2026/6/13(Sat.)*SMC*

Lecture: SM Kei Narisawa

·  meticulous    ·  coherent  ·  deteriorate  ·  contemplate  ·   alleviate

·  inevitable  ·  ubiquitous    ·  substantial  ·  discrepancy ·  ambiguous

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A (meticulous) researcher named Emma / noticed a (discrepancy) in some important data. At first, the results seemed (ambiguous), / and she spent several days trying to find a (coherent) explanation.

As the deadline approached, the pressure began to (deteriorate) her mood. She would often (contemplate) giving up. However, she knew that challenges were an (inevitable) part of research.

One evening, while walking through a city where smartphones were (ubiquitous), she suddenly realized the source of the error. The discovery would have a (substantial) impact on her project / and could even (alleviate) a problem affecting thousands of people.

Excited by her breakthrough, Emma returned to her lab and completed her work just in time.

単語	主なシノニム
meticulous（細心の注意を払う）	careful, thorough, precise, diligent, scrupulous
coherent（首尾一貫した）	logical, consistent, well-organized, intelligible, rational
deteriorate（悪化する）	worsen, decline, degrade, weaken, decay
contemplate（熟考する）	consider, ponder, reflect on, deliberate, mull over
alleviate（和らげる）	ease, relieve, lessen, mitigate, reduce
inevitable（避けられない）	unavoidable, certain, inescapable, bound to happen
ubiquitous（至る所に存在する）	omnipresent, widespread, pervasive, universal, ever-present
substantial（かなりの、多大な）	significant, considerable, sizable, extensive, major
discrepancy（不一致）	inconsistency, difference, divergence, mismatch, contradiction

 ambiguous

·  unclear（不明確な） 

·  vague（漠然とした） 

·  imprecise（不正確な） 

·  indefinite（はっきりしない） 

·  equivocal（あいまいで解釈が分かれる）

Table Topic Speech

(1) When you meet someone for the very first time what do you want them to think about you?

(2) If you could go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would you tell?

(3) Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

(4) In one year from today, how do you think your life will be different?

(5) Whick activities make you lose track of time?

(6) What are your top three priorities?

Prepared Speech

(1) Mr. Kono: SM Yamazaki

We have now entered the rainy season, but I still begin each day with a quiet thirty‑minute walk in the early morning. Even when the sky is heavy with clouds, that short time helps me clear my mind and prepare for the day ahead.

Recently, I was quite surprised to hear the news of Mr. Yōhei Kōno’s passing. He was eighty‑nine, which is a long life, but just last month I saw a video on X of him giving a calm and dignified memorial address at former Prime Minister Murayama’s farewell ceremony. He looked steady, thoughtful, and very much himself.

For me, Mr. Kōno always felt close because his electoral district was Hiratsuka, where I once lived. He was someone I admired—soft‑spoken, intelligent, and quietly charismatic. Even though a politician of his stature rarely appears casually in the neighborhood, I still remember one moment clearly. During an election, his campaign car came deep into the residential area where I lived. He was holding the microphone himself, speaking directly to the local residents. I remember thinking, “Even someone like Mr. Kōno comes all the way here to talk to us.” It left a lasting impression.

I also attended one of his gatherings when he was Chief Cabinet Secretary. For many local people, the hope was simple: they wanted him to become Prime Minister someday. And he spoke in a way that suggested he understood that expectation. Compared with his son Tarō, his style was gentler and more measured, and I personally appreciated that tone.

He served as the president of the Liberal Democratic Party when it was in opposition, and in that sense, he was a tragic figure—someone who came very close to becoming Prime Minister but never quite reached the position. Yet he remained active and dedicated in public life until the very end. That sense of responsibility is something I deeply respect.

And to be honest, when I look at the current state of our political leadership, I cannot help imagining what Mr. Kōno might have thought. Japan today seems to be experiencing a mix of strong emotions, deep polarization, and a growing disregard for obvious falsehoods. In such a climate, the calm, steady, and thoughtful approach of someone like Mr. Kōno feels even more valuable, and even more rare.

As we move through this rainy season, I find myself reflecting on people like him—individuals who carried themselves with dignity and worked quietly for the public good. During my morning walks, I often think about how leadership shapes a society, and how much we rely on those who remain steady even in turbulent times.

(2) English Trivia: SM Yoko Narisawa

 Every word has its own origin. Do you know the origins of the following words - パフェ and galaxy? パフェ is French in origin. It comes from the French word parfait which means “perfect”. Soパフェ means “a perfect dessert”. The next word, galaxy, is Greek in origin. ‘ Gala ’ means “milk”. As you know, we say天の川 in English as “the Milky Way”. A galaxy is the same as The Milky Way. It is the pale white band of stars that can be seen across the night sky. This pale white band looks like milk. So 銀河 is called a galaxy. 

 When I searched for the origins of English words, I found some interesting things about Englsh. Today I’d like to talk about some English trivia.

 The first one : What is the shortest sentence in English?

It’s not an imperative sentence such as ‘ Go ’ or ‘ Come ’.

The answer is “ I am.”

 For example : “ Are you going to work today? ” “ I am.”

 The second one : Palindrome -- a word or phrase such as level or civic, which is the same when spelled backwards. In Japanese, this is called 回文. 

A famous example is “ Madam, I’m Adam.”

Another well-known one is : “A man, a plan, a canal --- Panama”

 The third one : Pangram -- a sentence that contains every letter of the alphabet ( all 26 letters ).

