A fancy store in Japan called Takashimaya messed up big time. They ordered 2,900 strawberry Christmas cakes, but 807 of them were delivered all squished and ruined. People got really mad and started complaining on social media. The boss of Takashimaya, Kazuhisa Yokoyama, said sorry and bowed deeply at a press conference in Tokyo. They looked into what happened, but they still don’t know why the cakes collapsed.

Even though only 1% of people in Japan are Christians, lots of folks still celebrate Christmas by giving gifts and having yummy meals with their families. The colors red and white in a strawberry cake are a symbol of celebration. It’s also a tradition in Japan to eat KFC fried chicken on Christmas Eve. The strawberry shortcake from Takashimaya is made with layers of soft cake and fresh strawberries, covered in pretty white icing that looks like a frilly dress. Each cake costs 5,400 yen ($38; £29).

But when people got their cakes, they were a mess. Pictures on social media showed the strawberries sliding off the melted icing and the cake layers all messed up. One person even tried to hide the collapsed cake by putting fruits and chocolate sprinkles on top. The post got 16.1 million views. Some people on social media thought it was cool how customers tried to fix the cakes.

Takashimaya said sorry on Christmas Day and again on Wednesday. Mr. Yokoyama said they would work harder with their partners to make sure this doesn’t happen again. They want to improve their system and make things right.

Original news source: Japan: Takashimaya apologises for 807 collapsed Christmas cakes (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Have them read the article and then summarize the main points in a short news summary. After they have finished, have each pair share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Ask them to discuss whether they think Takashimaya handled the cake incident well or not. Have them come up with reasons to support their opinion. Once they have discussed, have each group share their opinion with the class and conduct a class-wide poll to see which opinion is the most popular.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Instruct them to sketch a picture of what they imagine the collapsed cakes looked like based on the description in the article. After they have finished, have them share their sketches with a partner and discuss their interpretations.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the students into two teams. One student from each team will come up to the board and choose a word. They must then draw a picture to represent the word while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been guessed.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Ask them to discuss the pros and cons of ordering a cake from a fancy store like Takashimaya versus making a cake at home. Have them come up with reasons to support each side. Once they have discussed, have each group share their ideas with the class and facilitate a class-wide discussion on the topic.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the strawberry Christmas cakes that were ordered by Takashimaya?
2. How did people react to the ruined cakes?
3. What did the boss of Takashimaya do to apologize?
4. Why do lots of people in Japan celebrate Christmas even though only 1% of the population are Christians?
5. What do the colors red and white symbolize in a strawberry cake?
6. What is a tradition in Japan on Christmas Eve?
7. How is the strawberry shortcake from Takashimaya made?
8. How did some people try to hide the collapsed cakes?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A fancy store in (1)______ called Takashimaya messed up big time. They ordered 2,900 strawberry (2)______ cakes, but 807 of them were delivered all squished and (3)______. People got really mad and started complaining on social media. The boss of Takashimaya, Kazuhisa Yokoyama, said sorry and bowed deeply at a press conference in Tokyo. They (4)______ into what happened, but they still don’t know why the cakes collapsed.

Even though only 1% of people in Japan are Christians, lots of folks still celebrate Christmas by giving (5)______ and having yummy (6)______ with their families. The colors red and white in a strawberry cake are a symbol of celebration. It’s also a (7)______ in Japan to eat KFC fried chicken on Christmas Eve. The strawberry (8)______ from Takashimaya is made with layers of soft cake and (9)______ strawberries, covered in pretty (10)______ icing that looks like a frilly dress. Each cake costs 5,400 yen ($38; £29).

But when people got their (11)______, they were a mess. Pictures on social media showed the strawberries (12)______ off the melted icing and the cake layers all messed up. One person even tried to hide the collapsed cake by putting fruits and chocolate (13)______ on top. The post got 16.1 million views. Some (14)______ on social media thought it was cool how customers tried to fix the cakes.

