The 7 Steps January
1. CONTEXT
Mindmap
anything you
know about thetopic, including
vocabulary. Do
some research
online to help.

Yoshinoya

Listening Questions 1
1. What is the origin of the name Yoshinoya?

2. QUESTIONS.
2. Why did Yoshinoya relocate to the Tsukiji Fish Market in 1926?
Read the listening
questions tocheck yourunderstanding.
Look up any new
vocabulary.

.
3. What are the selling points of Yoshinoya?
.
4. In what ways has Yoshinoya expanded its product range?
.
5. How can Yoshinoya help people during a natural disaster?
.
Listening Questions 2

3. LISTEN

1. How many locations does Yoshinoya have globally?
.

Listen and answer
the questions
using fullsentences. Circle
the number oftimes and % you
understood.

2. What country has the second largest number of Yoshinoya stores?
.
3. Where are all of Yoshinoya’s locations in the US?
.
4. Where was the Yoshinoya store located in New York?
.
5. What are two unique international menu items not found in Japan?

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Listening 1
2 3 4

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Discussion Questions

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Listening 2
2 3 4

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1. What are the benefits of chain food stores like Yoshinoya? Do you
trust their food quality?
2. What would be the risks for a food company expanding overseas?

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4. CHECK ANSWERS
TRANSCRIPT 1
Yoshinoya was founded in 1899 by Eikichi Matsuda in the Nihonbashi Fish Market in Tokyo. He
named the restaurant after his hometown of Yoshino in Osaka prefecture. After the Fish Marketwas devastated by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, Yoshinoya relocated to the Tsukiji Fish
Market in 1926.

Read through thetranscript andunderline theanswers. Checkthem against yourown answers.

The restaurant specializes in gyudon or beef bowls, which feature sliced beef and onions
simmered in sweet sauce over a bowl of rice. The selling points of Yoshinoya have remained
the same for over a century; the meals are delicious, affordable, and fast.

5. CHECK VOCABULARY
Read thetranscript andcircle any new
vocabulary you
find. Look themup and add themto your list.

Although Yoshinoya remains the king of gyudon, over the years it has started to offer a wider
variety of products. In one example, the Akihabara store has started selling karaage or friedchicken to increase its appeal to students and business people. In another example,
Yoshinoya’s line of ready-to-eat canned gyudon is seen as a possible lifesaver during naturaldisasters.

Devastate

SpecializeLifesaver

ExpandStruggle

Fill-in the blanks with the appropriate word / phrase above:

1. He _____________ to find a solution to the problem, so he asked his
manager for help.
2. The new surgery is a _______________ for those with cancer.
3. The large typhoon _______________ many small towns on the island. Manypeople lost their homes.
4. The Olympics _________________ the number of sports to include surfing
and skateboarding for Tokyo 2020.
5. My history professor ______________ in German history.

6. READ ALOUD

Read thetranscript aloudat least 5 times,
focusing on
intonation andpronunciation.

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7. SHADOWING

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Yoshinoya has expanded both domestically and internationally, and now has over 2,000
locations in Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, the US, and the Philippines.
Overall China has the highest number of Yoshinoya shops outside of Japan with Indonesia andthe US ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Despite its growth in South East Asia, Yoshinoya has had mixed results in the US. California
has just over 100 shops; however, it has struggled in other states. The first location in Texas
closed in less than a year. The first location in Arizona lasted 3 years and the first location inNew York, which was located in Times Square, closed after 10 years in business.

Say the transcript
aloud at the sametime as the audio
without readingit. Circle how
many times
below.

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TRANSCRIPT 2Internationally, the Yoshinoya menu is quite different from the one in Japan. In addition to thebeef bowls, the US menu also has teriyaki chicken bowls, vegetable bowls, and yaki udon
bowls. In Hong Kong the menu includes breakfast sets such as a chicken fillet with maple syrup
and a fish cutlet with scrambled eggs, toast and milk tea.

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