Disrupting Japan
Instructions
Read the story below at your level. Then, study the key words and phrases. Later, use them in your conversations and writing this week.

Reading
Starting a business is fun and scary. I’m learning about business in Japan. I found a great podcast, Disrupting Japan. I hope you like it too.
The host is Tim Romero. He talks to startups in Japan. They talk about success. Sometimes, they talk about failure. They all love helping people. They love solving problems. Tim explains it better than me.
Flesch-Kinkead – Grade: 3
Starting a business can be exciting or scary. When I started learning about business culture in Japan, I found Tim Romero’s podcast, Disrupting Japan.
Tim talks with Japan’s most successful entrepreneurs about starting up, raising money, and failure. They also talk about the future and changes in business culture here.
I love the show. Tim makes the startup world less of a mystery. These aren’t just guys in suits. These are real men and women with a passion for problem solving. But don’t take my word for it. Tim can explain it far better than I can.
Flesch-Kinkead – Grade: 5
Have you ever thought about starting a business? This can either be exciting or terrifying for many people. Starting a company in another country is an even bigger risk. When I started learning about business culture here in Japan, I found Tim Romero’s podcast, Disrupting Japan.
On the show, Tim talks with Japan’s most successful entrepreneurs about their businesses. They discuss starting up in a unique environment like Japan. They touch on topics like raising money, failure, where they hope to see the business culture, go and how it’s changing over time.
I really fell in love with the show because Tim does a great job of making the startup world a little less mysterious. These aren’t just guys in suits. These are real men and women with a passion for solving problems and innovating. But don’t take my word for it. Tim can explain it far better than I can.
Flesch-Kinkead – Grade: 7
Have you ever considered starting your own business? This can either be a great adventure or terrifying prospect for many people but starting a company in a foreign country is an even bigger leap. As I started looking around for resources and information about business culture here in Japan, I found Tim Romero’s podcast, Disrupting Japan.
On the show, Tim talks with Japan’s most successful entrepreneurs about their businesses and the experience of starting up in a unique environment like Japan. They touch on topics such as raising money, failure, where they hope to see the business culture, go and how it’s changing over time.
I really fell in love with the show because Tim does a great job of demystifying the world of startups. These aren’t a bunch of people in suits. These are real men and women with a passion for solving problems, trying new things, and innovating. But don’t take my word for it. Tim can explain it far better than I can.
Flesch-Kinkead – Grade: 9
Key Terms
solve– finding the answer to a problem
This math problem is hard to solve.
It’s not easy to solve climate change.
startup – a young company with a special product or service and one or two founders
I bought these shoes from a startup. They make shoes from recycled plastic.
My sister has a startup. They sell widgets for babies.
disrupting – making a big change that many people can see
The area was too noisy. It disrupted our meeting. : (
Uber changed the taxi business. They really disrupted it.
disrupting – making a big change that many people can see
The area was too noisy. It disrupted our meeting. : (
Uber changed the taxi business. They really disrupted it.
entrepreneur – a person who starts a new business
My daughter wants to start a business selling crafts .She’s an entrepreneur.
This city is a great place to start a business. Entrepreneurs love it.
passion – a strong emotion especial love
I have a passion for helping people. I love it.
You need passion to start a business. If you don’t love it, you won’t continue.
terrifying – very scary
I can’t watch zombie movies. They are terrifying.
My boss terrifies me. He is always angry. It’s so scary.
entrepreneur – a person who starts a new business
My daughter wants to start a business selling crafts .She’s an entrepreneur.
This city is a great place to start a business. Entrepreneurs love it.
mysterious – difficult or hard to understand or explain
We heard some mysterious noises last night. I don’t know what it was.
My car disappeared. They never found it. It was a total mystery.
consider – to think about something carefully
We need to consider some new ideas for our company.
I want some time to consider my next job. It’s a big decision.
entrepreneur – a person who starts a new business
My daughter wants to start a business selling crafts .She’s an entrepreneur.
This city is a great place to start a business. Entrepreneurs love it.
demystify – make a difficult topic easy to understand
Science is a little confusing but this show really demystified a lot of these ideas..
I want to demystify climate change. I know a lot of people don’t understand it.