Yamashita Miyu turned 24 on Saturday, and on Sunday, she won the Women’s British Open. What a great birthday present to herself! She is not a powerful hitter, but she is very accurate. After she took the lead on Friday, she kept ahead of the other players until the end. It was also a good tournament for two other Japanese players. Katsu Minami tied for second, and Takeda Rio tied for fourth. Yamashita is only the second Japanese to win the Women’s British Open. I still remember the first Japanese winner, Shibuno Hinako, because of her nickname, “Smiling Cinderella.” I wonder if Yamashita will get a nickname, too. (108 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Last week was one of the hottest weeks in Japan’s history. The hottest place was Tamba in Hyogo Prefecture. On Wednesday, July 30, Tamba had a high temperature of 41.2 degrees centigrade! Nagoya had its highest temperature two days later, on Friday, August 1. The temperature app on my phone said that it was 38 degrees outside. We have a small garden behind our house that we share with my daughter and her family. We both have outdoor units for our air conditioners in the garden. The air conditioners were on, and the outdoor units were blowing out hot air. I checked the temperature with an old thermometer. It said 40 degrees! As I thought, our garden was hotter.     (119 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

July and August are very hot. Some flowers don’t do well in this weather, but one flower that does is the crepe myrtle. Actually, it isn’t a flower. It is a flowering tree. The flowers bloom for a long time, so the Chinese name means “red for 100 days.” It has a Japanese name with a different meaning. “Sarusuberi” translates as “monkey slipping” in English. They say that the bark of the tree is so smooth that even monkeys slip and fall when they climb it. Pink is a common color in Nagoya, and these trees look beautiful with their green leaves and pink flowers against the blue summer sky. Look around, and you will probably find these trees in your neighborhood.   (122 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Everyone talks about Ohtani Shohei these days, but there was another player who was just as famous in MLB. In 2001, Suzuki Ichiro joined the Seattle Mariners. He was small for a professional player, and many people wondered if he could make it in the Major Leagues. He showed everyone that he could. He got more than 200 hits for 10 seasons in a row, and, in 2004, he broke an 84-year-old record for the most hits in one season. He was a great runner and stole more than 500 bases in his career. He was a great defensive player, too, and got the Gold Glove award 10 times. Last Sunday, he became the first Japan-born player to enter the MLB Hall of Fame. In his speech, he thanked another Japanese player, Hideo Nomo, for making it possible for Japanese baseball pros to play in the Major Leagues.  (148 words) You can send

The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament took place from July 13 to July 27. I am a big sumo fan, so I tried to get a ticket, but they were all sold out. This tournament was very popular for two reasons. First, everyone wanted to see the new Yokozuna, Onosato. Second, the tournament was held at Nagoya’s new IG Arena. I watched the tournament every day on TV. Instead of the two Yokozuna facing off at the end, the top-ranked wrestlers lost to lower-ranked wrestlers. On the last day, Kotoshoho, one of the lowest-ranked Maegashira, won the tournament with 13 wins and 2 losses and became the new champion. Although I couldn’t go to the tournament, I was able to go to the Tatsunami stable’s after-tournament party. It was really exciting to meet the other Yokozuna, Hoshoryu.   (136 words)