Australian opens cafe on small Japanese island

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2025/04/05

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Australian opens cafe on small Japanese island

Vocabulary Match

tourists •• shoppers
includes •• group
community •• visitors
customers •• a lot
surprised •• adds
in bulk •• shocked

Vocabulary Answers

touristsvisitors
includesadds
communitygroup
customersshoppers
surprisedshocked
in bulka lot

Article

John Widmer, from Australia, opened a café on Himeshima, a small island in Japan. The island has only 1,700 people. His café, called Ozi Cafe, is easy to spot because it is green and yellow. Widmer wanted to bring good coffee to the island, using beans from Australia. He said, "Customers were really surprised at how nice the coffee was. I give them a taste of the beans. Because if I'm ever buying coffee in bulk for home, I would always eat one of the beans. And if the bean tastes good, you're going to get a good coffee."

Thanks to the café, more tourists are now visiting Himeshima. A company called Walk Japan even includes the island in its tours. Local businesses are happy about this. Widmer, who used to be a swimmer and swim teacher in Australia, also helps the community by teaching swimming and joining a volleyball club. People on the island are happy to have him there.

Quiz

  1. What is Himeshima?
  2. What is the name of John Widmer's café?
  3. What sport does John Widmer teach on the island?
  4. Why are local businesses happy about the café?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Himeshima is a small island in Japan.
  2. The name of John Widmer's café is Ozi Cafe.
  3. John Widmer teaches swimming on the island.
  4. Local businesses are happy because more tourists are visiting the island.

Conversation

A:Wow, your café is really bringing in the tourists!
B:Yes, it's exciting. People love the coffee.
A:I heard you also teach swimming. How's that going?
B:It's fun! The kids here are great learners.
A:And you're in the volleyball club too? Busy man!
B:I like to keep active. Coffee and sports, perfect combo!

Discussion

  1. Would you like to visit a small island like Himeshima?
  2. Do you like coffee? What's your favourite?
  3. What sports do you enjoy playing or watching?
  4. What kind of business would you open in your town if you could?

Source Material

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/03/4f24b16b3f38-cafe-run-by-japan-islands-only-foreigner-aims-to-be-new-tourist-spot.html


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