Japanese luxury department store, Takashimaya, has issued an apology for delivering 807 collapsed strawberry Christmas cakes out of the 2,900 that were ordered. The incident caused a backlash on social media. The senior managing director of Takashimaya, Kazuhisa Yokoyama, expressed remorse by bowing deeply at a news conference in Tokyo. The cakes were made and frozen by Win's Ark, a confectionery firm in Saitama, and were delivered by Yamato Transport. An internal investigation has been conducted, but the cause of the collapsed cakes remains unknown.

Although only 1% of Japan's population identifies as Christians, many people in the country celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts and enjoying festive meals with loved ones. The colors red and white, which are represented in a strawberry cake, symbolize celebration. In addition to cakes, it is also customary for the Japanese to serve KFC fried chicken on Christmas Eve. Takashimaya's strawberry shortcake is made with layers of chiffon and fresh strawberries, covered in carefully piped white icing that resembles the frilled hem of a dress. Each cake costs 5,400 yen ($38; £29).

However, many customers received their cakes in a less than perfect state. Photos shared on social media showed sliced strawberries sliding off melted icing and messed-up chiffon layers. One customer even tried to camouflage the collapsed cake with fruits and chocolate sprinkles. The post gained 16.1 million views. Despite the negative feedback, some social media users praised the customers' creativity in redecorating the cakes.

Takashimaya issued an apology on Christmas Day and again on Wednesday. Mr. Yokoyama stated that they would strengthen their relationship with their business partners to improve their management system and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

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

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in 3-5 sentences.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: "Do you think Takashimaya handled the cake incident appropriately? Why or why not?"
2. Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to write their response to the question.
3. Collect the papers and tally the number of responses for each opinion.
4. Lead a class discussion, allowing students to share their opinions and supporting reasons.
– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Assign each pair a different scene from the article (e.g. Takashimaya's news conference, customers receiving their cakes, social media posts).
3. Instruct each pair to create a sketch or drawing that represents their assigned scene.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each pair present their sketch to the class and explain their artistic choices.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Prepare a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. confectionery, frilled, backlash).
2. Divide the class into teams.
3. One student from each team will come to the front of the class.
4. Show the chosen student a vocabulary word and give them one minute to draw a picture representing that word on the board.
5. The team members will guess the word based on the drawing.
6. Repeat the process with a new student from each team until all the vocabulary words have been used.
– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Ask students to imagine they are consultants for Takashimaya.
2. Instruct them to write a short paragraph predicting how this incident will impact the company in the future. They should consider factors such as customer trust, reputation, and sales.
3. After a designated amount of time, have students share their predictions with the class and discuss the different perspectives.

Japanese luxury department store, Takashimaya, has ? an apology for delivering 807 collapsed strawberry Christmas cakes out of the 2,900 that were ordered. The incident ? a ? on social media. The senior managing ? of Takashimaya, Kazuhisa Yokoyama, expressed remorse by bowing deeply at a news conference in Tokyo. The cakes were made and frozen by Win's Ark, a confectionery firm in Saitama, and were delivered by Yamato Transport. An internal investigation has been conducted, but the cause of the collapsed cakes remains unknown. Although only 1% of Japan's population ? as Christians, many people in the country celebrate ? by exchanging gifts and enjoying festive meals with loved ones. The colors red and white, which are represented in a strawberry cake, ? celebration. In addition to cakes, it is also customary for the ? to serve KFC fried chicken on Christmas Eve. Takashimaya's strawberry ? is made with layers of chiffon and fresh strawberries, covered in carefully piped white icing that resembles the frilled hem of a dress. Each cake ? 5,400 yen ($38; £29). However, many customers received their cakes in a less than perfect state. Photos shared on social ? showed sliced strawberries sliding off ? icing and messed-up chiffon layers. One customer even tried to camouflage the collapsed cake with fruits and chocolate sprinkles. The post gained 16.1 million views. Despite the negative feedback, some social media users ? the customers' ? in redecorating the cakes. Takashimaya issued an ? on Christmas Day and again on Wednesday. Mr. Yokoyama stated that they would strengthen their relationship with their business partners to improve their management ? and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

1. What is your opinion on Takashimaya's handling of the collapsed cake incident?
2. How would you feel if you received a collapsed cake for a special occasion?
3. Do you think it is important for companies to apologize publicly when they make a mistake? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever had a negative experience with a product or service? How did the company handle it?
5. What is a traditional dessert or food that is served during a special occasion in your culture?
6. How do you think social media has changed the way companies respond to customer complaints?
7. Do you think it is fair for customers to share their negative experiences on social media? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever tried to fix or redecorate a damaged or imperfect product? How did it turn out?
9. How important is presentation when it comes to food or desserts? Why or why not?
10. Do you think it is necessary for companies to have a strong relationship with their business partners? Why or why not?
11. How do you think Takashimaya could prevent similar incidents from happening in the future?
12. Have you ever had a cake or dessert that was beautifully presented? How did it make you feel?
13. How do you think Takashimaya's reputation will be affected by this incident? Why or why not?
14. Do you think it is important for companies to take responsibility for mistakes made by their business partners? Why or why not?
15. How would you react if you received a collapsed cake from a luxury department store like Takashimaya? Why?

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