I studied Japanese in the United States many years ago when I was a university student. I took a class during the summer. There were only two students in the class, so our Japanese teacher invited us to her house. She wanted to serve us Japanese food. I remember eating strange-looking noodles. They were clear and didn’t have any color. They didn’t look like food to me, but I ate them anyway. I have since learned to like “tokoroten” noodles. My wife and I had some the other day. The noodles were flavored with vinegar and soy sauce, and they were a little sweet. They were very refreshing.   (108 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

I can’t help talking about the weather these days because it’s so hot! How can you beat the heat? You can stay inside an air-conditioned place all day if you want, but where should you go if you like the outdoors? How about going to a river? Don’t go into a deep, fast-moving river! That can be dangerous. Instead, find a shallow river. Last Sunday, I went birdwatching along a shallow river in the hills of Aichi Prefecture. When I got there at 8 a.m., there was hardly anyone, but by the time I left, the river was full of children and their parents. The water looked so refreshing that the leader of the birdwatching group told us to bring swimsuits to the next event in August. Of course, he was joking!   (134 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Japan has just had an election, and Japanese citizens who are 18 years old and older were able to vote. The voting age in Japan used to be 20, but the Japanese government lowered the voting age from 20 to 18 in 2015. The voting age is 18 in almost every country in the world. Now, however, Britain wants to lower the voting age from 18 to 16. Sixteen is the voting age in a few countries such as Austria, Brazil, and Ecuador. The British government says that 16-year-olds can leave school, work, join the military, and pay taxes, so they should be able to vote. Some people don’t think this is a good idea. Sixteen-year-olds can’t get married or buy alcohol. What do you think?    (126 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Shaved ice is the perfect snack on a hot summer day. When you are very hot, the ice makes you feel cool. I used to take my family to a shaved ice shop with tables outside. They had shaved ice in many different flavors: strawberry, lemon, blue Hawaii, melon, matcha, and clear syrup. You could get shaved ice with sweet beans, too. Unfortunately, the shop closed. These days, you can get much fancier shaved ice at coffee shops. Fancy shaved ice looks delicious, but my wife and I don’t like to eat shaved ice in an air-conditioned room. We get too cold. Last year, we decided to buy our own shaved ice maker. We can make it at home anytime and enjoy it without air conditioning.    (126 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com