2024/6/8(土)SMC

Word of the Day: SM Koizumi

“Dance”

Background:

Dance is a form of artistic expression that involves the movement of the body, often rhythmically and to music. It is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence of dance found in ancient cultures around the world. Dance can be a social activity, a form of entertainment, a religious or spiritual practice, or a competitive sport. The styles and meanings of dance vary widely across cultures and time periods.

Usage of the Word "Dance":

Literal Usage: Refers to the act of moving rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps.               Example: "They danced the night away at the wedding."

Metaphorical Usage: Can refer to any coordinated, graceful, or intricate movement or interaction.               Example: "The two companies engaged in a delicate dance of negotiations."

Idioms and Expressions Related to Dance

Dance to someone's tune:

        Meaning: To comply with someone's demands or desires; to do as someone wishes.

Example: "She always dances to her boss's tune, never questioning his decisions."

Lead someone a merry dance:

        Meaning: To cause someone a lot of trouble or confusion.

Example: "He led his parents a merry dance with his unpredictable behavior."

Dance attendance (on someone):

        Meaning: To be constantly available and attentive to someone, often excessively so.

Example: "He danced attendance on her every need during her illness."

Waltz off with:

        Meaning: To take or win easily

Example: "She waltzed off with the first prize in the singing competition."

                                            "He waltzed off with my umbrella without asking."

It takes two to tango:

        Meaning: A situation or argument involves two people, and both are responsible for it.

Example: "Don't just blame him for the argument; it takes two to tango."

Fill in the blank and complete a sentence.

1: 言いなり                She always dances to her boss's tune, never questioning his decisions.

2: 心配かける            He led his parents a merry dance with his unpredictable behavior.

3: 面倒見る               He danced attendance on her every need during her illness.

4: 楽勝する                She waltzed off with the first prize in the singing competition.

5: 楽に得る                He waltzed off with my umbrella without asking.

6: 共に責任            Don't just blame him for the argument; it takes two to tango.

Lecture: SM Talahata

‘Questions to Doraemon’ (Asahi Shinbun)

Questions related to Hokkaido

1) Japan has one municipality, located in Hokkaido, whose name is written in katakana. What is it called?

2) What’s the name of Japan’s northmost cape, which is located in Hokkaido?

3) There are 14 airports in Hokkaido, an expansive region. Among them, one airport has a nickname taken from a bird. What airport is it?

4) One of the largest freshwater fish that lives in rivers and lakes in Japan is found only in Hokkaido. What kind of fish is it?

Science-related questions

5) The sun is a huge ball of gas, with a mass 330,000 times bigger than that of the earth. The sun is mainly made of helium and what else?

6) The ‘volt’ is a unit of electrical potential, voltage and electromotive force. It is named after an inventor of something. What was his invention?

7) You feel a tingling shock or pain when you touch electricity. Why?

Others

8) The English word ‘electricity’ came from the name of a jewel. What gem was it?

9) In which place does a large sculpture of Christ, nearly 40 meters high, look out over the city?

10) Nara and Kamakura are famous for their great Buddha statues, but Kyoto also had one. Who ordered it to be built?

Answer

1) Niseko

The name, which means “imposing cliff”, comes from a word in the language of the Indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido. The area’s famous powder snow has lured many foreigners who love to ski to move there.

2) Cape Soya

The Soya Strait between Russia’s Sakhalin island and the cape is about 43 kilometers wide, you can see the island from the cape on a clear day.  

3) Tancho Kushiro Airport

The Kushiro Marsh, Japan’s largest marshland, is located near the airport. The marshland is the habitat of tancho, called red-crowned cranes in English. This bird is a special national treasure of Japan. So this airport is named after the bird.

4) Japanese huchen or Ito

A member of the salmon family, this fish can grow to as large as 1 meter long. Designated as an endangered species, it is also called the “phantom fish.” You can view this fish in several aquariums in Hokkaido.

5) Hydrogen

The temperature of the sun’s surface is about 6,000 degrees Celsius, while the center part is 15 million degrees. It produces a lot of heat and light through nuclear fusion.

