Tokyo: City of Contrasts

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Tokyo is both steeped in ancient history, and yet one of the most modern and trendsetting cities in the world. Visit the juxtaposition of old and new that embraces both neon and nature.

Video length: 11:35 minutes.

Learning Resources with this Video*

Quiz

Set in Tokyo Writing Prompt

Tokyo and Your Town Writing Sheet

Tokyo Exploration Virtual Classroom

Tokyo Tower Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

Visit a City of Contrasts

The History of the Tokyo Olympics

Draw a Scene

Universal Resources

National Standards

*Links are active on Full Video page.

Classroom Ideas 

Tokyo: City of Contrasts

Mapping

Have students print out a map of Tokyo and identify where the sites in the video are located. 

Cloze Practice

A cloze piece has full sentences used in the virtual field trip with blanks where students can write in the information that is missing. This task requires close listening to the trip in order to complete it.

 

Country Report

Have students write a report about Japan including: landmarks, population, how it is similar to the United States, history (how it came to be), type of government, economy, famous sites, architecture, interesting facts, religions, food, etc.

 

Transportation Around the World

Compare/contrast various modes of transportation in different countries (Japanese subways vs. classic cars in Cuba)

 

Music

Listen to music from Japan.

 

Food of Japan

Have students research traditional Japanese food.

 

Tokyo Descriptive Words

Ask students to write a description of Tokyo. You could consider having them include a list of adjectives that describe the city.

 

Tokyo and Home: A Comparison

Students will write lists of the things they like and dislike about Tokyo. Make sure they explain each opinion. Ask students to write about and discuss whether they would like their own home city or town to be more like Tokyo in any way, and why.

 

Landforms and Bodies of Water

Identify landforms and bodies of water around Tokyo and Japan.

 

Create Quizzes

Students create a quiz based on the information presented for their peers. This can be used as a review for a test, or jigsaw class activity where students are responsible for teaching other students assigned topics.

 

Greetings Around the World

Explore different ways to greet people across various cultures (Bonjour  in France, bowing in Japan, Hola  in Cuba, etc.).

 

Art

Draw a scene from the video you just watched.

 

Diorama

Create a diorama of Tokyo’s landmarks.

 

Local Festivals

Have students research Japanese festivals at the local, state, and national levels. 

 

Creative Writing

Write a story with Tokyo as the setting. The main character could be from another country (compare and contrast characters). 

 

Tokyo Station Adventure

Find out places you can get to from Tokyo Station, and plan an itinerary for a trip.

 

Tokyo Tower

Students can complete a worksheet in which they compare Tokyo Tower to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They should talk about the history of the towers, visiting rules, views, etc.

 

Classroom Ideas for ALL Videos

Here are dozens and dozens of ideas that you can use in your classroom along with our videos!

Topics Covered In This Video

Tokyo’s location

Fun facts

Imperial Palace

Tokyo Station

Bullet trains

Ginza shopping district

Kabuki theater

Tokyo Tower

Tsukiji Fish Market

Shinjuku Gardens

Asakusa Kannon Temple

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Rome - The Eternal City

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