Last Year's Popular Bonding Topics

The Global English Camp textbook includes discussions on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and other valuable world topics. But what should you talk about during lunch and break time?

Here are some of last year’s popular conversation topics:

Tapioca
1. Fun fact: In English, tapioca describes the black bubbles in boba or bubble tea, but in Japanese, tapioca means bubble tea in general. High school students loved tapioca last year. Whether it was drawing tapioca cups on presentation posters, discussing famous tapioca joints around the city, or going out to buy tapioca during lunch as a group, it was a hit among all students.
TikTok
1. I know. But it’s true. Watching funny TikToks together is a great way to bond! It’s also interesting to see what TikToks are popular in Japan versus the ones in your home country.
K-Pop and J-Pop
1. The most popular groups were TWICE and BTS, though there were also many more favorites. Your students may light up if you ask who their favorite group or bias is!
Anime / Manga
1. The most popular anime were Naruto, Pokémon, and One Piece.
2. Tip: If your students are too shy to namedrop their favorite titles at the table, try telling them your favorite anime or manga first. One time, I mentioned that I was reading Bungou Stray Dogs, and three girls at my table instantly said that it was their favorite manga, too. The next day, they all surprised me by bringing in a stack of Bungou Stray Dogs manga for us to read during lunchtime. At the end of the week, they even drew me a portrait of my favorite character from the series.
Phone Games
1. Unfortunately, I can’t remember any specific game titles that were loved by students last year, but if you ask them what games they have on their phone, they’ll likely want to tell you. One game that was popular last year was similar to Guitar Hero. When I downloaded the game and played alongside my students, they thought it was the funniest thing in the world. They hovered over my shoulder and cheered me on throughout lunch!

Next year’s popular topics might change, as trends tend to do. If all else fails, ask your students what their hobbies are outside of school. You’ll learn a lot, and so will they!