6) Electric battery

Italian physicist Alessandro Volta invented the world’s first electric battery in 1,800. He used salt water as one of its materials, and it is said he had trouble carrying a device because the water leaked out.

7) To protect your body

In the human body, there are tiny electric currents that activate organs like the heart and muscles. But when you receive more electricity than usual, pain occurs to warm your body that something is wrong. 

8) Amber

Electron is the Greek word for amber. Around 600 B.C., philosopher Thales of Miletus found that amber attracted dust after it was polished with a cloth. Thus, he discovered static electricity.

9) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It is called the Christ the Redeemer Statue of Corcovado and stands atop a hill at an altitude of 710 meters. It was completed in 1931 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Brazil’s independence.

10) Toyotomi Hideyoshi 

There was a Great Buddha statue, which was reportedly 18 meters high, in Hokoji temple in Kyoto. It was completed in 1595 under the feudal lord but was destroyed by an earthquake next year. 

Table Topic Speech

(1) what do you do over and over again that you hate doing?

(2) what's something most people don't know about you?

(3) What was your last major accomplishment?

(4) If you could relive yesterday what would you do differently?

(5) If you could live forever, would you want to? Why?

Prepared Speech

(1) How to reduce waste: SM Yoko Narisawa

 I’m planning to tidy my children’s rooms in order to have my son’s family stay at our place. Each room is full of unused things. They are like storage sheds. I’m thinking about one way to carry out my plan: renting a trunk room or buying a storage shed. However, renting a 1.5 mat trunk room for a month costs about 10,000 yen. On the other hand, buying a storage shed that meets the requirements would cost me an arm and a leg. Do you have any other good ideas?

 Recently, various efforts are being made to contribute to SDGs. We need to think about reducing waste. 

I have a lot of clothing items such as T-shirts or sweaters I no longer wear. I have to find a way to use them effectively. Especially, with baby clothes, as babies grow quickly, it is helpful to use hand-me-downs. I have a friend who has seven granddaughters. She sometimes gives me their hand-me-downs, which I send to my granddaughter. My son and his wife really appreciate her kindness.

 What I thought was trash may turn to be treasure. I used to feel a bit reluctant to tidy the rooms in my house, but now I’m starting to look forward to it.

(2) A true leader: SM Kei Narisawa

I've been a passionate fan of the Yokohama Baystars for as long as I can remember, but I now have a significant concern about Manager Miura's leadership.

First, while being friendly is commendable, Miura's tendency to treat players as friends undermines his authority and ability to make tough decisions. He hesitates to replace underperforming pitchers and rarely takes corrective action.

Second, Miura lacks a deep understanding of baseball strategy. Unlike legendary managers, his decision-making seems superficial and uninformed by solid baseball theories.

Third, Miura often behaves more like a fan than a manager. He celebrates excessively after wins and blames others after losses, which is not the behavior of a true leader.

True leadership requires a balance of authority, deep understanding, and emotional intelligence. It’s about making tough decisions, having a clear vision, and inspiring those you lead to achieve their best, even if it means making unpopular choices.

You've got to do the opposite of what Miura does if you want to be a leader in the true sense of the word.

(3) My swimming pool life: SM M.G

This April, I decided to join a swimming school.

However, I already had  shoulder and arm ache the first lesson and soon I couldn't take any lesson.

I heard that maybe I could swim crawl with problem of shoulder if I do rolling because I do not have to rotate my arms.

So, I asked my son who can swim 4 strokes, " How you rotate your arms when you do freestyle.  Show me"

Instead of showing how to move his arms, he said, " The most important thing is meditate, relax and focus before starting to swim. The second important thing is don't listen to your coach."

The funny answer, I thought.

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on Jun. 22 at Oyama Community Center (tea room)

(Coordinator: SM Yoko Narisawa, Word of the Day: SM M.G, Lecturer: SM Noro)

Zoom: 7:30 PM on Jun. 10 and 17