Readers' Corner

Readers’ Corner: Going to South Africa to Teach Japanese

I’m going to South Africa to work as a Japanese language teacher for just two months. One of my old friends has been living in South Africa for 20 years, and she invited me to work at a Japanese company factory to teach Japanese to young workers there. They will come to Japan and work at the company in the future. I want to give them a lot of support. It’s a long, long flight to South Africa, and I have to take three suitcases. They will be filled with a large amount of food, kitchen bowls, calendars, and many other things! They are so heavy that it’s difficult to carry them, but my friend asked for many things! Even so, I’m really looking forward to seeing her and meeting my students in South Africa!   (135 words)      (By the way, this story was sent to me in January, so I think that the writer

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Readers’ Corner: Building Your Own Computer

Have you ever built a computer by yourself? I have built a computer twice. The first time was two years ago. The second time was last year, but I only changed a few parts of the computer that time. Actually, building a computer is not as difficult as you think. Do you need any special knowledge? No. Is it dangerous? No. You just buy PC parts such as a cpu, a motherboard, and storage, and put them into a case. The only difficult point is managing the cables. Building a computer by yourself is cheaper than buying one in a store, and it is a lot of fun. Why don’t you build your own custom computer?  (116 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a paid subscriber and read it 5 days a week, go to “Support Jaremaga” at https://jaremaga.online/ for more information. You can send me

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“Don’t Eat This!”

When my children were young, they had a problem. They bought snacks when they went to the store with their mother. When they didn’t finish the snacks, they put them in the refrigerator. They were planning to eat them the next day, but late at night, the snacks would disappear. Who took them? My wife said that it was a mouse, but my children knew better. They knew it was me. They called me the brown-haired mouse. I told them that I thought the snacks were for everyone. They started putting notes on the snacks. They wrote in big letters, “Don’t eat this, Daddy!”    (104 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a paid subscriber and read it 5 days a week, go to “Support Jaremaga” at https://jaremaga.online/ for more information. You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

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Readers’ Corner: Too Strict with Customers?

One coffee shop is run by a middle-aged woman, and she seems to be very strict with customers. When someone starts studying or working on a laptop, she goes up to them and politely asks them not to do it. Reading a book seems to be fine, but the moment a customer starts using a pen or sticky notes, they are told to stop. The person who told me the story had this experience when she began studying for the TOEIC test. I went there once, but I think I just had a cup of coffee and left. If I had used the coffee shop as a portable office, I probably would have been told to stop. Whenever I drive by the place, there is hardly anyone there. Now I understand why.  (132 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a paid subscriber and read it 5

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Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. It started in 1970 in the U.S. after a terrible oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, but since then, it has become a global event. People around the world are working to make the environment better. Countries have made their own laws to keep the air and water clean, and they have signed agreements to stop global warming. However, the Earth needs everyone’s help. Each person can help by following the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. For example, try using fewer things and say no to plastic shopping bags. Drive less and take trains more. You will use less energy. Don’t buy things that you can only use once. Use the things that you have again and again. Finally, recycle your paper, cans, and bottles. Don’t throw away good things that you no longer need. Take them to a secondhand store.   (146 words) Jaremaga now comes out online

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Sports Drinks

I saw Aonishiki on an advertisement for a sports drink. I was surprised at first because sumo wrestling is very traditional, but it is a sport, and sports drinks help players to do better The first modern sports drink was made in Florida in the 1960s. A university made a special drink for the players on the football team, and the team went on to win a big football game. That made the drink famous! They named it Gatorade because Florida has alligators (Gator), and the drink has a sweet citrus flavor like lemonade (ade). Since then, many other sports and energy drinks have come out, including Pocari Sweat, the sports drink that Aonishiki is advertising.  (116 words) Jaremaga now comes out online on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To become a paid subscriber and read it 5 days a week, go to “Support Jaremaga” below for more information. You can send me a