Japan draws tourists to new theme hotels A book-themed “book and bed” hotel is scheduled to open in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district this September. The project is backed by publisher Shibuya Publishers and Booksellers, which will supply reading materials that cover the walls of the common reading areas. The hotel will not offer complete rooms, but instead will provide small areas where each reader can relax, as well as complete shower facilities. A robot-staffed “Henna Hotel” opened at Sasebo near Nagasaki in July, featuring “female” androids and robot dinosaurs at the reception desk, and autonomous vehicles that carry luggage to the rooms.

autonomous: 自主的・手動的

POTUS and FLOTUS

Jennifer:  Did you hear that POTUS and FLOTUS are coming to visit our university? It’s great news!

Violet: Who are POTUS and FLOTUS? They sound like animation characters.

Jennifer: No, silly. POTUS means ‘President of the United States’ and FLOTUS means ‘First Lady of the United States.’ I mean that President Obama and Michelle Obama are coming to the university.

Explanation: A recently popular nickname for President Obama is “POTUS.” First Lady Michelle Obama is similarly called “FLOTUS.”

First lady:  大統領夫人

second-hand smoke

Patient: My husband never smoked in his life. So how did he get lung cancer?

Doctor: It’s hard to be certain, but some people who work in public places such as bars can get lung cancer just from the second-hand smoke of the other customers. There can be various jobs that put him at high risk for lung cancer.

Explanation:  The phrase “second-hand smoke” is sometimes also called “passive smoke.”  It’s the smoke that people in the room inhale from someone else’s smoking. Smoke-free people can still have health problems from the smoke that is produced by smokers in the room.

Inhale: 吸う・吸い込む

shoplifting

Dear Henry:

We are losing 5% of our inventory in some stores to shoplifting. We can’t just allow customers and employees to steal the merchandise.

Can you come up with an action plan to combat this problem? I hope to receive your suggestions by next Monday.

Explanation: The word “shoplifting” means to steal something from a store while the store is open. Sometimes children and even adults shoplift just for the thrill, even though the item they are stealing is very cheap.

shoplifting: 万引
combat a problem: to fight against a problem
merchandise: 商材・商品