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ALC Newsletter No. 075 1/17/08
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By the International Marketing Team at ALC Press
http://www.alc.co.jp/international
Contents:
1) The "Dear Readers" Column: Messages from the International Marketing Team at ALC Press
2) Topics in Japan #29: The boom in competitive eating
3) Quiz on Japan #14: "What should you do if bad fortune is predicted for you"
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Dear Readers,
Happy New Year from Tokyo!
We hope that you got the year off to a good start. Do you usually
make a New Year's resolution? We would like to make 2008 a year
of change. What change? Well, please wait and see. We will announce
the new developments here.
Best wishes from the International Marketing Team at ALC Press.
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Topics in Japan #29: The boom in competitive eating
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As we mentioned in our Newsletter No. 072 (issued on November
14, 2007), food safety is now being threatened in Japan. However,
there's also another phenomenon that seems almost completely
the opposite from worrying about food safety ── "ogui", or
competitive eating.
TV stations air programs on eating contests once in a while, and
they're usually quite popular. These programs have produced a very
popular competitive eater named Natsuko "gal" Sone. Natsuko is a
rather small, thin girl aged 22. She wears heavy make-up and doesn't
look like a big eater at all. But she has won several eating contests,
and has now joined the ranks of Japan's famous people.
Also, food chains have released new meals for big eaters, such as
the huge hamburger "Mega Mac" at McDonald's and the large beef
bowl "Mega Gyudon" by Sukiya. The popularity of competitive eating
has probably contributed to the success of these "mega" meals.
Meanwhile, the Japanese are known for being less prone to obesity
than Westerners. Recently, however, the percentage of obese
people and concerns about metabolic syndrome are both growing,
especially among middle-aged men. I wonder how it will affect the
body size of the Japanese, if this "ogui" boom continues.
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Quiz on Japan #14: "What should you do if bad fortune is predicted
for you?"
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How much do you know about Japan? We'll give you a quiz in each
issue, so try to find the right answer!
［Answer to last week's quiz］
Last week's quiz question was "What are you supposed to do before
drinking tea?" The answer is: (a) Turn the teacup around clockwise.
To respect the guest, the tea master places the teacup so that
the most beautiful part of the cup faces the guest. The guest will
then shows respect to the tea master by turning the teacup and
avoiding putting his/her mouth to the most beautiful part of the cup.
Quiz for this week: During the New Year, many Japanese go to
shrines or temples to pray for happiness in the new year. They also
draw paper "omikuji" (sacred lots) to learn their fortune for the year.
What are you supposed to do if your "omikuji" predicts bad fortune
for you?
(a) Take the paper back home and put it in front of the family altar.
(b) Ask the shrine/temple staff to burn the paper immediately.
(c) Tie the paper to one of the trees of the shrine/temple.
(d) Take a strand of your own hair and fold it inside the "omikuji".
Check out the correct answer in the next issue!
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Thank you for reading!
*Back issues of the ALC Newsletter are available at:
http://www.alc.co.jp/international/Newsletter.html
*If you wish to be removed from this newsletter or change the e-mail
address to which it is sent, please let us know by e-mailing us at:
intl-mag@alc.co.jp
Publisher: ALC Press, Inc.
2-54-12 Eifuku, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 168-8611 Japan
Writers: The International Marketing Team at ALC Press / Ayako Ishimoto
Editor: The International Marketing Team at ALC Press
Copyright (c) 2008 ALC Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
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