Produced by SHOEI GIRLS’ SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLSTUDENT EDITION, JANUARY 2024

Shoei Collections
Exploring Fashion Trends:
What do our fashionable Shoei teachers coordinate in a week?

Teachers in Shoei

Photo by Akari Shinya

Through our exploration of
the ways in which students
express their admiration towards
those who they find attractive andwish to support, we hope to shedlight on the deeper connectionsand values that exist within
Shoei's
student
bodybyunderstanding and embracingthese dynamics. We in Shoei, theyoungest junior high school
students will be in college inaround five years, while the eldest
senior high school students will bein college in just a few months.
Since we students wear uniforms
every day, going back to wearing
regular clothes in daily life is seen
as a significant challenge.
Moreover, we believed it would
be quite beneficial to obtaincoordinating ideas from ourteachers of a similar age, as Shoei
students don't have enough sparetime to look for trendy costumes
and go shopping because of thenumerous assignments, club
activities, and other individual
lessons they have.
After seeing the one-week
wardrobe of two young, endearing
teachers, Ms. Ouchi and Ms. Hara,
we think that this article will serve
as a useful resource for readers'personal clothes choice and an
opportunity to spark their interest
inelegantandstylishcoordination!
To preface their one-weekcoordination, Ms. Hara’s personalcolor is yellow-based spring, and
Ms. Ouchi’s is blue-based winter;they both have a straight bodystructure.
From the photos of Ms.
Hara, you can see that she wears
easy-to-wear clothing on days
when the temperature difference
between the lowest and highest
areas throughout the day is large
by comparing her outfits based on
the day's temperature. Moreover,
Ms. Ouchi wears multiple sweater

layers during chilly days. Maxilength bottoms that fall past theknee and just-right-sized tops thatare neither tight nor loose, work
well on people with straightskeletons. As you can see, thesefeatures are being used to code
both teachers.
We hope this article helped
you take the first step toward
becoming the mature-looking
college student you've beenwishing to become, and that you
were able to figure out the popularand trendy fashion among two
young
teachers'
weeklycoordination!
These are some of thebrands the teachers recommend:
earth music&ecology / Uniqlo /Natural Beauty Basic / Honeys.
---------------------------------------By: Suzuha Tagami &Maya Matsu---------------------------------------Breaking News:
There’s Actually a Nice Café Near Our School!

Café au lait Tokyo

Photo by Asuka Shigeta

Walking for a few minutes
from Takanawadai station, youwill find one small dingy building
by the street. If you could gather
up some courage to go up thestairs and step into the building, anantique door will welcome you toa nice and cozy atmosphere...
Since Shoei students are notallowed to go somewhere before
or after school, we do not reallyknow what kind of places there
are in the surroundings of theschool. Thinking that it would bea great chance to let the Shoei
students know more about ourneighborhood, we are going toshare one amazing café we
discovered, “Café au lait Tokyo”.
Just like its name, thiscafé’s specialty is the café au lait;
by deciding what kind of milk or
sugar you want to use, customers
can arrange their own café au lait.
Filing out the form along thedirections on the picture on theleft, you can customize a café aulait for your own tastebuds.
When we visited the café,
we tried a hot café au lait, a coldcafé au lait, ham and egg
sandwiches, and BLT sandwiches.
The café au lait prices werereasonable, not too expensive forhigh schoolers to afford. We also

enjoyed the relaxing atmosphereof the café; we felt like we could
stay there forever.
We
wouldhighlyrecommend this place to people
wanting a relaxing time shiftingyour thoughts to your inner
imagination, getting some timeaway from reality. Not a goodplace to study though... You’dprobably get too comfortable.
The following is the addressof the café: Kato Building 3F, 113-3 Higashi Gotanda, Shinagawa
City. The cafe is open every day
except for Tuesdays, from 11:30
am to 7:00 pm.
--------------------------------------By: Asuka Shigeta &Rio Sugiura---------------------------------------

