September 17 this year was the day of Otsukimi, the Moon-Viewing Festival. On this day, many people in Japan prepare dumplings for the moon. And in some parts of Japan, we had a special custom called “Tsukimi-dorobo.” When I was a child, we could take and eat the dumplings and other food that were offered for Otsukimi. Normally, taking other people’s things is bad, but on this special day, it was allowed. Families thought the moon ate the dumplings if they were taken. It meant the family would be happy. In this way, Otsukimi is a little like Halloween because children can get sweets, but there is a big difference. We didn’t do anything bad even if we couldn’t get any sweets.　　　(122 words)

On September 7 and 8, I took part in an environmental study tour. We went a small town in the mountains near Tokushima City called Kamikatsu. It is known for its zero-waste program. It is trying to recycle 100% of its waste. It recycles 80% now, which is much better than the national Japanese average of 20%. We wanted to know how they did it, so we visited the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. The center staff showed how the town practices the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. They separate waste into 45 different categories, and they teach people ways to make less waste. People can also leave things that they no longer need at the center for other people to use. Finally, the town recycles most waste. They still can’t recycle everything, but Kamikatsu shows that we can do better than we are doing now. (145 words)

“Shogun” was a 1100-page book when it came out in the 1970s, but it was so interesting that I couldn’t put it down. James Clavell, the writer, got his story from Japanese history, but he didn’t want to write a pure history book. He wanted to write fiction, so he changed the name of the shogun from Tokugawa to Toranaga. Even though 70% of “Shogun” is in Japanese with English subtitles, people in the U.S. love it. “Shogun” won 18 awards at the Emmys last Sunday. Sanada Hiroyuki won the award for best actor as Lord Toranaga, and Sawai Anna won the award for best actress. It’s a 10-episode series. I’ve seen the first six episodes, and I am really looking forward to the last four episodes.  (127 words)

Do you know what the public holiday was yesterday? It was Respect for the Aged Day. It celebrates the senior citizens of Japan. Are there any people in your family that are 65 years old or older? If you have grandparents, you should talk to them. You can ask them about their life and learn something new and interesting. What was their childhood like? What club did they belong to in high school? How did your grandfather and grandmother meet? At the same time, older people can learn things from younger people. The front page of the Chunichi Shimbun had a great picture of a senior citizen. He is a 75-year-old breakdancer! He started breakdancing when he was 60. I have a lot of respect for anyone who does breakdancing at that age! (133 words)

In Japan, children get a special prize when they don’t miss a day of school. In the professional sports world, athletes who keep on playing don’t get a prize, but the fans admire them. Look at Miura Kazuyoshi in soccer and Kinugasa Sachio in baseball. On Tuesday, September 10, a sumo wrestler named Tamawashi broke the record for the most bouts in a row. He fought in his 1631st bout. When he won it, his fans gave him a big cheer. He has been competing in every sumo tournament since 2004. Sumo is a hard sport, so how does he do it? He is strong mentally as well as physically. He never gives up.  (114 words)