I went to the supermarket in my neighborhood yesterday. After paying at the cashier, the remaining balance of my prepaid card was 1111 yen. On the way back home from the store, I saw a car with the license plate number 1111. Then, when I got home, I looked at my phone, and the time said 11:11 a.m. I remember somebody talking about “angel numbers.” When you see the same numbers again and again, you will be lucky. The angel will bring you something special. Just then, I got a message from a friend saying that she came to see an event around here. I thought, “This is it!” I thought she was going to bring me something lucky, fun, and special. But she just told me that she had passed near my place.  (134 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

It has been a very good week for Japanese scientists who work in the Kansai region of Japan. On Monday, Sakaguchi Shimon of Osaka University won the Nobel Prize in Medicine along with two American scientists. Then, yesterday, Kitaguchi Susumu of Kyoto University won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi. All these scientists worked hard for many years, and now the world is learning about their successes. Kitaguchi, Robson, and Yaghi developed a new kind of material. It is so small that you can only see it with a powerful microscope. Scientists and engineers hope to use this material to collect water from desert air and to capture CO2.   (116 weeks) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

I heard about the first Nobel Prize of 2025 on the Monday night 6 o’clock news. The winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine are Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi. Sakaguchi discovered special T-cells in the blood. Then Brunkow and Ramsdell made other important discoveries. Together, their research is helping scientists to develop new treatments and new medicines to fight diseases like diabetes, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. After the Nobel committee contacted Sakaguchi, he went to Osaka University to talk to the press. Brunkow was difficult to contact, but they did find her. They couldn’t contact Ramsdell however. He was hiking in the mountains and enjoying life offline.   (111 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

We have had some rain in Nagoya recently, and it hasn’t been so hot. In this kind of weather, weeds grow very quickly. I had to cut some weeds at the center where I work last week. After working outside for an hour, I went back into the center. Another staff member looked at me and said, “Oh no!” There were seeds all over my pants and on my shoes. They are called “beggar’s lice,” and they stick to your clothes. They come from a plant called “nusubitohagi” in Japanese. I just smiled and said, “No problem!” However, when I tried to take them off my clothes, I said, “Oh no!” These seeds don’t come off easily. It took me 10 minutes to finish one leg, another 10 minutes to finish the other leg, and finally 10 minutes to finish my shoes.   (142 words) You can send me a comment or your own

Jane Goodall passed away last week at the age of 91. She was a pioneer in the study of chimpanzees. She went to Tanzania in her early twenties and started living with wild chimpanzees. She changed the way scientists looked at animals and humans. Scientists used to think that only humans could use tools. Goodall discovered that chimpanzees used tools to get food. Scientists thought that only humans had complex emotions. Goodall discovered that chimpanzees showed love and played together. They had friends and enemies. Mothers had close bonds with their babies. Chimpanzees even went to war and killed other chimpanzees. Goodall showed us that chimpanzees are almost human.   (109 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

One Saturday morning, I was at my favorite cafe thinking about fashion. I looked around to check what stylish people were wearing. Then, I found a handkerchief on the wooden floor near a cool-looking man. He was reading a book and didn’t notice it. I stood up, picked it up, and said to him, “Excuse me. Did you drop this?” He turned his face toward me, but he seemed puzzled. “It’s not mine,” he said. I was confused. I looked at it again. It seemed familiar to me…….It was mine! “Shall I look for the owner with you?” the man said. “No, you don’t have to. Thanks.” My face turned red, and I wanted to go back home.　  (118 words)By Ryugen S. You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com