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SHOEI COLLECTIONSTUDENT EDITION, JANUARY 2024

IN-SCHOOL ISSUES

Uncovering the Hidden Biases at School:
A journey to find your oshi
Dear students who arereading this article, we would liketo ask if you hold any “biases.” To
start off, bias is a word for oshi in
English. This expression refers torecommending or endorsing
people or things, listing them as a
subject you want to evaluate or
support. It denotes the individuals
or objects that become the focus
of such evaluations. We have dug
into the mysteries of bias issues
happening among Shoei students.
In the vibrant school cultureof Shoei, where students holdbiases, there is a unique dynamicthat sets it apart from typical coed institutions. As an all-girls
school, Shoei has distinctive
values when it comes to humanrelations.
Biases are individuals or
causes that students find attractive
and wish to support. It goesbeyond mere friendship andinvolves a special connection. The

topic of biases is frequently
discussed among students at Shoei,
and our group decided to conduct
research on it to share our findings
with others.
Through our research, we
discovered that biases often exist
between seniors and juniors, andsometimes even within the same
grade. One of the most anticipateddays of the school year for
students to interact with theirbiases is Valentine's Day. It is a
day when students can giftchocolates and candies to theirfavorite seniors outside of school,or write heartfelt notes to theiradorable juniors. To create
opportunities for their biases toshine, our group members havemade or purchased special items.
These include glow sticks, giant
paper fans with personalized
messages,andnameplates
adorned with jewel stickers
around the bias's name. Whilethese items are not necessarily
essential, they have the power toboost confidence and fulfill thedesires of students in supporting
their biases.
We believe that by sharing
our research and experiences, we
can provide helpful guidance toother students in understanding
and navigating the world of biases.
Ultimately, our goal is to promotea culture of respect andappreciation
withinShoei'sunique school environment.
Through our exploration of
biases and the ways in which

students express their admiration,
we hope to shed light on the
deeper connections and values
that exist within Shoei's student
body. By understanding andembracing these dynamics, we
can foster a stronger sense ofcommunity and unity among
students.
---------------------------------------By Miya Ikeuchi & Akari Shinya----------------------------------------(credit)Photo by 〇〇〇〇〇Some examples for goods to cheer on biases.
Photo by Akari Shinya ＆ Maya Matsu

Club Stories
Volleyball Club:
Lucky and Unlucky
The volleyball club has four
uniforms: black, white, red, andblue. The blue uniform, which isusually used by liberos duringexternal matches, is disliked bymost of the club members because
it is short sleeved and tight fitting.
Recently, one side of the highschool team had to wear it for CoLearners’ Day. Volleyball includes
many movements, including theraising of arms. Maybe themembers were uncomfortableshowing off their armpits so
explicitly...? Whatever the reason
may be, you could say that theblue uniform is the “Unlucky” ofthe volleyball club.
However, the club has its“Lucky” as well. Recently, a 36pack of “In jelly” was gifted to
the volleyball club from Morinaga& Co. Ltd. How did that happen?
Morinaga & Co. Ltd. has acampaign where they gift “In jelly”
to 500 clubs across Japan that getover 10 votes. The middle school
students of the volleyball club
worked hand in hand and voted

Blue uniform and Morinaga webpage
by Hinata Nakakarumai

for their club at any given chance,
leading to a whopping 305 votes.
Considering only 500 clubs in allof Japan won the prize, you could
say the Shoei volleyball club got
lucky for sure. However, what ismore praise-worthy than the luckthey got is the hard work of the
middle school members whobrought it.

E.S.S.:
Auditions
In E.S.S we do threemusicals a year: one in CoLearners’ Day, one in the winter,and one in spring. We do auditions
for each musical to decide whoplays which character. We get toaudition for three characters at
most and there is a dance
everyone must do in the audition.
Based on the auditions, the top
grade chooses the main, sub main,
ensemble and staff. The main are
the main characters and are thecenter of the story. The sub main

are characters with fewer lines andmost of the time people cast as the
sub main join the ensemble.
Ensemble is a role where you
don’t have a set character, but you
act and dance when the main castare singing. Finally, the staff arepeople who do lighting, putting
music and making the props. All
these roles are essential to making
a musical.
---------------------------------------By Hinata Nakakarumai& Kaho Matsumoto---------------------------------------

E.S.S. Audition papers
by Kaho Matsumoto

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3----------------------------SHOEI COLLECTIONSTUDENT EDITION, JANUARY 2024

STAY UP TO DATE

What’s New?

