Today is a special day in the U.S. Do you know what it is? Here are some hints. 1) It falls on the fourth Thursday of November. 2) It is the busiest time of year for traveling in the U.S. 3) Families come together from all over the country to celebrate with a big dinner. 4) A typical menu is turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, and pecan or pumpkin pie. 5) There are lots of American football games on TV. 6) The next day is a special shopping holiday called Black Friday. Send me your guess today, and I will send you the answer tomorrow. (109 words)

I got back to Japan just in time to see the last day of the Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka. The last day of a tournament is usually the most exciting because each wrestler tries harder than ever to get one last win. I got to see some great bouts on Day 15. The only Yokozuna, Terunofuji, was sitting out the tournament, but the three Ozeki did well. Two of them were leading with 13 wins and 1 loss. Hoshoryu went up against Kotozakura in the last bout of the day. At the beginning, I thought that Hoshoryu was going to win, but Kotozakura finally beat him and won his first tournament. Congratulations, Kotozakura!　　(114 words)

At the southern end of Florida, there are islands that go from the east to the west. These islands are called “keys,” and there is a 180-kilometer highway that goes from the mainland to the last island, Key West. I drove across the sea from one island to the next on my last full day in Florida. As I drove, I could see beautiful blue water on either side and pelicans flying everywhere. When I got to Key West, I visited the Ernest Hemingway House. The great writer lived there in the 1930s and wrote “The Old Man and the Sea.” I still remember reading it in junior high school. It was a very moving story. (116 words)

I rented a car when I traveled around southern Florida last week. It’s a big state, and I was going to drive about 500 kilometers. I wanted an eco-friendly car and thought about renting an electric car. However, the car they showed me could only go 145 kilometers before I had to recharge the battery. Other electric cars could go up to 400 kilometers, but they were more expensive. Besides, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a place to recharge the battery. In the end, I rented a gas car. However, I look forward to the day when I can rent an electric car without any worries. (111 words)

The flat areas of southern Florida are covered in water. The water flows slowly to the south, but it looks like land because grass grows and covers the water. Native Americans used to live on little hills, and they traveled from hill to hill by canoe. They lived with alligators and used them for food. They also used alligator teeth and bones to make tools. These days, no one lives on these hills, and people use modern airboats to travel. They have a giant fan on the back, so they can go anywhere in shallow water. I took an airboat with some other tourists, and we visited two old native American sites. The pilot made it more fun by giving us a wild ride back and forth through the river of grass. (132 words)