English Culture Videos

• Warm-Up Discussion (5 minutes)

  • Begin with a brief discussion to activate students’ prior knowledge about sushi and Japanese cuisine.
  • Questions to ask:
    • Have you ever eaten sushi? What types of sushi do you know?
    • What do you know about Japanese dining culture?
    • Have you ever heard of kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi? What do you think it is?

• Introduction to Kaiten Sushi (5 minutes)

  • Show students images of a kaiten sushi restaurant, highlighting the conveyor belt system.
  • Provide a brief explanation:
    • Kaiten sushi, also known as conveyor belt sushi, is a type of Japanese restaurant where sushi plates are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and by every table. Customers can take whatever plates they like from the conveyor belt.
  • Show images of different types of sushi mentioned in the interview (yellowtail, salmon, tuna, octopus, squid).

• Vocabulary Preview (5 minutes)

  • Introduce key vocabulary from the interview and provide definitions or context:
    • Kaiten sushi
    • Conveyor belt
    • Yellowtail, salmon, tuna, octopus, squid
    • Menu items
    • Plate prices
    • Restaurant hours

• Map Activity (5 minutes)

  • Show a simple map or layout of a kaiten sushi restaurant.
  • Discuss how the conveyor belt system works and how customers interact with it.
  • Highlight important areas: seating, conveyor belt, kitchen.

• Pre-Listening Questions (10 minutes)

  • Hand out a worksheet with the following questions to think about before listening to the interview:
    1. What is Randall’s favorite type of sushi?
    2. How much does each sushi plate cost at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar?
    3. What are some types of sushi mentioned in the interview?
    4. What are the operating hours of Kura Revolving Sushi Bar on weekdays and weekends?
    5. Why do you think Randall enjoys kaiten sushi restaurants?

• Prediction (5 minutes)

  • Ask students to predict what else Randall might talk about in the interview based on the pre-listening questions and vocabulary.
  • Encourage students to write down their predictions.

• Listening Task Introduction

  • Inform students that they will listen to an interview with Randall about his experience at a kaiten sushi restaurant.
  • Encourage them to listen for answers to the pre-listening questions and to see if their predictions were correct.

Instructions: Watch this video restaurants and answer the questions. Then, read the script at the bottom of the page.

Hi, I’m Randall, and today, we’re traveling with family, and I want to introduce o

Hi, I’m Randall, and tonight, I’m visiting a restaurant called Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, uh, and it’s . . . in Japanese, it’s called kaiten sushi, one of my favorite types of foods to eat. And basically, the sushi is served on a conveyor belt that goes round and round, and you select the type of food that you want. The type of sushi of course that they might have . . .  are yellow tail, salmon, tuna, octopus, squid. My favorite is tuna.

And uh, basically, you select, uh, sushi. Every sushi plate is, uh, $2.69, I think. They have additional menu items. And this particular place is open, uh, I think, Monday, or Sunday through Thursday, until 9:30 p.m. And Friday and Saturday night is . . .uh, it’s open until 10:00 p.m. So, I’m looking forward to enjoying some really good sushi tonight. Enjoy.

Use the Internet to find a restaurant in your area of in a city of your choice that serves the types of food (cuisine) listed below. You can also select any type of restaurant that interests you. Then, answer the questions:

• Italian, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian, French, Thai, Peruvian, Mexican

1. What is the name of the restaurant?
2. What are their hours?
3. What are their specialties on the menu?
4. What are the general prices of items on the menu?
5. What do people say about the restaurant if reviews are available?
6. Does the restaurant provide any entertainment?
7. Do they offer any lunch or dinner specials?