did you use English in your job? Do you expect to use it in future?
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"Should English be the official language at Japanese companies?" 【MP３3.77MB】
"Should English be the official language at Japanese companies?" 【PDF 75KB】
No.3 Younger generation doesn’t like making phone calls
Level: Intermediate
This article is about a generation gap between younger and older people about making phone calls.
Pre-reading Questions
Do you consider yourself to be in the younger, or older generation? Do you like making phone calls? Do you make a lot of calls in your job?
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you suffer from “telephone fear syndrome”? Do you know anyone who does?
2. Which form of communication are you most comfortable with? Face-to-face? Calling? Texting/emailing?
3. Do you think it’s true that the older generation use the phone too much, and the younger generation text too much? Which is better/worse?
4. How many phone calls to you make in a typical day? How many do you receive?
5. How many emails and texts do you send in a typical day? How many do you receive?
6. Did you experience any communication problems in your working life? In your home life?
7. Can you suggest anything to improve communication between generations?
DOWNLOAD
"Younger generation doesn’t like making phone calls" 【MP３ 3.54MB】
"Younger generation doesn’t like making phone calls" 【PDF 71KB】
No.2 Generation that grew up on texting find phone conversations time-wasting
Level: Advanced. | Listening duration: 5 minutes
This article is about a generation gap between younger and older people about making phone calls.
Pre-reading Questions
Do you consider yourself to be in the younger, or older generation? Do you like making phone calls? Do you make a lot of calls in your job?
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you suffer from “telephone fear syndrome”? Do you know anyone who does?
2. Which form of communication are you most comfortable with? Face-to-face? Calling? Texting/emailing?
3. Do you think it’s true that the older generation use the phone too much, and the younger generation text too much? Which is better/worse?
4. How many phone calls to you make in a typical day? How many do you receive?
5. How many emails and texts do you send in a typical day? How many do you receive?
6. Did you experience any communication problems in your working life? In your home life?
7. Can you suggest anything to improve communication between generations?
DOWNLOAD
"Generation that grew up on texting find phone conversations time-wasting" 【MP３ 4.58MB】
"Generation that grew up on texting find phone conversations time-wasting" 【PDF 75KB】
No1. Seniors take over Japan's arcades
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you play arcade games? Why? Why not?
2. Mitsuko Nishino said that she used to tell her sons to stay away from game arcades as they could be a bad influence. Do you agree? How about now?
3. Do you play games at home? What do you think about the trend for playing games to maintain mental abilities (DS brain-training etc)? So you think they help to improve or maintain our abilities?
4. Are arcade games different to pachinko? Why? Why not?
5. The Namco spokesman says that the baby-boom generation feels comfortable with video games. If you are from this generation, is it true for you?
6. Do you agree with Mitsuko Nishino that arcade games are a good way to spend the day? How do you spend your days off?