A familiar example is : “ The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

 The fourth one : Anagram -- a word or phrase made by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.

For example : listen → silent , evil → live 

A Monday morning → Man in angry mood

Actor Sylvester Stallone →Very cool talentless star

 The last one : A word that contains 10 smaller words without changing the order of the letters. Can you find 10 words hidden in therein ?

The answers are: 1 therein 2 herein 3 the 4 there 5 here 6 he 7 in 8 rein

9 her 10 ere

 How many did you find?

 At the last meeting, SM Kei Narisawa gave us a lecture about 20 English words. Do you remember the word gullible among them? I’m sure all of you understood the meaning. But if I said, “ Gullible is not in the dictionary ”, you would immediately check your dictionary. You are gullible, aren’t you? Of course, it’s a joke. English is a very profound language, isn’t, it?

(3) New Experience on MSC Bellissima: SM Koizumi

I am a big fan of cruise travel. A cruise allows us to enjoy comfortable rooms, delicious food and drinks, wonderful shows, sports activities, and the chance to meet people from many different places—all while traveling.

So far, I have sailed on four cruise ships: Pacific Venus, Nippon Maru, Diamond Princess, and Queen Elizabeth. Each ship had its own charm and gave me unforgettable memories. This spring, I tried a new ship: MSC Bellissima, the largest cruise ship I have ever boarded.

Bellissima weighs 171,000 tons—about eight times larger than Nippon Maru and twice the size of Queen Elizabeth. The brochure advertised an 80-meter LED Sky Dome, a water park, swimming pools, sports facilities, Broadway-style shows, and excellent dining options. There seemed to be so many things to do that I felt I might get lost without a plan. So I set two goals: First, to enjoy my first voyage on Bellissima. Second, to find a suitable place for social dancing on board.

  I spent six days on the ship, and today I would like to share four impressions.

First, the shows were outstanding. Every evening there was a different performance, and I attended all of them. There were magic shows, an opera performance by a talented Italian tenor, and several musical productions. The performances were held in the London Theatre. With excellent lighting, sound, and professional performers, it felt just like a Broadway theater.

  Second, I looked for opportunities to enjoy social dancing. Unfortunately, there were only a few places and limited times for social dancing. However, we were lucky enough to dance for about twenty minutes in the Bellissima Lounge. During that time, we enjoyed Tango, Blues, Slow Foxtrot, Rumba, and Cha-Cha-Cha.

  Third, I was amazed by the number of passengers. Can you guess how many people were on board? The answer is about 4,500 passengers. When you include the crew of about 1,500, nearly 6,000 people were living together on one ship. Because of this, timing was very important. If you wanted to attend a popular event or eat at a favorite restaurant, you needed to act early. Otherwise, you had to stand in a very long line. That happened several times, especially during breakfast and disembarkation. To be honest, I am not a fan of long queues! I loathe it.

  Finally, I enjoyed meeting people from different countries. Most passengers were Japanese, but the crew came from all over the world. At the restaurants, I spoke with staff members from India, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.  I asked some of them how to say “Thank you” in their native languages. "Arigatou"s are here. In India：ダニャバン, Turkmenistan：サックボン, Indonesia：テレマカシ, Philippines：サラマッポ, Italy：Grazie, China：謝謝, South Korea：カムサハムニダ and Japan：おおきに(大阪・京都)、めやぐだ(青森)、だんだん(山形・鳥取・島根・熊本)、あいがとさげもした(鹿児島)、にふぇーでーびる(沖縄).　It was a small thing, but it helped create warm and friendly communication. It maybe the great merit of a polyglot.

This voyage on MSC Bellissima gave me wonderful memories, new experiences, and a fresh perspective on the world.　Thank you for listening. Grazie!

(4) Time-Noodles: SM Ishimura

It was a cold winter evening, and the cries of a soba noodle vendor could be heard.

“Hey, Mr. Noodle-man, what can you offer me?” said a customer as he stopped by.

 The customer began to make all kinds of compliments. First, he said how much he liked the vendor’s sign that showed and arrow hitting the bull’s-eye. Then he spoke about how comfortable the wooden chopsticks were to hold and how attractive the bowl was. And finally he praised the thin and sturdy buckwheat noodles and the thick slices of kamaboko fish cake.

“Delicious!”

He interrupted his stream  of compliments  to ask the  soba  vendor. “How much  is  it?”

“Sixteen mon, please.”

“Sixteen? OK, well,  I have small change, so hold out your hand so there’ll be no mistake.”

“OK, sure.”

“Are you ready? All right, 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…what time is it now?”

“It’s 9:00. Sir.”

“10… 11… 12… 13… 14…15… 16   I’ll leave it here”

So saying, he cheated the vendor of one mon and left.

Now, a simple man was watching from the roadside. After counting on his fingers several times, he finally figured out how the trick worked. He decided to try it himself. So the next day he collected small change and went to the soba ship. He attempted to praise the soba, but it tasted terrible and the bowl was unclean, so he had nothing to offer compliments about.

“How much is it?”

“Sixteen mon, please.”

“He-he-he, sixteen mon? All right. I only have a small change, so put your hand  out.”

“OK.”

“Let’s see, 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…what time is it now?

“It’s 4:00. Sir.”

“5…6…8…”

(5)  Excitement Excites Me: SM Kaneko

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on Jun. 27 at Oyama Community Center (medium conference room)

(Coordinator: SM Takahata)