jaremaga

English Stories for Language Learners

Today's じゃれマガ Post

A Japanese-style Thanksgiving Dinner

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. It falls on the fourth Thursday of November every year. If I were in the U.S., I would roast a turkey, make mashed potatoes, and bake a pumpkin pie. However, my daughter is visiting from the U.S. She wants Japanese food, so we are going to have a Japanese-style Thanksgiving dinner: chicken wings instead of turkey, taro (“satoimo”) instead of mashed potatoes, rice, vegetables flavored with sesame sauce (“gomaae”), and sweet bean jelly (“yokan”) instead of pumpkin pie. The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas shopping season. Do you know why it’s called “Black Friday”? Everyone used to go shopping, and the traffic was terrible, so the police started to call it “Black Friday.” Now, thanks to the internet, there are Black Friday sales everywhere, and the traffic is not so bad because many people shop online.    (147 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Watch the YouTube video (above). It’s the same story!

You can follow Jaremaga on Facebook and Instagram, too!
Read more stories HERE  Watch more videos at Jaremaga Broadcasting
昨日のじゃれマガ及びそれより前のストーリーは「Older Posts」のページで読めるようになっています。前のビデオをJaremaga Broadcastingで見れるようになっています。

 

HELP Support Jaremaga!
じゃれマガへのご支援をよろしく!
For more information 詳しくは
JAREMAGA brings you

* easy-to-read stories
* new posts every weekday
* 100 to 150 words per story
* a variety of different topics
じゃれマガは

* 読みやすい話
* 平日は毎日届きます
* 一つの話は100語から150語
* 色々なトピック
The 7th Jaremaga essay contest
for Junior high and High School students

じゃれマガのようなSimple English で素敵なエッセイを英文で綴ってみませんか。日常の暮らしの中で、見たり聞いたりした素朴な体験など、じんわりとした温かい気持ちや、切ない思い出を綴った英文エッセイコンテストを開催します。 

応募要項
・対象…中学生,高校生(中学生部門と高校生部門に分けます)
★1つの学校から最高で10作品とさせていただきます。
  ご担当先生にご面倒をおかけしますが,Top10作品でお願いいたします。
・英文…語数は95words以上120 words未満   中学の文法範囲(Simple English)で
・お題…自由
・応募方法…下記のグーグルフォームから作品を送信してください

https://forms.gle/aoTf8qz11QgLA3tq7

・締め切り…2025年1月10日
発表…来年の2月~3月の金土祝日のじゃれマガで配信の予定。

・審査方法…ジャレル先生,北原延晃先生,中西哲彦先生による審査。    

各人が5点満点(先生を笑わせたり,泣かせたり感動させたエッセイには+1点)
●お願い  じゃれマガの金曜日の読者投稿欄でも誤りのある英文はあります。でも内容が心打つから採用しているのです。じゃれマガとして配信するときには私(ジャレル)が誤りを訂正しています。しかし本当に大事なことは「読者の伝えたい,という気持ち」です。人に謝りを直してもらっているうちにその人のキラリと光る筆致が鈍くなることもあります。ぜひ誤りを恐れずに投稿してください。 問い合わせは jaremaga@gmail.comまでお願いします。

NEW! The 2025 Jaremaga essay contest for university students

Why not try writing an essay or anecdote in simple English, like Jaremaga? We’re holding an English essay contest where you can share your thoughts or simple experiences from your daily lifethings you’ve seen or heardalong with those warm, fuzzy feelings or bittersweet memories.           

Submission Guidelines

Eligibility:           University students
Length:               100 words minimum, 150 words maximum. We appreciate clearly written stories in simple English.
Topic:                  Original ideas, clearly explained, that answer one of the prompts below. 

(1)   If you could meet any person living or dead, who would it be and why?
(2)   Based on your own university experience, give advice on how to be a successful freshman.
(3)   A personal anecdote like those found in Jaremaga.


How the stories are judged:
 
We have a panel of judges that will pick the three best stories based on the following three criteria; (1) originality, (2) how well the writer communicates his/her feelings, and (3) how interesting or funny the story is. 

For an idea of what we are looking for, read Jaremaga. You can find it online at https://jaremaga.online/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jaremaga, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jaremaga/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@jaremagabroadcasting3135. 

Submission Method::Just submit your work via the Google Form below by January 10, 2026.

                                    <https://forms.gle/9xfZyXMSJmgQmdW29>

Deadline:         January 10, 2026

Awards:           The winners will receive an award from Jaremaga, and their essays will be published in Jaremaga in February and March.

If you have any questions, send them to jaremaga@gmail.com