JM posts

“Ama-cha” and the Buddha’s Birthday

Last Friday, I took a friend to the Flower Festival at a Buddhist temple in Nagoya. The festival always starts on April 1 and ends on April 8, the Buddha’s birthday. Friday was a great day to go there because it was warm, and the cherry trees around the temple were in full bloom. There weren’t many people there because it was a weekday. When we went into the main hall of the temple, we found a small statue of Buddha in a bowl. We poured “ama-cha” over the statue, and then we were given small cups of tea and deep-fried Tibetan-style biscuits. I liked “ama-cha.” It didn’t taste sweet at first, but it finished with a pleasant sweet taste.   (120 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

News about Jaremaga

じゃれマガへのご支援のお願い

2025年4月6日 じゃれマガを応援する会 ダグラス・ジャレル 岡崎 伸一 As of today, Jaremaga has 78 paid members! Thank you for your continuing support. As of tomorrow, April 7, I will be sending Jaremaga by e-mail to the paid members only. If you are not yet a member and would like to support Jaremaga, please register. You can find the information on how to register below. If you have any questions, please contact me at jaremaga@gmail.com 2025年4月から年間会費は2,000円(振込手数料等含む)でお願いいたします。 From April 2025, the annual membership fee will be 2,000 yen (including transfer fees, etc.). ●有料会員の特典は Benefits of paid membership: You can receive Jaremaga via e-mail. You can use Jaremaga in your school classes. You can distribute Jaremaga to your students in both paper and electronic formats. You will receive regular tips and hints on how to use Jaremaga for teaching and self-study. ●有料会員登録の方法 How to register as a paid member: (1)【クレジット決済の場合】2024年度と同じように< https://miitus.jp/t/Jaremaga/>に申し込み、クレジットカードで支払う方法。 Credit card payment is the same as in

Readers' Corner

Readers’ Corner: It Happened at Kiyomizu Temple

This story happened when I visited Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. When I got to the Otowa Waterfall, there was a line of people waiting. There are three waterfalls, but people go one at a time. I thought it would be okay for three people to go together since there were three waterfalls. I suggested this to a foreign woman in front of me, but she told me that each waterfall had a different benefit, so people should go one at a time. It’s funny that a foreigner told me about a Japanese custom that I, a Japanese person, didn’t know. This kind of thing happens sometimes. People tend to be indifferent to their own culture whereas foreigners are keen on learning about foreign cultures.   (124 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

JM posts

Chopsticks, not Darts!

Today’s story is about a Guinness World Record breaker. His name is David Rush, and he has just broken a record. He used chopsticks like darts and threw them at a target four meters away. He had to beat the record for the most target hits with chopsticks in one minute. The record was 21 hits. He got 29 hits and broke the record! You can watch the video at the following URL https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/03/31/Guinness-World-Records-Davd-Rush-chopsticks/3391743443607/  This man loves challenges. He now holds more Guinness Records than anyone else. Most of his records are for juggling, but he also holds the record for the most marshmallows caught in the mouth with a home-made catapult in one minute.  (115 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

JM posts

Wonderful and Terrible

There are only two of us at home, but we throw out one big bag of plastic garbage every week. I would like to say goodbye to plastic because I know it is bad for the environment, but I can’t. Everything comes in plastic these days: supermarket vegetables, tofu, eggs, rice, and bread. Plastic is good because it keeps our food fresh longer, and it is much easier for stores to sell food in plastic packages. However, plastic doesn’t go away after you use it. If you burn it, the smoke is bad for your health. If it gets into the sea, birds and turtles eat it, and they die. Plastic also breaks up into microplastics and gets inside fish, animals, and plants. When we eat them, the plastic gets inside us. Plastic is both wonderfully convenient for us and terrible for the environment!   (144 words) You can send me a comment or

JM posts

Working for Disney!

As you probably know, I make YouTube videos of my Jaremaga stories. I think the videos are good for learners, but I don’t really like the sound of my own voice. That’s why I was really surprised to get an email from someone at Walt Disney Studios. They saw my YouTube channel and liked my voice. Now they want me to be a voice actor in an animated movie. I can’t believe it! I went to Tokyo last Friday for a screen test, and I passed! I am starting work this morning. The name of the movie is “An April Fool.” What do you think? Am I a good liar?   (110 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com