Crows are some of the smartest birds in the world, but in Japan, many people don’t like them. They look for food in people’s garbage bags and make a mess in the street. However, one startup company in Sweden thinks that crows can help to keep cities clean. Smokers often throw cigarette butts on the ground, and it’s expensive to pay city workers to pick them up. Crows like to pick up things, so the company has made a special machine. It gives crows a little food when they bring butts to the machine. If you teach one crow, the other crows will learn from it. Crows can help to keep cities clean! Of course, it would be even better if we could teach smokers to stop throwing cigarette butts on the ground!   (133 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Yesterday was a holiday called Coming of Age Day. It is a holiday for 20-year-olds. Young people used to become adults at the age of 20, but they changed the law, and now people become adults at the age of 18. Even so, 20-year-olds still celebrate this day. This year, the ceremony took place at our local elementary school. I went there because I wanted some photos of young women in kimonos. I waited outside for an hour, but no one came out. I didn’t see any kimonos. Then I went to a big park where 20-year-olds used to gather. I only saw cosplayers getting their pictures taken. Where were the kimonos yesterday?   (113 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

The 2026 Winter Olympics will start in Italy in less than one month. For the first time, two cities will host the games: Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The actual events will be held at four areas across northern Italy. Most of the ice events will be held in Milano, and the other events will be held in the other areas. Even if you are in Italy, it is impossible to go to all the events. Cortina d’Ampezzo, for example, is five hours from Milano by express train. If you are in Japan, there is an eight-hour time difference. When it’s 11:00 am in Italy, it’s 7:00 pm in Japan. Many events will be broadcast late at night here. That’s okay if you are a night person, but if you aren’t, you should record the events you like and watch them the next day.   (143 words) You can send me a comment or your

Have you ever seen a birdwatcher’s camera? Many birdwatchers have cameras with long telephoto lenses. You can zoom in on birds and get great photos. A couple of years ago, I bought a camera with a telephoto lens. It is heavy. It weighs more than 4 kilograms. It doesn’t feel so heavy when I carry it around on my neck or put it on a tripod. However, I can’t do that when the birds are moving around and flying. I have to hold the camera steady and follow them. I need strong arms for birdwatching, so I think I will start doing exercises such as pushups and lifting weights.   (111 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

When should you take down your Christmas tree? That depends on the family. We are taking down ours today. When I was growing up, I was taught that there are 12 days of Christmas. My family didn’t celebrate for 12 days, but the tree was pretty, so we followed tradition and didn’t take the tree down until January 6. We knew other people who took their trees down earlier. Some people take their trees down the day after Christmas Day because they have real trees which dry out quickly. The needles fall on the floor and make a mess, and the tree can catch fire easily. Other people take theirs down on January 1 so that they can start the new year fresh.   (123 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com