Tag Archive: japan news – intermediate

  Pre-reading questions: How can a child express his love for his/her parents? Have you ever cheered for your parents before they go to work? Can a drawing cheer anyone up? Why?   A decorated truck has been launched by a transportation company in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture. The project is to provide emotional support for drivers and to avoid misfortune while on the road. At first, the management has thought upgrading driving equipment would be inadequate to avoid accidents. Now, they have found out that it’s important for drivers and the people they love to find peace while drivers are at work. This project is supported by 15 transportation companies…
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  Pre-reading questions: What is your favorite TV program? What is the model of your TV set? Do you watch TV every day?   Development of higher TV formats is rising in Japan. Japan has just started testing to broadcast in the new format. Private broadcasters and TV companies have high expectations for the broadcasting formats with higher resolution such as 4K and 8K. Companies are also into accelerating their development projects. Electronic companies are signing up to change their formats to 4K and 8K. The 4k format is times higher than the normal format while the 8K format is sixteen times better. This technology is anticipated by most. However,…
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  Pre-reading questions: Where do you usually shop? What are the items that you usually buy? Have you tried buying anything online?   Online shopping is now on the rise in Japan. As competition heats up, online shoppers get freebies and perks. Online shopping is faster than spending much time in mall shopping. Different techniques and styles are being offered by different online shoppers.These companies are improving to gain more costumers. E-commerce is expected to grow more and more. The e-commerce market, including online shopping has worth ¥13.8 trillion in 2015 according to the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry. The worth 5 years ago has doubled the market. Companies are…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you play sports in your school? What is your most favorite sports? Did you ever wish to become a professional athlete?   The planned place for rowing and canoe competitions of Olympics 2020 is in Miyage Prefecture, according to the four parties assigned for the upcoming event. These parties will make a final plan for the venue. Miyagi Naganuma has an advantage since the costs of construction will cut down to ¥15 billion from ¥20 billion. It can also become a symbol of restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake. But there are possibilities that the plan will split the Olympic Village and this made the…
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  Pre-reading questions: What makes school fun? What is your most unforgettable school experience? Did you ever wish to stay a student forever?   Problems at home and school could lead students to lose interest and motivation to go to school. A number of students in elementary and junior high school who do not go to school are increasing according to statistics. The duration of students’ absences varies widely. Some students miss a few school days, others a month while others give up school entirely to stay at home. Some students also have problems to make friends with other people. Some elementary students are violent toward their peers. This year’s…
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Pre-reading Questions: Did you have a dream job when you were a child? Does anyone in your family work overnight? A company in Japan is inspected by authorities due to the report that employees from the company worked overtime illegally. It is suspected of violating the labor law. Japanese companies now are on a hot seat and will not be exempted to the inspection. Japanese businesses are far behind in legal compliance. Employees normally spend more than 100 hours of overtime work in a month. Authorities are aiming to stop excessive overtime. Surprise on-site inspections of workplace are also planned. The company Dentsu Inc. forbids employees to work from 10…
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  Pre-reading questions: Do you celebrate Halloween? Are you interested in folklore of other countries?   In Tokyo, Kawasaki parade is the largest and about 250,000 partygoers participates this year. Disneyland also has the big event for the Halloween. Japanese people thoroughly embrace this event with make-up and prosthetics. This may not be a culture or a tradition of the country but it has been observed yearly. For this year’s event, 2,600 people dress up to participate. It also seems to be more about dressing up and less about experiencing spooks and thrills. Dressing up, eating themed food, attending parties and events are things that people usually enjoy when the…
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