There are a lot of Christmas events around Japan, and in Nagoya, we have a German-style Christmas market. It is in an open-air plaza downtown. They have a tall Christmas tree in the middle, and it’s covered with lights and shiny decorations. As you can imagine, everybody crowds around the tree trying to take pictures. There are a lot of stalls selling different kinds of German-style food and drink such as sausages and beer. My wife and I went there on Monday to see our granddaughter who is working at one of the stalls. I got a plate of sausages and potatoes, but it was too cold to drink beer. I got hot wine instead. If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t worry! They have hot chocolate topped with whipped cream for you.   (132 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

We have just had the shortest day of the year in Japan. It was Sunday, December 21, and there were less than 10 hours of daylight in Nagoya. Of course, the length of the day depends on where you are. Wakkanai in Hokkaido had about 8 hours and 40 minutes of daylight, and Ishigakijima had 10 hours and 40 minutes of daylight. Have you ever wondered why this day isn’t the coldest day of the year? That’s because more than 70% of the earth is covered in water, and water takes longer to get cold than air. Usually, the coldest time of the year in Japan is the end of January.   (111 hours) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

I write a Christmas letter every year and send it to my friends and relatives. I used to only send Christmas cards, but I couldn’t write very much on the card, and my handwriting wasn’t very neat. I decided to start writing letters on my computer instead. If I write a letter, I can tell people about my family and the things that have happened to me during the year. I can also insert photos into the text. My problem is that I never finish the letter early enough. In fact, I only finished this year’s letter yesterday. As usual, my friends and family outside Japan won’t get the card until after the New Year. I can attach it to an email and send it faster, but I think that people really enjoy finding a card in their mailbox. I certainly do!   (142 words) You can send me a comment or your own

My wife has a friend who goes to Nagano Prefecture every year to buy fresh apples. She bought 140 kilograms of apples this year. Of course she doesn’t eat all of them herself. She sells some to friends like us. We bought four different kinds of apples this year, including Granny Smith, which are green. The grower told her that more and more people are eating green apples these days because of the name of a popular band, Mrs. Green Apple. He gave my wife’s friend a new kind of apple called “kiruto pinku,” and she gave us one, too. The name means, “When you cut it open, it is pink.” We tried it as soon as we got back home, and it really was pink inside! It was juicy and a little tart, just the way I like my apples!   (141 words) You can send me a comment or your own story

I was in a park the other day, and I saw a man walking his pet. It was on a leash, but it wasn’t a dog. I could tell that it wasn’t a cat either because of the way it moved. I got closer and asked the man what it was. He said that his pet was an Alpine marmot. Marmots are also called ground squirrels. That’s because they don’t climb trees. They make holes in the ground and live in them. There are marmots in Europe, Asia, and North America, but not in Japan. His marmot came from Europe. He used to have a prairie dog. Prairie dogs are very similar to marmots, but they only live in North America. I think this man likes unusual pets because it’s a great way to meet people, and he likes to talk!    (141 words) You can send me a comment or your own story