How often do you use the vending machines?
Sr. 1-5 (Out of 37 students) by Mana Inoue & Rina Kobayashi
The biggest news in our
school this year must be thereinstallation of the vending
machines. The vending machinesthat any students or teachers canuse, and are cheaper than otherplaces, had a huge impact on our
school.
We took a survey in ourclass: how often they buy drinks
from the vending machines and ifthey had bought a drink, what
their most favorite drink was.
The frequency is shown in
the graph. Milk tea, lemon squash
and muscat cider rose to the top of
the popularity list.
Not many people in ourclass bought one, but apparently
the school nurses seem to be a bit
concerned about some students’
health…so be careful.

Another point worth noting
would be the schools’ Instagram.
Since our school has a slightly
old-fashioned habit, this may bewhat is needed to keep up withmodern society. Our English
teacher, Ms. Nakajima has been
updating a variety of photos on
our school’s Instagram page. We
hope this to affect our school in agood way and will help more
students to come to our school in
the future!
As some of you may havenoticed, the uniforms for the
Shoei junior high students havechanged this year. Here is a quizfor those who don't know yet.
Which part of the uniform do
you think has changed?
1. The shape of the blouse collar
2. The color of the blazer crest
3. The length of the socks

Another change this year
is Shoei’s returnees’ entrance
exam format. Since it was amajor change, I believe many ofyou were surprised to hear thenews. In the new entrance
examination
format,theexaminees can choose from two
choices: either to take theentrance exam in three subjects,
including Japanese, math, andEnglish, or just in English.
(The answer to the quiz is No.2)

The former blazer crest (left)
and the new one (right)
Photo by Rina Kobayashi---------------------------------------By: Mana Inoue andRina Kobayashi----------------------------------------

Passion on the Tray

Shoei’s school cafeteria

Do you know that in Shoei,
there exists a room at the very
top of the building that is loved
by the students? Yes, you got itright. It’s the school cafeteria! In
this article, we will be
introducing you to this place,followed by exclusive interviews
from the workers. The cafeteria

Photo by Shoei

started over 30 years ago,
remembered by teachers who
spent their youth times.
The variety of menus canbe given as a reason why thecafeteria is beloved by many
students. Every day, there aretakeout menus for students to eat
in their classrooms. There are

two main dishes and two side
dishes you can choose from. For
example, one Friday’s menu wasa white stew, a yangnyeom
chicken, followed by sweet
potato chips and chocolate
cornet. In addition to that, there
are set meals which only highschool students and teachers canpurchase to eat inside thecafeteria. According to the staff,
some popular menus such as
hamburgers and lasagna sell out
on a frequent basis. Furthermore,when asked about how theycome up with the menus, theymentioned how they want to add
not only Japanese dishes but also
those from foreign countries,
such as tortillas from Mexicoand mabo-tofu from China. The
diversity of the menus had comefrom a returnee student who
mentioned that she wanted to eat
more foreign dishes.

Another
reasonthecafeteria is so popular among thestudents might be related to theprices. If you want to buy a main
dish from the cafeteria, it will
cost you from 350 yen to 450 yen,which is a cheap price in general.
In fact, the writer of this article
also uses the cafeteria often andis surprised by the quality andthe low price of the menus. The
volume of the dishes is just right,
which makes us enjoy both thequantity and the quality of them.
Researching the cafeteria,
which is close to our everyday
lives, made us feel more attached
to it. I hope that this article madeyou a lot more interested in theinside of Shoei and made youwant to eat the lovely dishes!
-------------------------------------By: Honami Higuchi--------------------------------------

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SHOEI COLLECTIONSHOEI COLLECTIONSTUDENT EDITION, JANUARY 2024
LIFESTYLESTUDENT EDITION, JANUARY 2024

