Newsletter No.57

December 2003

ESUJ New Joint Activity with eigoTown.com: Bikkuri English Contest
(Contest runs from 11/25-12/31)
Become a sleuth in our search for strange English expressions.

English appears everywhere in Japan. Haven't you noticed that even when there is a perfectly good Japanese expression for something, English is often used instead, willy-nilly, in advertisements? Japanese English understandable only to the Japanese appears on signs. Odd English is used for product names and in commercials. Text may contain peculiar English so bad it elicits a groan from native speakers.

Become a "Bikkuri eigo" sleuth! Sniff out strange English and find good English expressions that will impress even native speakers. Report good and bad examples of English usage to us. To encourage participation in this exercise in correct English enlightenment, a grand prize will be awarded by our prominent panel of judges to the best "bikkuri eigo" from among the entries, as well as prizes for other select submissions. A "superior sleuth" prize will be awarded to the person submitting the prize-winning entry as well. For details see
www.eigotown.com/t/bikkuri_e.html
(also accessible from the "Bikkuri English" site at the ESUJ web site).

Autumn Outing to the Seikado Bunko Museum

On Saturday, November 22 there was a trip to the Seikado Bunko Museum for the exhibition "Paintings from the Edo Period", with thirty-eight participants gathering at the Tokyu Futako Tamagawa Station on a beautiful autumn day. The Seikado Museum was founded in a quiet residential section of Setagaya's Okamoto district by Mitsubishi's second president, Iwasaki Yanosuke, and his son, Koyata. A road ascends up a beautiful forested slope from the entrance of the estate to the fine property and grounds, a pleasant, secluded surprise tucked away in this corner of Tokyo.

A talk about the exhibition, together with slides of the Edo period works, was provided beforehand by exhibition curator Yuko Kobayashi and was expertly interpreted into English by Sachiko Tsuchiya (ESUJ Councilor and Special Events Committee member). The talk was much appreciated both by non-Japanese participants, including exchange students, and Japanese visitors alike. Following the talk, group members toured the exhibition. Without the prior explanation, many easily overlooked aspects of the outstanding works on show by artists such as Okyo, Kazan, and Sakai Hoitsu, might have been missed. The beautiful garden with its autumnal foliage was inviting to stroll through. A group photograph was taken before many of the participants headed for lunch at a neighborhood Italian restaurant. Many of those present expressed a desire to return to the Seikado in future as they left.

November English Club

Muramatsu Masumi's English Club met at the Doyu Club on Tuesday, October 18. By way of introduction to the meeting, English Club's Chairman, Muneo Wakabayashi, led the audience in a session of singing well-known Christmas songs, starting off with that old favorite "Jingle Bells". MM brought along as his guest a young Indian businessman, Mr Abhishek Goel, who spoke to the group about the latest business trends in India, including the Call Center business and Goel-san's own business, which is editing. In India, English is classified as an official business language. English Club will not take place in December because of the ESUJ Christmas Party.
2004 English Club dates, (both at 6:30-8:30pm):
January 20 (Tuesday) at Tokyo Kokusai Forum, G405
February 17 (Tuesday) at Tokyo Kokusai Forum, G407

Luncheon Society, with the British Ambassador, Sir Stephen Gomersall:

On November 26, the third ESUJ Luncheon centered on ESUJ supporting members was held at the Ark Hills Club, with a near capacity group of almost 40 people in attendance. Currently in Japan for the third time, Sir Stephen Gomersall spoke in fluent Japanese, delighting the participants. After lauding ESUJ for its full calendar of activities, he also referred to continuing cooperation in the future. The theme of Sir Stephen's talk was "Japan as viewed from the UK", starting with the Japan-England Alliance and touching on several milestones, including Sir Stephen's own dip in the boiling-hot waters of Dogo Onsen. Also talked about were the complex problems of assistance to Afghanistan and Iraq

Upcoming Events

ESUJ Christmas
Party Date: December 17 (Thursday) Put it in your diary today!
Place: Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Media Room
Fee: \6,000 (same price for both members and guests)
To attend, please apply to the ESUJ office.

ESUJ Lecture Auction Ins and Outs by Mr. John Tancock
Our first lecture of the new year will be about the world of auctions.
January 22, 2004 (Thursday), 6:30-8:00pm
Place: Japan National Press Club (9th Floor, Conference room)
To attend, please apply to the ESUJ office.