2025/9/13(Sat.)*SMC*

Lecture: SM Yoko Narisawa

Today, let’s learn English proverbs. Here are 20 proverbs along with their meanings. Please fill in the blank with a suitable word. Please answer them with your imagination even if you don’t know them.

1. A stitch in time saves ( n     ).

Fixing a small problem early prevents it from becoming a big one.

2. Too many ( c     s ) spoil the broth.

Too many people involved can ruin a project.

3. You reap what you ( s     ).

Your actions determine your outcomes.

4. ( A       ) makes the heart grow fonder.

Being apart from someone often deepens affection.

5. ( F        ) favors the brave.

Taking risks often leads to great rewards.

6. Don’t wait for your ( s     ) to come in --- swim out to it.

Take initiative rather than waiting passively.

7. Friendship is a sheltering ( t     ).

A good friend offers comfort and protection.

8. Old friend and old ( w     ) are best.

Long-lasting friendships are especially valuable.

9. You can lead a horse to ( w     ), but you can’t make it drink.

You can give someone an opportunity, but you can’t force them to use it.

10. Haste makes ( w     ).

If you do something too quickly, you may make mistakes.

11. Still ( w     s ) run deep.

Quiet people often have deep thoughts or strong feelings.

12. A watched pot never ( b     ).

Time feels slower when you are waiting impatiently.

13. Curiosity ( k     ed ) the cat.

Being too curious can cause trouble. ( used to tell someone not to ask too many questions about something )

14. Great minds think ( a     ).

Intelligent people often have similar ideas.

15. You can’t squeeze blood from a ( s     ).

You can’t get anything from someone who doesn’t have it.

16. There’s more than one way to skin a ( c     ).

There are many ways to solve a problem.

17. If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up with ( f     s ).

If you associate with bad people, you’ll suffer bad consequences.

18. The older, the ( w    er ).

Older people can still do things well.

19. A nod is as good as a ( w    ) to a blind horse.

Subtle hints are useless to someone who doesn’t understand.

20. One swallow does not make a ( s      ).

One good sign doesn’t mean success.

< Answer >

1. nine 2. cooks 3. sow 4. Absence 5. Fortune 6. ship 7. tree

8. wine 9. water 10. waste 11. waters 12. boils 13. killed 14. alike

15. stone 16. cat 17. fleas 18. wiser 19. wink 20. summer

Table Topic Speech

(1) When was the last time you tried something new?

(2) If not now, then when?

(3) What do you want less of in your life?

(4) How would you describe your future in three words?

(5) Are you happy with yourself?

(6) Do you own your things or do your things own you?

Prepared Speech

(1) Matcha:SM Noro

Matcha’s global popularity is soaring, but a combination of poor harvests caused by extreme heat and rising demand has led to shortages and record-high prices. Tourism and social media have fueled “matcha mania,” causing even Japan’s traditional tea ceremonies to feel the impact.

High-grade matcha remains labor-intensive, with hand-picking, stone-grinding, and strict quality control limiting output. Japan’s aging farmers are slow to adopt modern methods, and newly planted tea fields take about five years before producing usable leaves. As a result, solving the shortage is far from easy and reflects broader difficulties in boosting Japanese crops such as rice and tea.

(2) The A-bomb: SM Koizumi

I joined a Diamond Princess cruise that visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II, and I went to see the records of the atomic bombs at their memorial museums.

It was my first time visiting Hiroshima.  From Hiroshima Port, I took a streetcar to the Atomic Bomb Dome. I had often seen the Dome on TV, but standing there felt deeply sad.

Among many visitors, I quietly took some photos in silence.

Across the park, I entered the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and killed about 140,000 people. The total number of people exposed to radiation there is said to be around 340,000.

In the first exhibition room, a large round display drew a crowd.  It was a scale model of Hiroshima spreading out from the bomb’s hypocenter.  Looking down, the city looked peaceful.

Then a B-29 bomber appeared, dropped a bomb, and an enormous red explosion spread out.

A thick cloud rose, and when it cleared, only ruins remained.

The power of the atomic bomb was overwhelming.  According to the exhibits, about 50 % of its energy was blast, 35 % heat rays, and 15 % radiation.  The blast knocked down people, animals, trees, and buildings. Air rushed back toward the center, creating a huge updraft that formed the mushroom cloud.

The fireball’s center temperature reached 1,000,000 °C.  Just 0.2 seconds later, its surface was 7,000 °C, and even at ground level, 500 m below the explosion, temperatures were 3,000–4,000 °C. The pressure at the blast point reached hundreds of thousands of atmospheres, and even 500 m away, the force was about 11 tons per square meter.  No force on Earth could stop such destruction.  Hiroshima became the world’s first atomic-bombed city.

The Dome, the destroyed buildings, the dead, and the survivors all testify to the horror of nuclear weapons.

On August 9, 1945, at 11:05 a.m., another bomb fell on Nagasaki, killing about 70,000 people.

About 200,000 people were exposed there.  The ruins of Urakami Cathedral left a deep impression on me.　In Nagasaki, I unexpectedly met Christian, the dance leader on the Diamond Princess.  He is from Argentina, a former Latin dance champion, and now an outstanding entertainer and activity leader on the cruise.　It was our first real conversation.  I asked him what he felt after seeing the museum.　He said, “Seeing so many ordinary people, not soldiers, being massacred… I was speechless. Learning this history brought me to tears.”  I replied, “The atomic bomb is truly terrifying. War must never happen again. We need to teach peace to children from an early age.”  He knew I was also a dancer. In that moment, as two people, we shared our thoughts on peace and felt closer to each other.