Takashimaya said sorry on Christmas Day and again on (15)______. Mr. Yokoyama said they would work harder with their partners to make sure this doesn’t happen again. They want to (16)______ their system and make things right.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a Christmas cake?
2. How would you feel if you ordered a cake for a special occasion and it arrived all squished and ruined?
3. Do you like celebrating Christmas? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important for companies to apologize when they make a mistake? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever had a bad experience with a product or service? How did you handle it?
6. What is a press conference? Have you ever seen one on TV or in the news?
7. Do you have any traditions in your country for celebrating holidays? If so, what are they?
8. Have you ever tried a strawberry shortcake? Did you like it? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the customers felt when they received their ruined cakes?
10. Do you think it’s a good idea for companies to use social media to apologize and respond to customer complaints? Why or why not?
11. Have you ever tried to fix or hide a mistake to avoid getting in trouble? What happened?
12. What do you think Takashimaya can do to prevent this from happening again?
13. How do you think the employees at Takashimaya felt after the cakes were ruined?
14. Do you think it’s important for companies to take responsibility for their mistakes? Why or why not?
15. If you were in charge of Takashimaya, what would you do to make it up to the customers?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Takashimaya
2. squished
3. complained
4. conference
5. collapsed
6. Christians
7. symbol
8. tradition
9. icing
10. frilly
11. layers
12. sliding
13. sprinkles
14. improve
15. partners

Meanings:
(A) People who follow the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ
(B) Expressed dissatisfaction or annoyance about something
(C) Something that stands for or represents an idea or quality
(D) Smashed or flattened so it’s out of shape
(E) A custom or practice that’s been done for a long time
(F) Moving smoothly and quickly across a surface
(G) A formal meeting for discussion, often with reporters
(H) Having decorative ruffles or pleats
(I) Fell down or caved in suddenly
(J) Make something better or more effective
(K) Tiny bits of candy or other decorations for food
(L) Different levels or stages stacked on top of each other
(M) Individuals or organizations that work together toward a common goal
(N) A sweet, creamy topping often found on cakes
(O) A fancy store in Japan that made a big mistake with cakes
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How many strawberry Christmas cakes did Takashimaya order?
(a) 2,900
(b) 807
(c) 1%
(d) 5,400 yen

2. What did people do when they received the ruined cakes?
(a) Ate them anyway
(b) Complained on social media
(c) Returned them to the store
(d) Ignored the problem

3. What did the boss of Takashimaya do at the press conference?
(a) Ate cake
(b) Made excuses
(c) Bowed deeply
(d) Laughed

4. Why are the colors red and white important in a strawberry cake?
(a) They represent Christmas
(b) They make the cake taste better
(c) They symbolize celebration
(d) They are the store’s favorite colors

5. What is a tradition in Japan on Christmas Eve?
(a) Opening presents
(b) Going to church
(c) Decorating a Christmas tree
(d) Eating KFC fried chicken

6. How much does each cake cost?
(a) $38
(b) £29
(c) All of the above
(d) 5,400 yen

7. What did people try to do to hide the collapsed cakes?
(a) Put fruits and chocolate sprinkles on top
(b) Return them to the store
(c) Throw them away
(d) Eat them anyway

8. What did Takashimaya promise to do after the incident?
(a) Stop selling strawberry cakes
(b) Work harder with their partners
(c) Ignore customer complaints
(d) Close the store

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They ordered 2,900 strawberry Christmas cakes, but 807 of them were delivered damaged.
2. People were satisfied and praised on social media about the good cakes.
3. Even though only 1% of people in Japan are Christians, very few celebrate Christmas with gifts and meals.
4. The strawberry shortcake from Takashimaya is made with soft cake, fresh strawberries, and pretty white icing, but the delivered cakes were a mess with strawberries sliding off and cake layers messed up.
5. A store in Japan called Takashimaya made a small mistake with their Christmas cake order.
6. The boss of Takashimaya did not apologize and did not bow deeply at a press conference in Tokyo.
7. The store investigated the issue but still doesn’t know why the cakes collapsed.
8. In Japan, it is a tradition to eat KFC fried chicken on Christmas Eve.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened to the strawberry Christmas cakes that were delivered to Takashimaya?
2. How did people react to the ruined cakes?
3. Why are the colors red and white important in a strawberry cake in Japan?
4. What is a tradition in Japan on Christmas Eve?
5. How did one person try to hide the collapsed cake?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the strawberry Christmas cakes that were ordered by Takashimaya?
807 of the cakes were delivered squished and ruined.

