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Shock Japan

Shock Japan

by Andrew Michaels

Students learn about the stages of culture shock through a humorous story.

4,900 words, CEFR B2, Audio 34 minutes

This book is also available on Xreading.

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Summary: Meet Cullen, an American who travels to Japan to teach English for a few months. See how he falls in love, learns about eating ramen, and wins a major prize. Shock Japan is a story that both educates you and makes you laugh out loud.

Click on the player to listen to the audio book.

Flip Book Pages

p 1-7 Title and Vocabulary (1:39)

p 8-9 Introduction (0:29)

p 10-23 Chapter 1: June Happiness (7:06)

p 24-39 Chapter Two: Angry July (8:04)

p 40-51 Chapter Three: August Adaptation (4:56)

p 52-78 Chapter Four: September Acceptance (11:26)

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Discussion Questions

Chapter 1: June Happiness (7:06)

Before reading: What parts of Japanese culture would a foreigner be interested in?

After reading: What parts of Japanese culture did Cullen like?

Chapter Two: Angry July (8:04)

Before reading: What might be difficult for foreigners living in Japan?

After reading: What are some things that Cullen had trouble with?

Chapter Three: August Adaptation (4:56)

Before reading: What are some ways people can adjust to living in a foreign culture?

After reading: How did Cullen adjust to his life in Japan in this chapter?

Chapter Four: September Acceptance (11:26)

Before reading: What do you think will happen in the final chapter?

After reading: What part of the story did you enjoy the most?

Reviews

UM: Kinki University (Osaka, Japan)
Review: This was a very funny story. I think that Cullen learned about Japanese Culture. The ending was surprising!

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