Eighty years have passed since those bombs fell. Seeing the power of these weapons again reminded me how frightening they are. Yet instead of eliminating nuclear arms, more countries have acquired them, more warheads exist, and nuclear technology has advanced, making their destructive power even greater.

At the end of the Hiroshima museum tour, there is a notebook called Dialogue where visitors can leave messages. I wrote:  “Worldwide Peace Education makes the world peaceful. Hiroshima’s peace education should be shared with children all over the world.”

Finally, I want to share part of the Nagasaki Peace Declaration:

“Stop settling conflicts with violence right now. Around the world, conflicts are growing worse through cycles of division and hostility. At this rate, we are heading toward nuclear war. This crisis threatens every single one of us living on Earth.

‘No more Hiroshima. No more Nagasaki. No more war. No more hibakusha.’ These heartfelt cries are the very essence of the survivors’ feelings.

They showed us with strong hope that humanity can eliminate nuclear weapons. Their voices inspired many citizens, and the idea of being ‘global citizens’ took root here in Nagasaki.

As global citizens, the first step is to get to know one another. Through dialogue and exchange, let’s build understanding and trust. This is a great responsibility for all of us in civil society.

I hereby declare that, as global citizens, join hands, build trust and empathy, and turn them into the power to create peace—so that Nagasaki will forever remain the last city ever bombed by a nuclear weapon.”

(3) Senior Open: SM Kaneko

With this title, I talked about the 35th Japan Senior Open Golf Championship, which will be held at Sagamihara Golf Club from September 18th to 21st (Thursday to Sunday). For some reason, I received four 2,500 yen tickets, which can be used on any day.

The point of my speech was that I could share the tickets with SMC members. However, nobody who attended the September 13th meeting was particularly interested in joining the event.

Today (September 14th), I talked about the event at another English learning circle in Machida. Two members, for whom playing golf is a hobby, were very interested in the event, and I was able to share the tickets with them. So, the three of us planned to watch the game together on Thursday, September 18th.

As of now, I still have one more ticket, which I can use on Saturday or Sunday. However, if Takahata-san, who was absent on September 13th and whom I hear sometimes plays golf, is interested in the event, there is no reason for me not to share the ticket with her.

Please contact me. I can send it via express delivery. I’m sorry if this sounds like a personal message, but if you read carefully, it is not. Thank you.

(4) Sadness: SM Kei Narisawa

When I was staying in America, I missed driving a car, sushi, and ramen. But what I missed most was my 

wife. I was even haunted by a dream of her in a bunny suit.

We humans have four emotions: joy, anger, sadness, and amusement. Today I’d like to talk about sadness.

When I was a child, I often felt sad toward the end of August, when summer vacation ended and a new 

semester began. Around that time, the temperature suddenly dropped, which made me even sadder. 

If you hadn’t yet finished your summer homework, you probably felt grief or even devastation rather than just sadness.

Later, as a high school student, I always enjoyed watching Nichiyo Yoga Gekijou broadcast at 9:00 on 

Sunday evenings. But nine o’clock meant the end of the day, and the next day I had to go to school no

matter what. That made me sad. The better the movie, the sadder I felt. My brother and I went to the

same school, so we shared this feeling. Sometimes we even skipped school on Mondays and went to 

Hachioji instead. Since our school had no uniforms, the police never suspected us. Of course, our mother eventually found out. We were called on the carpet and made to vow never to do such a thing again.

When my son turned 19, he started living on his own. He must have had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he could finally do whatever he wanted, but on the other hand, he was stepping out from under his 

parents’ protection. We also felt sad, but we knew that as a young adult, he had to go through this rite of 

passage into adulthood. Later, I heard from my wife that as he said goodbye and was about to leave for 

his boarding room, he thanked her for taking good care of him. It was as if he were leaving us to get 

married, as a new bride. His words brought tears to her eyes. I would have surely shed tears myself, but 

I wasn’t there.

Several days after he began his life alone in Noborito, I visited him to see how he was doing. You know 

how it is when a father and son are alone in a small room—we felt awkward, not knowing what to talk about. After we had dinner together, it was time to say

goodbye. My son tried to persuade me to stay the night

(5) The Beauty of Wabi-Sabi”: SM Ishimura

Hello everyone.

Today, I want to share something special from Japanese culture. It’s called wabi-sabi. These two small words hold a big meaning.

They teach us to find beauty in things that are not perfect, not new, and not forever.

Let’s start with wabi.

Long ago, wabi meant feeling lonely, especially when living far from other people.

But over time, the meaning changed.

Now, wabi is about enjoying quiet moments and simple things.

For example, a cracked teacup, a single flower in a vase, or a peaceful walk in the rain—these are wabi moments.

They may look plain, but they can make us feel calm and happy.

Next is sabi.

Sabi is the beauty that comes with age.

It’s the color of old wood, the rust on a garden gate, or the faded writing in an old letter.

These things show us that time leaves marks—and those marks are not mistakes.

They are memories. They are stories. They are beautiful in their own way.

Together, wabi-sabi helps us see the world differently.

It tells us: “You don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”

“You don’t have to last forever to be meaningful.”

In today’s world, many people want things to be fast, shiny, and perfect.

But wabi-sabi whispers: “Slow down. Look closely. There is beauty in the quiet, the old, and the simple.”

So next time you see a cracked bowl, a sunset that’s fading, or an old friend’s wrinkled smile—pause.

That’s wabi-sabi. And it’s waiting for you.

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on Sep. 27 at Oyama Community Center (cooking practice room)

(Coordinator: SM Noro)