A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.
Date: 2026/03/13
Difficulty: Intermediate B1
PDF: The magic of Japan's 100-yen stores
| inventions • | • office supplies |
| incredibly • | • prize |
| electronics • | • extremely |
| stationery • | • creations |
| treasure • | • gadgets |
| survey • | • poll |
| inventions | creations |
| incredibly | extremely |
| electronics | gadgets |
| stationery | office supplies |
| treasure | prize |
| survey | poll |
In Japan, everyone knows the word hyakkin. It is short for hyakuen kin'itsu, which means "everything costs 100 yen" (about $0.63). These stores are incredibly popular. According to a recent survey of 11,000 people, most people visit them every month!
While men often buy tools or electronics, women usually look for kitchen items and stationery. People love these shops because they are cheap, but also because they sell unique inventions. You can find "banana cases" or special tools to make perfect sushi at home.
However, be careful! Some items now cost 500 yen ($3.17), and sometimes supermarkets are actually cheaper. Still, for most shoppers, the wide selection makes every visit a fun treasure hunt.
| A: | I love going to the 100 yen store! |
| B: | Me too! I always find something cool there. |
| A: | Last time, I bought a banana case. |
| B: | A banana case? That's interesting! |
| A: | Yeah, and it works perfectly. |
| B: | I need to get one for my bananas too! |