THE JAPAN SOCIETY |
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JAPANESE CONVERSATION GROUP |
Meetings - 2009 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001
Thursday, 2nd Dec 2004 - In December 2004, we held our now traditional Christmas Pub Quiz to put everyone in a thoroughly competitive mood. The theme was Japanese films, and questions were set on Directors, Titles, and Cinema facts and figures. Several teams proved themselves more than adequate afficionados of the silver screen despite the difficulty of some of the questions. Jonathon Ross (or Barry Norman - for those who remember) would have been proud!
Thursday, 4th Nov 2004 - November was our Giongo, or Onomatopaea game, combined with English and Japanese Idioms.Our event this month is a repeat of that scheduled for August but cancelled due to the heatwave. It will be indispensible to all those who never know the right phrase to use at the right time. If you can't tell your gi-on-go from your gi-tai-go, or have trouble separating your Kotowaza from your Kimari-monku, you know where to come.
Thursday, 7th October 2004 - In October we acknowledged all things spooky with a quiz based on Superstitions. Cutting fingernails before you go out, and whistling at night are two things to avoid in Japan, but black cats seem to vary their luck depending on the direction they are moving. Towards you is good, so it might be time to invest in a high quality cat food!
Thursday, 2nd September 2004 - In September we were back on track with our Bo-sai Game, which in English is the dramatic sounding Disaster Prevention Game! By way of Maru-Batsu game, we explored what the best course of action was in various scenarios. Most surprising was that Japan has a large number of wild bears which need to be carefully negotiated to avoid injury.
Thursday, 5th August 2004 - In August the majority vote was that it was too hot to have our usual game. Instead we fell back on the popular past-time of drinking and chatting, which as everybody knows is suitable for any weather!
Thursday, 1st July 2004 - In July we based our game on Hikoboshi and Ori-hime, the Romeo and Juliet of the Tanabata festival story.
Thursday, 3rd June2004 - In June, the theme was Proverbs in both languages. Does "a stitch in time really save nine?" and can too many cooks spoil the broth? The Jury is still out.
Thursday, 6th May 2004 Come and try your hand at our "Kamizumo" competition, so popular we are repeating this fabulous event for its second year! You will be creating your very own paper Sumo wrestler, and entering our tournament. Who will become our Yokozuna champion? Let the battle commence! Check out our website for the details of last year's goliath struggle .
Saturday, 17th April 2004 - Annual Hanami Picnic in Hyde Park. Surrounded by many beautiful trees in blossom (though none of them Cherry), we contemplated the odds yet again of organising an event so far in advance to coincide with the blossoming of four Cherry Trees. We didn't worry too much though, as there were mountains of Picnic food that were to be eaten, and a game of football to be played. After a pleasant day out in the English sunshine (yes, it's true!) we decamped to Southside bar in Imperial College for drinks, and a wonderful time was had by all.
Thursday, 1st April 2004 - In April this year, we decided to give the Conversation Group members a chance to practice separating truth from fiction as part of our April Fools day game. Does eating mustard before a test improve your powers of concentration? Or jumping up and down keep you young? Our members voted with their feet, moving towards the Maru mark O if they thought the answer was true, or the Batsu mark X if they thought the answer was true. Those with the most questions correct were crowned our most unfoolish April fools and received a box of OXO granules.
Thursday, 4th March 2004 - In March, we had good intentions to present a Mothers Day game illustrating the difference between the origins of the event in the UK and in Japan. For some reason however, technical difficulties were encountered and nothing was ready in time. Our members were therefore able to take a well-earned rest and drink at the bar undisturbed all evening!
Thursday February 5, 2004 Our February name game kept people guessing as to which names are in, and which names were out in 2004. Could you guess the top ten English and Japanese boys and girls names? Probably not, so to make things easier we gave a list of 15 candidates for each. All that was necessary then was to spot the 5 impostors. In researching this game, both Chairman were slightly disappointed to learn that Nick was ranked about 75th, and was sliding further down the list each year. Members choose the names they thought were the most popular and were assessed on this and the order they rank them in. Prize (Giant Pocky!) for the winners!
Thursday 8th Jan, 2004 - In January, we began the year with a traditional game of Karuta Ea cross between Snap and Go Fish - that requires your reflexes to be even more sharp. Cards with Japanese characters are laid face up on the table, and a card caller reads out a sentence as the contestants make a grab for the card with the same first letter.
Meetings - 2009 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001