This is the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympic Games. They started in Sweden in 1976. At that time, there were only two sports, alpine skiing and Nordic skiing. Around 200 athletes from 16 countries came to the first games. Since then, more and more countries have participated. This year, over 600 athletes came to the Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics from 55 countries. They had six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding, and wheelchair curling, and there were 79 medal events in these sports. Japan’s star was Muraoka Momoka. She won two silver medals in alpine skiing this time, and she now has 11 medals altogether. That is more than any other Japanese paralympic athlete.  (117 words)  You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Yesterday was Saint Patrick’s Day. It is an important holiday for the Irish. They are the people of Ireland. But who is St. Patrick? He brought Christianity to Ireland about 1,500 years ago. Many Irish are very religious, so St. Patrick is very important to them. Millions of Irish left Ireland in the 19th century and went to other countries, so now people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all around the world.  They wear green clothes because green is the color of Ireland. In the U.S, there are big parades in New York City, Chicago, and Boston. People also like to drink on St. Patrick’s Day, and some bars even serve green beer!   (112 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

We had a big event at the Fujimae Tidal Flat Activity Center last Sunday, and the weather was sunny and warm. It was a great day to be outside. We had a ceremony for the children who took part in our year-long junior ranger program. They came with their families, and we had a lot of volunteers, too. In the morning, we chopped wood and made fires so that we could make “mochi” and “yakisoba” in the open air. Everyone had a good time, and the food tasted great! After we ate and cleaned up, some of the young volunteers organized games on the grass in front of the center. Then we all went inside for presentations and the ceremony. Even when it was all over, the children didn’t want to go home.   (133 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

When I was driving around Nagoya on Wednesday last week, I saw lines of cars waiting in the road near gas stations. I remembered the news report from the day before. The reporter said that the price of gasoline would go up. The price of one liter of gasoline was 150 yen at the gas station near my house. When I heard the news, I thought that a liter might go up 5 or 10 yen, but on Thursday, I couldn’t believe my eyes. One liter of gasoline was over 180 yen. The price went up about 20%! Now I understand why so many drivers were waiting in line to buy gasoline.   (112 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

When I went to Tokyo, I stopped by an “izakaya.” It was winter, so I ordered “oden.” I really wanted to eat “suji.” I ordered it, but they brought me something white. It looked like “hampen.” I thought, “Huh? What’s this? I didn’t order it.” But I ate it. I thought maybe they had made a mistake, so I ordered it again and spoke more clearly. They brought me white “hampen” again. A few days later, I learned that “suji” means different things in western Japan and eastern Japan. In western Japan, it is beef, but in eastern Japan, it is white fish or something like “hampen.” Every time I ordered “suji,” they were actually giving me the correct thing—for Tokyo. When I told this story to other people, everyone was very surprised. It was a really funny experience.　　　(140 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com