December 23,2024
My stiff shoulders had disappeared, but it came out again today.I need to put pain patches on my shoulders. I didn't have relaxing time at home last weekend, so I already felt sleepy when I started working this morning. When can I go to sleep longer?
I took an English lesson online at 22:00. The tutor gave me a news material. I was able to read it and answered the questions. I told her my opinions and thoughts. My younger daughter was sitting near me. I asked her how my English was. She answered, "I didn't listen what you were speaking, but I felt you can speak English well." What a happy comment she gave! I'll share the material for you.
More than 400 Japanese Pubs Close over Two Years
日本の居酒屋、2年間で400軒以上が閉店
More than 200 of Japan's traditional pubs — called izakaya — went out of business between January and November 2024, according to new data.
That's more than the number that closed during 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic began.
A company called Teikoku Databank collects data on pub closures every year, and after 11 months of 2024, it found that 203 pubs had closed.
The most closures in a year was 204 in 2023, and that record could be beaten by the end of December this year.
The pandemic was a difficult time for pubs as people stopped meeting to eat and drink together. Since then, some people have not returned to their old habits, and spend less time with colleagues after work.
It's also said that younger workers don't enjoy drinking alcohol as much as their older colleagues. Instead, many people prefer to return home to spend time with friends and family.
But inflation has also had a big effect on business. It has become more expensive for bars and restaurants to buy produce, so many have increased their prices for customers.
At the same time, costs of food in the supermarket have increased, as well as things like travel and bills at home.
Prices have increased faster than people's pay, meaning they have less money to spend.
Watami, one of the country's biggest izakaya companies, has decided to invest in fast food, which is booming in Japan. Watami bought the sandwich chain Subway earlier this year, and its CEO Miki Watanabe has said he's planning to invest in more fast food businesses.
興味深い記事ですね。 それにしても、そんなにたくさん居酒屋がつぶれているとは・・・。 厳しい世の中ですね。 フリートーキングもためになりますが、こういう記事を時々読むのはとてもためになりますね。 英語力が確実にアップしているのを実感するのでは?