2026/3/28(Sat.)*SMC*

Lecture:

(1) SM Noro

1. The way he drives, he's ____ to have an accident some day.

2. Fasten your seat belts- the plane's ____ to land.

3. They're ____ to be late- they're never on time.

4. I checked with the station- the train is ____ to get in at 7.30.

5. I had my coat on and was ____ to leave when the phone rang.

6. She's _____ to retire in the summer when she reaches the age.

7. He looks angry- I think he's ____ to lose his temper completely.

8. With such poor sales figures, they're ____ to go bankrupt sooner or later.

9. The aircraft couldn't take off ____ to the fog.

10. He was ____ to appear in court last Friday but didn't show up.

Ans. 1. bound, 2. about, 3. bound, 4. due, 5. about, 6. due, 7. about, 8. bound, 9. due, 10. due

(2) SM Kaneko

Kanji Landscape

SMC members (Japanese alphabetical order, Honorifics omitted)

石村、江田、柿栖、金子、Gates、小泉、高畑、広瀬、成澤（啓）、成澤（洋）、野呂、山崎

Selected Kanjis

石、村、江、田、柿、栖、金、門、泉、畑、瀬、澤、野、山、崎

Meanings in English

bay, cape, crop field, gate, house, meadow, metal or gold, mountain, persimmon, rapids, rice field, spring, stone, stream, village

Match each kanji with its meaning.

石 =

村 =

江（入り江） =

田 =

柿 =

栖（住処） =

金 =

門 =

泉 =

畑 =

瀬 =

澤 =

野 =

山 =

崎（岬） =

Then, imagine a landscape by combining all of these elements.

※ I gave several directions to an AI called Gemini.

The first direction: In the English circle I belong to, there are such members as 石村、江田、柿栖、金子、Gates、小泉、高畑、広瀬、成澤、野呂、and山崎. I'd like you to make a landscape image using the meanings of kanji characters included in our names. So, 石=stone、村=village、江（入り江）=bay、田=rice filed、柿=persimmon、栖（住処）=house、金=metal or gold、門=gate、泉=spring、畑=crop field、瀬=rapids、澤=stream、野=meadow、山=mountain、崎（岬）=cape.

The last direction: Please add the circle's name 'SMC' somewhere in the picture.

Table Topic Speech

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

(2) What three words would you use to describe the last three months of your ligfe?

(3) What personal prisons have you built our of fears?

(4) How do you define success?

(5) What life lesson did you learn the hard way?

(6) What gives your life meaning?

(7) What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?

(8) What do you do with the majority of your money?

Prepared Speech

(1) Our Short Life on a Very Old Planet: SM Ishimura

Today I would like to talk about something very big — the history of the Earth — and something very small — my own life. Scientists say that the Earth was born about 4.6 billion years ago. At that time, it was a huge ball of fire. The surface temperature may have been about 6,000 degrees Celsius. There were no oceans, no trees, no animals, and of course no people. Slowly, over millions of years, the Earth cooled. Rain began to fall and the first oceans were formed.

In those oceans, about 3.8 billion years ago, the first tiny life appeared — simple microorganisms. From that small beginning, life slowly evolved. Fish appeared in the oceans, plants and insects came onto land, dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and later mammals developed.　Finally, about 300,000 years ago, modern humans appeared.

When we look at the long history of the Earth, human beings arrived very late.　Scientists often explain it like this.　If the entire 4.6-billion-year history of the Earth were one year, human beings would appear only in the last few minutes of December 31st. In other words, we are very new guests on this old planet.

Now I would like to talk about my own life.　I am 8３ years old. Compared with the age of the Earth, my life is unbelievably short — almost like a blink of an eye. But during these 8３ years, I have experienced many things.　I have seen Japan change.I have worked, raised a family, and now I enjoy spending time with my wife.I walk every day, study English, and meet friends in my English club and Mahjong club.   Sometimes I think about this.　The Earth needed billions of years to prepare the conditions for human life.　And because of that long history, I was able to live these 8３ years.　That makes me feel very grateful.　　Scientists also say that in about 500 million years, the Sun will become hotter and life on Earth may disappear.　So the Earth also has a limited future. When we think about this enormous time scale, our lives may seem very small.　But I think our lives are still very meaningful.　Each of us has a short moment on this ancient planet.　During that short time, we can learn, love, laugh, and help other people.　And we can also appreciate this beautiful Earth.　When I walk outside and see the sky, the trees, and the seasons changing, I sometimes feel amazed.

This planet started as a burning fireball, and after billions of years it created oceans, forests, animals, and finally people like us.　And now, here we are — sitting together in an English club, talking about the history of the Earth.　Isn't that wonderful?    Our lives may be short, but they are also very precious.　So I hope  we enjoy our time on this old planet and take good care of it for future generations.　　Thank you very much for listening.

(2) When do we become old?: SM Eda

(3) Which do you choose?: SM Yoko Narisawa

We make various choices every day --- what to wear, what to eat. But how do we decide on one option from the choices in front of us? It is clear that our decisions are strongly influenced by our experiences and our personal values.

 The other day, I watched a variety show on TV. The program discussed whether people prefer tonkatsu ( pork cutlet ) or aji fry ( fried horse mackerel ). They asked customers at four popular restaurants, and the result was close --- but tonkatsu won by a small margin. How about you?

 As for me, I prefer aji fry. More than 60 years ago, when I was an elementary school student, fried horse mackerel was served for school lunch. A fish shop near our school brought us freshly fried horse mackerel.