2. How did people react to the ruined cakes?
People got really mad and started complaining on social media.

3. What did the boss of Takashimaya do to apologize?
The boss, Kazuhisa Yokoyama, said sorry and bowed deeply at a press conference in Tokyo.

4. Why do lots of people in Japan celebrate Christmas even though only 1% of the population are Christians?
Even though only 1% of people in Japan are Christians, many still celebrate Christmas as a time for gift-giving and family meals.

5. What do the colors red and white symbolize in a strawberry cake?
The colors red and white in a strawberry cake symbolize celebration.

6. What is a tradition in Japan on Christmas Eve?
A tradition in Japan on Christmas Eve is to eat KFC fried chicken.

7. How is the strawberry shortcake from Takashimaya made?
The strawberry shortcake from Takashimaya is made with layers of soft cake and fresh strawberries, covered in pretty white icing.

8. How did some people try to hide the collapsed cakes?
Some people tried to hide the collapsed cakes by putting fruits and chocolate sprinkles on top.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Japan
(2) Christmas
(3) ruined
(4) looked
(5) gifts
(6) meals
(7) tradition
(8) shortcake
(9) fresh
(10) white
(11) cakes
(12) sliding
(13) sprinkles
(14) people
(15) Wednesday
(16) improve
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Takashimaya
Answer: (O) A fancy store in Japan that made a big mistake with cakes

2. squished
Answer: (D) Smashed or flattened so it’s out of shape

3. complained
Answer: (B) Expressed dissatisfaction or annoyance about something

4. conference
Answer: (G) A formal meeting for discussion, often with reporters

5. collapsed
Answer: (I) Fell down or caved in suddenly

6. Christians
Answer: (A) People who follow the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ

7. symbol
Answer: (C) Something that stands for or represents an idea or quality

8. tradition
Answer: (E) A custom or practice that’s been done for a long time

9. icing
Answer: (N) A sweet, creamy topping often found on cakes

10. frilly
Answer: (H) Having decorative ruffles or pleats

11. layers
Answer: (L) Different levels or stages stacked on top of each other

12. sliding
Answer: (F) Moving smoothly and quickly across a surface

13. sprinkles
Answer: (K) Tiny bits of candy or other decorations for food

14. improve
Answer: (J) Make something better or more effective

15. partners
Answer: (M) Individuals or organizations that work together toward a common goal
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How many strawberry Christmas cakes did Takashimaya order?
Answer: (a) 2,900

2. What did people do when they received the ruined cakes?
Answer: (b) Complained on social media

3. What did the boss of Takashimaya do at the press conference?
Answer: (c) Bowed deeply

4. Why are the colors red and white important in a strawberry cake?
Answer: (c) They symbolize celebration

5. What is a tradition in Japan on Christmas Eve?
Answer: (d) Eating KFC fried chicken

6. How much does each cake cost?
Answer: (d) 5,400 yen

7. What did people try to do to hide the collapsed cakes?
Answer: (a) Put fruits and chocolate sprinkles on top

8. What did Takashimaya promise to do after the incident?
Answer: (b) Work harder with their partners
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They ordered 2,900 strawberry Christmas cakes, but 807 of them were delivered damaged. (Answer: True)
2. People were satisfied and praised on social media about the good cakes. (Answer: False)
3. Even though only 1% of people in Japan are Christians, very few celebrate Christmas with gifts and meals. (Answer: False)
4. The strawberry shortcake from Takashimaya is made with soft cake, fresh strawberries, and pretty white icing, but the delivered cakes were a mess with strawberries sliding off and cake layers messed up. (Answer: True)
5. A store in Japan called Takashimaya made a small mistake with their Christmas cake order. (Answer: False)
6. The boss of Takashimaya did not apologize and did not bow deeply at a press conference in Tokyo. (Answer: False)
7. The store investigated the issue but still doesn’t know why the cakes collapsed. (Answer: True)
8. In Japan, it is a tradition to eat KFC fried chicken on Christmas Eve. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