EY Y04 L04 Souvenirs

  1. There are many popular items you can buy as souvenirs from places around Japan. Name one. What part of Japan do people usually associate this with?
  2. What is the most popular souvenir to give from your hometown, region or prefecture?
  3. There are many popular items you can buy as souvenirs from places outside of Japan. Name one. What part of the world do people usually associate this with?
  4. Tell us about the last souvenir you bought for someone. Who was it for? Where was it from? How much did it cost? Why did you choose it?
  5. Tell us about the last souvenir that someone gave you. Who was it from? Where was it from? Do you still have it?
  6. What is the worst souvenir you have ever bought for yourself, for another person or received? Why was it so bad?

Question 1

I have only been to a few places in Japan but one thing I try to collect from my trips are train station stamps, train tickets and even travel brochures. Aside from being cheap and almost free they're good material for decorating my journals.

Question 2

My hometown in Cebu is famous for its beaches, religious festivals, and food culture. We have a big religious festival celebrated in February where people buy hats, t-shirts and fans. It's a practical souvenir since people also use them during the parade.

Question 3

Some people like to buy sweets as a souvenir. I think Switzerland is really famous for their chocolates. Every country has their own version of a sweet delicacy which is great for a souvenir. There are a lot of keychain designs from each country too. I like collecting the ones that represent an iconic landmark in each city.

Question 4

When I first visited Japan in 2019, I was overwhelmed with all the delicious snacks and tea selections so I hoarded some and brought them back as souvenirs for my relatives in the Philippines. They loved the matcha-flavored chocolates. It only cost me five thousand yen to buy an assorted pack of sweets.

Question 5

My former boss who travelled to Bali, Indonesia in 2018 was really thoughtful and gifted us handicraft souvenirs. Bali is famous for their wooden keychains and rattan bags. I received both from her. She also gave me a fancy mirror in 2019 from one of her travels to Jerusalem. That pocket-sized mirror was adorned with a lot of gems and was fragile so I didn't carry it around much to avoid breaking it.

Question 6

The first time I had senbei rice crackers in Japan, I thought of bringing packs of it back to the Philippines to share with family and friends. The problem was that I loved it too much that once I got home, I decided I don't want to share any and just kept them all to myself.

Tough Vocabulary