In western countries, it’s easy to find an address. All you need is the name of the city, the name of the street, and the number. If the address of the house is 70 State Street, you just need to find State Street. The numbers are in order, so it’s easy to follow them to the house. In Japan, most streets don’t have names. You have to look at a map of the town or of the city ward. When you find the smaller “cho,” you have to look for the even smaller “chome.” Then, you have to find the number of the house. It’s much easier with map apps now, but I remember getting lost in Tokyo many years ago. I was looking for a friend’s apartment, and someone in the neighborhood tried to help me. It took us 45 minutes to find the number even though the apartment was only 100

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the World Series for the second time in a row. They did it last year in five games, but it was more difficult this year because the teams were evenly matched. That’s why it was such an exciting series! The Blue Jays won the first game. The Dodgers came back and won the second game. They won the third game too, but it took 18 innings! The Blue Jays came back and won the next two games. Toronto only needed one more game to win the series, but the Dodgers didn’t give up. They won sixth game. Then, on Saturday, they won the last game in extra innings. Ohtani Shohei did a great job as a two-way player, but the MVP went to Yamamoto Yoshinobu for his fantastic pitching.   (135 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture has a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Naval Base. The JMSDF Curry & Gourmet Festival 2025 was held on October 13. Sailors on the ships eat curry for lunch every Friday. During a long voyage, the view from the ship doesn’t change, so the sailors tend to lose track of what day it is. On Fridays, curry is served to remind them. Actually, each ship and submarine has its own special curry recipe. Some restaurants in Kure have learned the original recipes directly from the ship cooks. They get certified, and then their curry is allowed to be named after the ship. This year, 28 different booths were lined up with a large ship in the background. At the festival, curry was served in smaller bowls so that people could enjoy comparing the different tastes.   (139 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

If you want to see a Komodo dragon in Japan, come to Nagoya. Higashiyama Zoo has one. It’s a male Komodo dragon, and Nagoya got it from the Singapore Zoo last year. The Komodo dragon is the world’s largest lizard. It grows up to 3 meters long and weighs up to 150 kilograms. It only lives in the wild on a few islands in eastern Indonesia. It has sharp claws and a strong mouth. It hunts living animals such as deer, pigs, and even water buffalo. It uses its long, forked tongue to smell, and it can smell dead animals almost 10 kilometers away! The Higashiyama Zoo gave their Komodo dragon the name “Taro.” They are hoping to get a female Kodomo dragon from Indonesia soon. I wonder if they are going to call it “Hanako.”   (136 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

You can see a lot of orange and black decorations around these days. Halloween is coming soon, and it’s time for pumpkins and scary black spiders. People made jack-o’-lanterns and put them outside. Some people spend a lot of money and time decorating their houses and yards with skeletons and other scary things. Children dress up in costumes and go from house to house saying, “Trick or Treat!” When these little monsters, witches, and superheroes come to your house, you have to give them a treat, usually candy. If you don’t, they may play a trick on you. However, some adults play tricks on the children! You can watch their tricks on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHEEozN7nM4    (114 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

This year, the baseball season is exciting until the end. Who will win the World Series? Who will win the Nippon Series? Right now, nobody knows. In the World Series, the Blue Jays have won one game, and the Dodgers have won one. In the Nippon Series, the Tigers have won one game, and the Hawks have won one. The next game in each series is on Tuesday, Oct 28. That’s today in Japan, but we can’t see the World Series game until tomorrow morning because of the time difference. My favorite teams, the Boston Red Sox and the Chunichi Dragons, are not playing, so I’m not rooting for any team. I’m just enjoying the games.  (116 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com