Unit 1: Listening Task #2
Five Tourist Locations in Japan
|
Q: We're going to talk about five different tourist spots in Japan. Let's begin with Hakodate. Where is it located? A: Hakodate is a port city in southern Hokkaido. It is about 300 km. directly south of Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido. A: It faces the ocean, right? A: That's right. It was one of the first Japanese ports opened to foreign trade. Ships from Russia, China, and South Korea still visit there. Q: So what's there to do in Hakodate? A: Well, it has great seafood. And a lot of people like to visit the old houses in some parts of the city. This city of about 300,000 also has a fantastic night view. You can take a cable car from downtown to Mt. Hakodate and enjoy a splendid night view. Q: Let's go further south now, toward central Honshuu. Could you tell us a little about Inuyama? A: Inuyama is a city of 160,000 located 25 km. directly north of Nagoya. It has a splendid castle which attracts quite a few tourists. Q: Is that so? A: Yes. this city also has a museum of world culture - a place called "Little World" - which contains buildings from many cultures around the world. It is sort of an open-air museum. Q: So Inuyama has an interesting museum . . . A: Yes. And there is a river flowing though Inuyama with a scenic boat ride. The Kiso River is sometimes called "the Japan Rhine". Lots of people enjoy boating down this river. Q: OK. Now about 124 km west of Inuyama is Kyoto. That city is certainly famous for its ancient Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. . . A: It is, but you know - I actually prefer Nara. Q: Nara? A: Yes, Nara is 33 km. south of Kyoto and about 45 km east of Osaka, Japan's third largest city. Q: So what does Nara have? A: As you way know, Nara is modeled after the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an. Now a city of over 350,000, it is famous for a beautiful 16 meter bronze statue of the Great Buddha. Also,the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan and most likely the oldest wooden structure in the world is in Nara. Q: So Nara is famous for its temples, right? A: Yes. It is quieter and calmer than Kyoto. Kyoto has many factories and modern buildings, as well as some interesting temples. Nara is less industrialized than Kyoto. Q: Speaking of industry, how about Kobe. Is Kobe worth visiting? A: Well, Kobe is one of the busiest ports in Japan. It is about 32 km. west of Osaka and has the feeling of a big port city with lots of night life and a cosmopolitan air. Q: OK, so its night life is lively. What else do people do in Kobe? A: It has a great art museum and nice aquarium. Q: So its a good place to see art and fish? A: Yeah. And next to Kobe is a mountain with a nice night view. Q: So you can see the city from the mountain at night? A: That's right. Q: Now how about Matsuyama? Could you tell me a little about that? A: Well, Matsuyama is the largest city on the island of Shikoku. It has about 460,000 people and is on the northwestern part of Shikoku Island, about 220 km. east of Fukuoka. Q: So what's there to do in Matsuyama? A: Two places in Matsuyama are especially famous. One is the castle, which was built between 1602 and 1627. Q: So it has a famous castle . . . A: Yeah, and it also has a famous hot spring. Q: The Japanese love hot springs, don't they? A: They do. Men and women usually bathe in the nude in Japanese hot springs. Q: In the nude? A: Yeah, but separately, of course! |
- return to main listening tasks -
- Practical English 5 -
UNIT 1 * UNIT 2 * UNIT 3 * UNIT 4 * UNIT 3 * UNIT 6 * UNIT 7 * UNIT 8
copyright (c) 2000 by Ming Chuan University
Ver. 1.3 - Updated 23 Feb. 2000
www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Field/1087/mcu/PE5-1lis2.htm