It was incredibly delicious, and I still haven’t found any delicious fried horse mackerel that tastes better. I’m still chasing that “perfect aji fry”. I would love to try the ones served at the restaurants featured on TV.

 Speaking of making choices, let me give you a fun question. Please choose one. Your answer might reveal a personality trait you didn’t know you had.

 Imagine this:

 You find two treasure boxes on the beach. One is gleaming gold, the other is old and faded. Which one do you open? Or what action do you take? Choose one from the four options based on your intuition.

1. Open the box which is gleaming gold

2. Open the box which is old and faded

3. Leave without opening either box

4. Shake both boxes to check the contents

 A psychology researcher explains the result like this :

1. Open the gold box

 You’re drawn to gorgeous, impressive things. You feel happy when you receive positive evaluations and approval from others, so you may be very self-conscious about how other people see you.

2. Open the old and faded box

 You value the essence of things, not just their appearance. You can find special value in things that seem ordinary at first glane. You are good at understanding others’ words and feelings.

3. Leave without opening either box

 You prefer safety and stability. You take careful, calculated steps and can stay calm while making appropriate judgements. You’re the kind of person who reads the instruction manual before assembling furniture.

4. Shake both boxes

 You observe things carefully and analyze information well. Because of this, you can earn the trust and respect of many people.

 Do you agree with these explanations? I’m not sure whether they’re accurate or not. But they might reveal a part of your personality.

(4) A happy husband: SM Yamazaki

Recently, I received a newsletter from a seventy something YouTuber who teaches English. He writes with a wonderful sense of humor — full of exaggeration, irony, and playful honesty. In one of his recent messages, he shared the following story, which I found so amusing that I wanted to read an English translated version to you today.

Last night, I prepared and enjoyed a serving of stir-fried wagyu short rib. For today’s lunch, I visited Ikinari Steak and finished a 200 gram Wild Hamburg steak. Since I am ordinarily made to eat extremely health-conscious meals on a daily basis, I took advantage of a rare moment of freedom and treated myself to a generous portion of rich, fatty wagyu. What an extraordinary sense of satisfaction. Wagyu with its dripping fat is truly exquisite—so tender it practically melts in one’s mouth. Vegetables hold no appeal for me; I am certainly not a goat.

Every morning, my wife prepares what resembles a witch’s secret potion. She sprinkles some sort of bran powder into her drink, adds a mysterious type of oil, and consumes it. She also goes for various health checkups almost every month. Although she has never once been diagnosed with cancer, she insists that “this time they might find something” and undergoes testing again. One might call this a form of health neurosis. Yet perhaps it has its benefits—today, she placed first in the women’s 70s division of the half marathon at the Miyakonojo Marathon in Miyazaki Prefecture.

And as I read his story, I realized there is one thing my wife has in common with his. She’s not a sportswoman at all — she avoids running, jogging, or anything that looks like exercise — but she is wonderfully health conscious. Whenever she feels something even slightly unusual, she immediately books a health checkup “just to be sure.” So while she may not be out winning half marathons, she is every bit as attentive to her body as the writer’s wife. In that sense, his story felt surprisingly familiar.

(5) Miscommunication: SM Kei Narisawa

Miscommunication can happen anytime, anywhere. Even among Japanese people, we sometimes have a tremendous amount of difficulty conveying our true intentions—especially in e-mails. This may be because we are becoming less skilled at verbal communication with the advent of e-mail. The following are some examples of typical miscommunication between Japanese and English-speaking people.

When asked, “Are you Mr. Narisawa?” we can naturally say, “Yes, I am.” But if you are asked, “Aren’t you Mr. Narisawa?” you might mistakenly say, “No, I am Mr. Narisawa.” To native English speakers, your answer may sound very inconsistent. This is an easy example often taught at school. But what about a more unexpected question, like, “SMC is not a big study group, is it?” What would your answer be?

The verb “mind” is also hard to handle. One day, when I was still young and having lunch in a teacher’s room, an Australian assistant teacher came in and asked if I minded her eating lunch there with me. I automatically said, “Yes.” Of course, you know that I should have said “No,” because I didn’t mind eating lunch with her.

Here’s a joke I heard on YouTube: a 15-year-old daughter came home, announcing she was pregnant. In response, her father said, “That’s all we needed.” I wondered if most Japanese people often fail to understand the sarcasm frequently heard in daily American conversation. I, myself, was perplexed by my homestay father’s sarcasm, and the host mother, noticing my sudden change in expression, gently told me that her husband had just cracked a sarcastic joke.

Miscommunication is not only about differences in grammar or sarcasm, but also subtle differences in diction between English and Japanese. I often watch YouTube programs that show people watching the Japanese anime Kimi no Na wa and their reactions. At the scene in which one of the protagonists, Mitsuha, opens her hand to see her boyfriend’s name only to find the message “I love you,” viewers are genuinely surprised and even cry out of sympathy. I have long wondered why they reacted so strongly. Kimi no Na wa is said to be a movie you should see at a theater on your first date, but those simple words, “I love you,” don’t stir up so much emotion in Japanese people. There has to be something in it that touches their hearts. In English, “I love you” often implies commitment or taking responsibility for someone’s life. It carries a more serious meaning than in Japanese.

Thank you for listening. I love you all.

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on Apr. 11 at Oyama Community Center (medium conference room)

Coordinator: SM Takahata