Disconnect to Reconnect
Can you imagine a day
without your smartphone? No
YouTube, no Instagram, no
X (Twitter), no texts or calls withyour friends, not even searching
up your favorite idol– just you andthe world around you. It's a
scenario that, for many, induces asense of anxiety. Welcome to theworld of nomophobia, also known
as “No-mobile phone-phobia”,
where the fear of being without
our mobile phones has become apervasive aspect of modern
technology life.
Nomophobia has indeed
countless effects to your body
both mentally and physically; infact, it may also affect the people
around you. However, in thisarticle, we will not delve into the
topic
of
how
dangerous
nomophobia can be and leave youwith only uneasiness, but help you

slowly crawl out of this addiction.
In many papers, solutions tothis problem are things such as
setting screentime restrictions orgoing to therapy, but we all knowthat neither are effective nor
realistic. That is why we present
you three simple solutions you canstart from today.
1. Make yourself a smartphone
rule sheet.
It is important to make rules
yourself so that you do not feelforced, and you will be able to set
goals that are realistic andreachable for you. Start bydeciding how many minutes you
are going to allow yourself to goon your phone and what yourpurposes are.
2. Go find a hobby that does
not require devices.
Find something you enjoy that
does not require your phone.

Ideally, find a sport or exercise
you like as it is extremely crucial
to move your body especially if
you are wishing to improve yourgrades.
3. Watch motivational study
vlogs.
If it is difficult for you to get off
your screen, start by watching
study vlogs that can motivate you.
Deliberately press the like button
to fill your recommendations withthose videos and make sure othervideos are not in your sight. Some

recommended channels are,“ み ゅ う myuuu”, “Study To
Success”, and “Ali Abdaal.”
Nomophobia is a serious
problem and one of the biggest
topics discussed everywhere; westudents also must be aware that
we are part of this as well. To allstudents who wonder why yourgrades are so low, start bydisconnecting to reconnect.
---------------------------------------By Mamiko Tateishi----------------------------------------

Smartphone Rule
Sheet
Photo by: Mamiko
Tateishi

Bookworm Expansion:
Sharing nostalgia and passing it on to the next
Being in a foreign country, oneof our ways to educate ourselvesof English was to read books. It
was not only to learn English, butalso a way to communicate bychatting about it: how we like thebook and why it is so interesting.
As we can all agree thatreading really helped with ourEnglish usage, now it is the time
to share some nostalgia so we canall share the happiness of readingwith enthusiasm. In this section,
we picked up two of the writers’
favorite books for your perusal.
First one up, the one who gave
us things to adventure in our sleep,
The Magic Tree House series.
Though this book has alreadybeen translated into Japanese, as areturnee this book holds a very
special existence against ouroversea experience. The story is
about very ordinary siblings
named Jack and Anne time
traveling to visit places in the pastusing a treehouse they have intheir house. There, they solve
uncanny mysteries, or go throughmassive adventures based on areal historical event. The readers
will be able to experience a tickle
of excitement and get an insight ofwhat happened in the past.
Another good book is not
actually a wordy book － it is agraphic novel, but can work
perfectly for learning English andgetting good stories to cry on.
The graphic novels, and the drama
series The Baby-sitters Club isabout a group of girls running a
local babysitting organization forkids in their neighborhood. The
main girls that we follow throughthe story are Kristy, Mary Anne,
Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn, who
appears in the later books. This
book is filled with conflict andbonding between the girls and thechildren they babysit, portraying arealistic experience of friendships
and navigating through it. We
recommend this book because
unlike other books there areillustrations that keep you
entertained while also giving you

a better image of the scene.
The characters may also bevery relatable to readers; it makes
you want to root for them andjourney with them through thebooks.
--------------------------------------By: Ayako Miyanaga andKaren Nagai---------------------------------------

Photo by scholastic

Shoei Collections
Published by a group of 15 students of Shoei, a private high school in Shirokanedai, Minato city, Tokyo, in cooperation with the not-forprofit Global Education Information Center (GEIC).
Publisher: Shoei Girls’ Senior High School Sr. 1-5A
Project Supervisors: Ms. Erika Nakajima and Mr. John Healey from the English Department
Editor: Akari Shinya
Assistant Editor: Miya Ikeuchi, Rio Sugiura, Suzuha Tagami
Staff Writers: Akari Shinya, Asuka Shigeta, Ayaka Ito, Ayako Miyanaga, Hinata Nakakarumai, Honami Higuchi, Kaho Matsumoto,
Karen Nagai, Mamiko Tateishi, Mana Inoue, Maya Matsu, Miya Ikeuchi, Rina Kobayashi, Rio Sugiura, Suzuha Tagami
Contact: 〒 108-0071
2 Chome-26-5 Shirokanedai, Minato City, Tokyo
URL: https://www.shoei.ed.jp/