Last November, I talked about watching the morning NHK drama, “The Ghost Writer’s Wife.” It is called “Bakebake” in Japanese. We watch it every morning, and if we miss it, we can watch it at lunchtime or online at NHK One. The other day, when my wife and I were talking to a Japanese couple, the husband said that I reminded him of Lafcadio Hearn. I hadn’t thought about that, but I can understand why he said it. The actor has a mustache and blue eyes, and so do I. Hearn was married to a Japanese woman, and I am, too. Hearn wrote about Japan, and so do I. There is one big difference, however. Hearn was a professional writer who wrote several best-selling books. I am an English teacher and write essays in easy English.     (136 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Although ramen and gyoza first came to Japan from China, they are now Japanese food. In fact, they are among the top five most popular foods among foreigners visiting Japan. Which place has the best ramen and gyoza? No one can answer that question. It depends on your taste. Which place has the biggest eaters of ramen and gyoza? We can answer that question. In 2025, the people of Yamagata City ate the most ramen followed by the citizens of Niigata City and Utsunomiya. The people of Hamamatsu ate the most gyoza followed by the citizens of Utsunomiya and Miyazaki City. I’m sure the ramen and gyoza are very good in all these cities, but if you want to eat both good ramen and good gyoza, I think Utsunomiya is the place to go!　　　(134 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Today is the “Hina” Festival. It is an important day for us because we have two daughters and one granddaughter. We think about them when we put out our “Hina” dolls every year. Yesterday, we called our younger daughter who lives in the U.S. It was a video call, so we showed her the dolls. My elder daughter, who lives near us, saw the dolls when she came over on Sunday. Now we are trying to get her daughter to stop by to see them. Although she is a busy university student, I think I know a way. I have asked her to come over to get the birthday present that her American aunt sent her.    (116 words) jaremaga HP https://jaremaga.online/ Watch the video at https://youtu.be/ed1M53EyjIA You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

You can buy tickets for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 now if you live in one of the host regions: the Tokai area, Osaka, or Tokyo. Tickets went on sale last Thursday, and they will be on sale until Monday, March 9. If you live in another place, you will have to wait one or two months to buy tickets. I want to see a sport that I usually can’t usually see in Japan, so I went online and I bought tickets for Sepak Takraw. It is a popular sport in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Malaysia. It is like volleyball, but the players use their feet instead of their hands. I have seen Sepak Takraw on YouTube, and it looks very exciting. Some players even do a flip in the air when they jump up to kick the ball!    (141 words) You can send me a comment or your own story