While I was walking the dog in my neighborhood, I saw some people sitting under a white tent. It was a groundbreaking ceremony for a house. A Shinto priest was performing the ceremony. This kind of ceremony is held for the safety of the builders and for the happiness of the house owner. When we built our house in Nagoya, we had a groundbreaking ceremony, too. It’s different in the U.S. We don’t have groundbreaking ceremonies for single-family houses. However, we do have this kind of ceremony for big projects like schools and museums. I am including a link to a video of a groundbreaking ceremony at a school so that you can see what an American ceremony looks like.   (120 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a paid subscriber and read it 5 days a week, go to “Support Jaremaga” below for more information. You

Nagoya has official city garbage bags. There are three kinds of bags. Bags with red lettering are for combustible garbage, garbage that you can burn. Bags with green lettering are for noncombustible garbage, garbage that you can’t burn, like metal and glass. Bags with blue lettering are for recyclable garbage, garbage like plastic containers and trays. However, stores are running out of these bags because Japanese companies cannot get enough naphtha from the Middle East to make the bags. People are also buying more bags because they are worried. Now, Nagoya has new rules that start today and go to June 30. You can put your garbage into clear bags instead of city garbage bags, but you have to write the kind of garbage on the bag before you put it out. Is this happening in other Japan cities?   (139 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become

When I go back to the United States, I always look for artichokes. I really miss them in Japan. The other day, I had a wonderful surprise. My co-worker brought me three fresh artichokes! She started growing artichokes a few years ago to see what they were, but she doesn’t eat them. She says there isn’t much to eat. I suppose she is right, but that doesn’t matter. I love them. I boil the artichokes and eat them with melted butter. It takes a long time to eat artichokes because I dip each petal in melted butter and eat the soft part. When I finish the petals, I cut up the artichoke heart and eat it with melted butter, too. The artichokes I got from her were small, but they were delicious. I hope she gives me more!   (138 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a

Fujimae Tidal Flat is an important place for birds that fly north for the summer and south for the winter. They stop at the tidal flat to eat and rest each way. Because the tidal flat is at the mouth of three rivers, a lot of garbage washes up along the shore. Birdwatchers and local people started a beach clean-up event in 2004, and it is still going on. Last Saturday, more than 900 volunteers came to help pick up garbage. This kind of volunteer work is great, and even famous people come to help. This time, there were two basketball players from the Fighting Eagles Nagoya along with their mascot. The most famous person I remember meeting was Yoshida Saori, the great wrestler. That was about 15 years ago.  (130 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a paid subscriber and read it 5 days a