1.

a) How much do you know about

Japan?
Discuss the questions with your 3. Listen again and take notes about the
partner topics
1. What is a common name for Japan? mentioned in 2. Complete the table
a) The Land of the Samurai below.
b) The Land of Rice Topic
Topic 1:
1:
c) The Land of the Rising Sun
2. Japan is...
a) a series of islands.
b) all on the mainland.
c) partly on the mainland, partly islands.
3. What is the capital of Japan?
a) Tokyo b) Beijing c) Taipei Topic
Topic 2:
2:
4. What is the population of the capital?
a) 10 million b) 20 million c) 30 million
5. Which of these mountains is in Japan?
a) Mount Kilimanjaro b) Mount Hirohito
c) Mount Fuji
6. What is the most popular spectator sport
Topic
Topic 3:
3:
in Japan?
a) football b) baseball c) sumo wrestling
7. What did people use as money in the past?
a) rice b) bread c) gold
8. What is the Japanese word for “bread”?
a) bread b) pan c) hatushi
4. Listen to the rest of the interview.
b) What other aspects of Japan are Are the statements true or false
discussed according to
in the listening passage. Think about: Malcolm?
 Where most people live: 1. It’s easy to integrate into Japanese society.
2. The Japanese are indifferent to foreigners.
 Mount Fuji: 3. The Japanese are too polite and formal.
4. The Japanese respect for old people is a good
 Sport: thing.
5. Malcolm tries to be sensitive to Japanese
 The Japanese diet: culture.
6. Japanese people feel comfortable helping
foreigners.
2. Listen to the first part of the
interview.
Which three of the topics does
Malcolm mention?
 marriage in Japan
 the ethnic mix in Japan a) Do you think Malcolm enjoys living in
 the ethnic mix in North America Japan?
 Japanese food
 How the Japanese view their customs b) Would you like to live in another
country?
If yes, where and why? If no, why not?

1. a) How much do you know about

Japan?
Discuss the questions with your 3. Listen again and take notes about the
partner topics
1. What is a common name for Japan? mentioned in 2. Complete the table
below.
 a) The Land of the Samurai
Topic
Topic 1:
1: Over 98% of population
b) The Land of Rice
c) The Land of the Rising Sun ethnically Japanese. Little
2. Japan is... immigration or mixing of races
a) a series of islands.
b) all on the mainland. in Japan’s history.
c) partly on the mainland, partly islands.
Topic
Topic 2:
2: Amazing mixture of people
3. What is the capital of Japan?
a) Tokyo b) Beijing c) Taipei from all around the world. The
4. What is the population of the capital? country of immigration.
a) 10 million b) 20 million c) 30 million
5. Which of these mountains is in Japan?
a) Mount Kilimanjaro b) Mount Hirohito
c) Mount Fuji Topic
Topic 3:
3: Tendency to think Japanese
6. What is the most popular spectator sport way of doing things is the
in Japan? “only” way or at least the best
a) football b) baseball c) sumo wrestling
7. What did people use as money in the past? way.
a) rice b) bread c) gold
8. What is the Japanese word for “bread”?
a) bread b) pan c) hatushi
4. Listen to the rest of the interview.
b) What other aspects of Japan are Are the statements true or false
discussed according to
in the listening passage. Think about: Malcolm?
1. It’s easy to integrate into Japanese society.
 Where most people live: most people 2. The Japanese are indifferent to foreigners.
live on the four main islands. 3. The Japanese are too polite and formal.
 Tokyo: has a population of over 30 4. The Japanese respect for old people is a good
million. thing.
 Mount Fuji: active volcano; over 4000 m 5. Malcolm tries to be sensitive to Japanese
high; thousands of tourists climb it. culture.
 Sport: sumo and baseball 6. Japanese people feel comfortable helping
 The Japanese diet: fish and seafood; foreigners.
rice
2. Listen to the first part of the
interview.
Which three of the topics does
Malcolm mention?
 marriage in Japan
 the ethnic mix in Japan
 the ethnic mix in North America a) Do you think Malcolm enjoys living in
 Japanese food Japan?
 How the Japanese view their customs b) Would you like to live in another country?
If yes, where and why? If no, why not?
Do you know which country is called the Land of the Rising Sun? Well, it’s a beautiful name for a
beautiful
LIVING IN country: Japan. In total, it consists ofOr
JAPAN EX. 1.wma
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almost here: but most of the population
7,000 islands,
actually lives on one of the four main islands. http://filecloud.io/tvxdsypfh
The capital, Tokyo, is a huge place. With over 30
million residents, it’s one of the most populous cities on Earth.
One of the best known symbols of Japan is the stunning Mount Fuji. It’s almost 4,000 metres high
and is an active volcano. If you want, you can join the thousands of tourists who climb the mountain
every summer. But if you’re not keen on mountaineering, Japan has plenty of other sports to do, or
to watch. Sumo is considered the national sport and occupies an important place in Japanese
culture. The most popular spectator sport, however, is baseball, which was introduced by North
American who visited the country in the 19th century.
No visit to Japan is complete without trying its famous cuisine. As it’s an island nation, people eat a
lot of fish and seafood –who hasn’t heard of sushi ? Rice also figures largely in the Japanese diet, as
it’s grown by many farmers. In the past, people even used it as money, but don’t try paying with it
now! If you prefer bread, don’t worry – they eat plenty of that in Japan, too. And the name is very
easy to remember: it’s pan! It comes from the Portuguese word for bread, pão, as Portuguese
explorers visited the country in the 16th century.
 LIVING IN JAPAN PART 1 EX. 2.wma Or download here:
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PART 1:
Interview Malcolm, you’ve been leaving in Japan for a while. What’s it like being a foreigner
er: there?
Malcolm: Hmm, that’s not an easy question to answer. I think it’s probably a good idea if I give
some background information about Japan first. It helps to know a bit about the country
when talking about a subject like this.
Interview OK, go ahead!
er:
Malcolm: Well, first of all, you need to realise that Japan is a very “pure” country, ethnically
speaking. Over 98% of the population is ethnically Japanese. There’s really been very
little of mixing of races in Japan’s history –which is pretty strange, when you come to
think of it.
Interview Why do you say that?
er:
Malcolm: Well, I suppose I think it’s strange because I’m from the USA and, as you know, we’ve
got an amazing mixture of people from all around the world. We are the country of
immigration. I mean, I myself am Afro-American.
Interview OK, I see. So you were saying that Japan is not precisely a melting pot of races...
er:
Malcolm: That’s right. And this has a big effect on everything in Japan. First of all, Japanese
culture is completely dominant. There’s nothing really multicultural about the country
at all.
Interview But aren’t young people very keen on US designer-label brands?
er:
Malcolm: Well yes, they are, but that’s quite superficial. Deep down, there’s a tendency here to
think that the Japanese way of doing things is the only way of doing things, or at least
the best way. You’ve also got to remember that, precisely because there are so few
non-Japanese in Japan; people don’t come into contact with foreigners very often. So it
can be a bit of a shock for them when they do see one.
Interview Is that your own experience?
er:
Malcolm: Well, I think my own case is particularly “extreme”, if I can put it that way. I mean, I’m
black, so I couldn’t really look much more different! (laughs) Also, I live in a small town
in Japan and there are very few foreigners there... of any colour.

