Happy New Year! (Better late than never, right?). This year started not too good in Japan, with an earthquake and a plane crushing. So, this time Yumi will talk about it. Have you ever been in an earthquake? Let us know in the comments below!

KEY VOCABULARY:

1. 石川県(いしかわけん)能登(のと)半島(はんとう)　the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture [石川県(いしかわけん) (Ishikawa Prefecture); 能登(のと) (Noto); 半島(はんとう) (peninsula)]
2. 炎上(えんじょう)事故(じこ) crash that ended in inferno [炎上(えんじょう)(going up in flames); 事故(じこ) (accident; crash)]
3. 海上(かいじょう)保(ほ)安(あん)庁(ちょう) Japan Coast Guard [海上(かいじょう) (maritime; sea service)保(ほ)安(あん)庁(ちょう)(National Security Agency)]
4. 無事(ぶじ) no damage; unharmed; safety; security
5. 奇(き)跡(せき) miracle
6. 慌(あわ)ただしい constantly busy (with many events); whirlwind; fast-paced
7. 慌(あわ)てない (です) don’t/ doesn’t panic [negative form of 慌(あわ)てる (to panic; to haste; to fluster)]
8. 収(おさ)まる to quiet down; to calm down; to settle
9. 冷静(れいせい) cool; composed; cool-headed [冷(れい) (cool; cold); 静(せい) (quiet; still)]
10. 山(やま)津(つ)波(なみ) landslide; earthflow [山(やま) (mountain; hill); 津(つ)波(なみ) (tsunami; tidal wave); also called “山(やま)崩(くず)れ (landslide)”]
11. ガスの元栓(もとせん) main valve of gas pipe/tank [majority of Japanese household use the propane gas or the city gas for cooking and possibly heating water]
12. 訓練(くんれん) training; discipline; drill; practice
13. うち履(ば)き indoor shoes [うち (inside); 履(ば)き (“foot wear”; noun form of 履(は)く (to wear/to put on (shoes)); also called 上履(うわば)き or ルームシューズ)]
14. 散乱(さんらん)している is scattered around [from 散(さん)乱(らん)する (to scatter around; to scatter); (て)いる here indicates a state/condition of “glass pieces scattered around”)]
15. 裸足(はだし) barefoot
16. 来(きた)るべきして来(き)た ought have come (by now); due to come [literally, “came because it had to come”; a fixed phrase that sounds literary, archaic and formal to modify some occurrence that happened which was destined to happen in the hindsight; 来(きた)るべき (“should come”); して (as); 来(き)た (“has come”)]
17. 南海(なんかい)トラフ巨大(きょだい)地(じ)震(しん) Nankai Trough mega earthquake [南海(なんかい) (Nankai);トラフ (trough); 巨大(きょだい) (mega; colossal; jumbo); 地(じ)震(しん) (earthquake)]
18. 潜(もぐ)り込(こ)んでいる is slipping under [the continuous form of 潜(もぐ)り込(こ)む (to slip under)]
19. ひずみ distortion; skewness; strain
20. 跳(は)ね返(かえ)る bounce back; spring back; recoil [compound verb of 跳(は)ねる (jump; bounce) and 返(かえ)る (return; revert; turn back)]
21. １００年(ねん)間隔(かんかく)で in 100 year interval [間隔(かんかく) (interval; space (in between); distance); で (in)]
22. 耐震(たいしん)化(か) earthquake-proofing [耐震(たいしん)化(か) (earthquake-proofing; earthquake-resistant; earthquake-ready; 耐(たい) (resist; endure); 震(しん) (shake); 化(か) (“-ization”; “-ification”) is a suffix that means “to change into ~”)]
23. 固(こ)定(てい)しておくhave (furniture) to be fastened/anchored [固(こ)定(てい)して (て-form of 固(こ)定(てい)する (to fasten; to anchor; to fix); (て)おくmeans “to have ~ done in advance for preparation of something)]
24. 時(じ)限(げん)爆弾(ばくだん) ticking bomb; time bomb [時(じ)限(げん) (time- programed); 爆弾(ばくだん) (bomb)]

For upper beginners to intermediates. Listen to the short podcast and then answer the comprehension questions on the website: https://thejapanesepage.com/nihongonotane-index/

Take a quiz on this episode here:

https://thejapanesepage.com/podcast-nihongonotane-151

If you are a Makoto+ member, you can find the transcript, English translation, key vocabulary, and a downloadable PDF for printing:

https://MakotoPlus.com/podcast-nihongonotane-151-m

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