Tag Archive: Japan News – Beginner

Pre-reading questions: How many children do you want to have in the future? Do you think it’s easy to take care of children? Please explain your answer. Vocabulary: drop box [noun] – a box or basket where you can safely leave something Please put the gift in the drop box outside the house. infant [noun] – a baby or a very young child It is difficult to take care of infants. allow [verb] – to let someone do something My mother allows me to go anywhere alone. anonymously [adverb] – in secret I always give gifts anonymously. adopt [verb] – to legally take another person’s child as your own family…
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Pre-reading questions: Have you seen a military ship? Do you know what MSDF mean? Vocabulary: helicopter – [noun] aircraft The president is flying to Japan via helicopter. joint exercises – [noun] military training joined by two or more groups Philippines and US have joint military exercises. supply – [noun] stock; store Last night, we ran out of water supply. bond – [noun] something that binds or holds together Japan keeps a strong bond between their ally countries. launch – [verb] to release, start, or send North Korea threatens a missile launch. A Japanese helicopter helped guard the U.S military supply ship. They sail off the Shikoku region while having joint…
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Pre-reading questions: What are the skills that an employee needs? What are the challenges of having many jobs for an individual? Vocabulary: 1. increasingly [adverb] – more often or to a greater degree Job-juggling has become increasingly common for workers in Japan. 2. juggle [verb] – to handle or deal with several things at one time Workers juggle their jobs so they can earn more. 3. notion [noun] – a theory or belief held by a person or group It is my notion to trust my employees to have several jobs. 4. outlook [noun] – a person’s point of view or general attitude to life My outlook has changed ever…
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Pre-reading questions: Are you still working? At what age do you want to retire? Is it good to work even if you are already 70 years and up? Why or why not? Retiring seniors can now work again. They will receive help from the education ministry. It is common for retired seniors to continue working in the same company, but with easier tasks. There are still so many things people can do as long as they are healthy. Vocabulary: retire – [verb] to leave your job or stop working because of old age or bad health senior – [noun] older and more experienced than the other members of a team…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you usually ride a taxi? Is riding a taxi convenient? Is it safe to ride a taxi in your city? Tokyo taxis have lowered their initial fare. The taxi fare used to be ¥730. It is now ¥410 for the first 1.052 kilometers. The taxi fare has been lowered to attract more passengers. The new system started in the cities of Musashino and Mitaka. This is going to be good for passengers. Vocabulary: lower – [verb] to move down initial – [adjective] at the beginning fare – [noun] the money paid for a public transport attract – [verb] to make someone interested in something passenger – [noun]…
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Pre-reading questions: Is it easy to work/study abroad? Have you studied/worked abroad? Vietnamese trainees are studying Japanese language and culture in preparation for a job based in Japan. Trainees will eventually leave their families to work abroad. They want to work in Japan so they can provide a better life for their family. However, there are trainees who escaped because they’re not getting paid properly. Trainees are starting to feel pressured because of the expensive lifestyle in Japan. Vocabulary: trainee – [noun] a person who is training for a job abroad – [abroad] in a foreign country escape – [verb] run away pressured – [verb] stressed out expensive – [adjective]…
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Pre-reading questions: Is it important for computers to have an antivirus software? Has your computer ever been infected by virus? Tokyo police started helping companies fight against cyber attack. Cyber attack is an attempt to damage or destroy a computer network or system. They developed a program that will automatically detect possible viruses and other threats. A special cyber attacks investigation team will then analyze the gathered information. After that, those information will be uploaded in a secure server for companies to have an access. Vocabulary: detect – [verb] discover or identify automatically – [adverb] by itself with little or no direct human control crime – [noun] an illegal act…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you have more female or male co-workers? Is your boss male or female? Japanese people work long hours. Some companies want to lower overtime work. Because of this, more and more women will be hired to avoid overtime work. Women do not usually work overtime because they go home soon after work to take care of their family and kids. This will help improve the quality of work in offices. This program will also help many working men and women have more time for their family. Vocabulary: overtime [noun] – work added to normal work hours hire [verb] – pay someone to do a job avoid [verb]…
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Pre-reading questions: Do/Did both of your parents work? What does/did you mother do? Some companies in Japan  have  started giving more support to working mothers. One company started asking all fathers to take parental leave. This way, fathers can take care of their young kids and mothers can have more time to work. Some Japanese companies have started opening daycare centers for their employees’ little children. The government hopes that more support for working mothers can improve the economy. Vocabulary: support [noun] – something given to help someone working mother/father [noun] – mother/father who has a job and takes care of her/his children parental leave [noun] – time that a…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you like visiting an onsen? Why or why not? When is the perfect time to visit an onsen? Tell me about the best onsen you know.   Furosshu is a word used in Niigata prefecture. This word means to bathe in an onsen (hot spring) where local sake (rice wine) is added. Eighteen Ryokan inns have this service. Every 26th of the month, visitors get the chance to bathe in a sake-onsen. Bathing in sake is said to be good for skin.   Vocabulary: bathe – [verb] to wash in a container filled with water inn – [noun] a house where people can eat and rent…
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