Before I came to Japan, I always thought that swans lived in cities. I remember feeding swans in the park when I was little. One came up and bit my foot. I was wearing shoes, so it didn’t hurt, but the swan was as big as I was. I was scared! In Japan, I don’t see swans in parks. I learned that they are migratory birds. They spend the summer in Siberia and come to Japan in the winter. I went on a trip to Lake Biwa with my wife a few weeks ago, and we found a flock of more than 100 swans in a field. The adults were pure white, but the young swans were still grey. They were all so busy eating the seeds of tall wild grass that they didn’t mind people coming near them. (139 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

“Setsubun” is the day before spring starts according to the old calendar. It falls on February 2 or 3. This year, it fell on February 2. Many people throw beans and say, “Demons out, happiness in!” They also eat “ehomaki.” It’s a big sushi roll that you eat facing the year’s lucky direction. My wife and I didn’t throw beans this year, but we ate the sushi roll. You are supposed to eat the whole roll without cutting it because you don’t want to cut your luck. The sushi roll at the supermarket, however, was already cut. I ate half, and my wife ate the other half. I guess we will only get half the luck this year. (116 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

I got an email from my sister in the middle of the night. It said, “Earthquake 10 miles east of Portsmouth. We were surprised!” She lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is on the east coast of the U.S. near Boston. That area hardly ever gets an earthquake, so everyone was surprised. The reporter for the local TV news was in her office yesterday morning when she heard a loud boom and thought a car had hit her building. A woman was making a video when the room started to shake. She looked worried! A man was having breakfast at a coffee shop and thought that a big truck was driving by. Someone who lived near an airport thought that an airplane had crashed. Nobody thought that it was an earthquake. (131 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

As you probably know, I am a sumo wrestling fan. Last Sunday was one of the greatest endings to a tournament that I have ever seen. Hoshoryu was the only Ozeki who had a chance to win the tournament. On the last day, he showed his skill and staying power. First, he won the last bout of the day. He had 12 wins and three losses, but there were two other wrestlers with 12 wins, so they had a three-way play-off. Hoshoryu only had 15 minutes to rest before the first bout of the play-off, but that didn’t stop him. He kept on attacking and beat both Kinbozan and Oho. Hoshoryu usually looks very scary, but after his victory ceremony, he finally smiled. He will be a grand champion, a Yokozuna, in the next tournament! (135 words) You can send me comments or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com