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Topic 1: Japan is a very “pure” country, ethnically speaking. Over 98% of the population is
ethnically Japanese.
Topic 2: I’m from the USA and, as you know, we’ve got an amazing mixture of people from all
around the world.
Topic 3: Deep down, there’s tendency here to think that Japanese way of doing things is the only
way of doing things, or at least the best way.

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Interview So, to get back to my original question, what’s it like being a foreigner in Japan? Is it
 er: possible to feel really integrated?
Malcolm: Well, I think it’s quite difficult. It’s not that the Japanese don’t like foreigners, or are
especially prejudiced. It’s just that we seem really weird to them... a bit like aliens.
Interview Really? Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?
er:
Malcolm: I don’t think so. For example, people here stare at me a lot. But they don’t stare at me
because they are being rude. It’s just that I look very, very strange to them.
Interview That’s amazing! What differences have you noticed between Japan and the US?
er:
Malcolm: Oh, lots! To start with, the Japanese are very formal and polite, and have a great deal of
respect for authority figures and older people. In the West we tend to be much more
laid-back and informal. And, we don’t always show a lot of consideration to elderly
people. I personally think that we could learn a lot from the Japanese as far as that’s
concerned.
Interview Do you change the way you behave when you’re with Japanese people?
er:
Malcolm: Well, I don’t become a different person, if that’s what you mean! But I certainly do try
to act politely and not offend anyone. For example, when I speak to Japanese people,
I’m very formal and I bow a lot.
Interview Doesn’t it feel strange to act so formally?
er:
Malcolm: Well, it did at the beginning, but not any more. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter if it
feels strange. The thing is, you need to respect the customs and the culture of the
country you live in. It’s as simple as that.
Interview Japanese people also have a reputation for being very shy. Do you think that’s true?
er:
Malcolm: Well. They’re certainly reserved, and behaving in the correct way is very important to
them. Let me give you a real example which might surprise you. Sometimes, when I
ask people in the street for help –asking for directions, that kind of thing – they literally
run away! Now, they’re not being rude or racist. It’s just that they’ve never met a
foreigner before. So they’re probably thinking: “I don’t know any English. What do I do?
What do I do?”
Interview Well, Malcolm, that was really interesting. Thanks very much!
er:

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