Many Japanese adults have great memories of old-fashioned sweet shops, called “dagashiya.” The sweets sold there are unusual and use simple ingredients such as millet and brown sugar. These are different from “wagashi,” which are used in the tea ceremony. There were 228,123 old-fashioned sweet shops in the year 1972. However, the number shrank to 74,304 in 2016. “Dagashi,” the old-fashioned sweets, are inexpensive and varied. That gives kids a sense of choice about how to spend their pocket money. Although old-fashioned sweets are found at convenience stores today, one expert says that these sweets are “cheap but uninspired.” They are not as good as the ones at real “dagashiya.” The oldest “dagashiya” in Japan is Kamikawaguchiya, which was established in 1781.  (122 words)

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. It falls on the fourth Thursday of November every year. If I were in the U.S., I would roast a turkey, make mashed potatoes, and bake a pumpkin pie. However, my daughter is visiting from the U.S. She wants Japanese food, so we are going to have a Japanese-style Thanksgiving dinner: chicken wings instead of turkey, taro (“satoimo”) instead of mashed potatoes, rice, vegetables flavored with sesame sauce (“gomaae”), and sweet bean jelly (“yokan”) instead of pumpkin pie. The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas shopping season. Do you know why it’s called “Black Friday”? Everyone used to go shopping, and the traffic was terrible, so the police started to call it “Black Friday.” Now, thanks to the internet, there are Black Friday sales everywhere, and the traffic is not so bad because many people shop online.    (147 words) You can send me

I went to Tokyo with two other people over the weekend to attend a workshop about IT tools and AI for teachers. Then, some of us went to a public bath before the evening party. I’ve never seen such a full bathhouse! “That’s Tokyo,” I thought. “Even the bathhouses are crowded!” Later, at the party, I had a chance to talk to teachers who use Jaremaga for their classes. I asked them what stories their students liked, and I was happy to hear that they all liked different stories. I certainly agree with the idea that “variety is the spice of life.” We had more variety the next day, too. We went to a special Hokusai exhibition near Tokyo Station. I didn’t know that Hokusai was called “the father of manga,” but after seeing his “yomihon” novels, I understand why.    (146 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

The sumo world has a new star. His name is Aonishiki. He won the Grand Sumo Tournament in Kyushu last Sunday. How did he become the champion less than three years after he started sumo in Japan? Actually, he started practicing sumo in Ukraine when he was seven years old. He also wrestled and practiced judo while he was growing up. He came to Japan when he was 17 and joined the Ajigawa stable when he was 18. He rose quickly through the ranks, and after this tournament, he is going to be “Ozeki,” the second-highest rank in sumo. He is happy, but as he said, “there is one more rank above Ozeki.” He wants to be the next “Yokozuna!”   (120 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

The other day, I had a chance to talk to a caregiver who is very rich. He made his money by investing, and he turned a small amount into a large fortune. He continues to invest in an effort to increase his fortune. Of course, there is a risk in investing, and he has lost a large amount of money several times. However, he has been successful. He works part-time as a caregiver, but he told me that he doesn’t need to. He works simply because he enjoys it. He loves taking care of elderly people and says that they are treasures to society.   (104 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

In Japan, people use the yen for money. People in the U.S. use dollars and cents. There are 100 cents in a dollar, and the smallest coin is a penny. It is worth one cent. The U.S. has been making pennies for more than 200 years, but they suddenly stopped making them last week. They made the last penny on November 12. The government said that it costs too much to make these coins. Each penny costs four cents to make. Americans can still use old pennies, but they will disappear one day. Japan has a one-yen coin, and each coin costs three yen to make. I wonder if Japan will do the same thing?    (115 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com