Zoom英会話クラス(火)

Lesson Notes April 21, 2026 (TUESDAY ZOOM)

Words & Phrases

• Where was the epicentre of the quake?

  • Will there be aftershocks? (Aftershocks: the smaller quakes that follow the main “main-shock.”)

• The Japanese hometown tax scheme (furusato nozei) lowers your local residence tax and national income tax.

  • You donate money to a local municipality of your choice, which is then subtracted from your income tax for the current year and your resident tax for the following year.

• A lot of people in Japan take safety for granted. (This suggests that because nothing bad has happened recently, you assume nothing bad will happen.)

  • “take for granted” = people don’t appreciatdhow lucky they are

• Often when people travel overseas they are complacent about their safety." (This suggests they are too relaxed and might be in danger).

  • “complacent” = being lazy or careless because things are easy

Appropriate Language

• Epicentre = The point on the Earth's surface directly above the quake.

• Magnitude = The size/energy of the quake (e.g., 7.2).

• Intensity = How much shaking people actually felt at their location. This is the Japan earthquake scale