If you live in Japan, you know that the price of rice is very high now. In fact, it is twice as expensive as it was last year. I bought a 5-kilogram bag of rice on Monday, and it cost 4,280 yen! I don’t know how families with growing children can buy enough rice to feed everyone. In the U.S., eggs are very expensive now. They are sold by the dozen, and 12 eggs are about $6. That means that each egg costs 50 cents, or 75 yen! In Japan, eggs have gotten more expensive too, but they still only cost 30 yen each. You can see the difference at McDonald’s. If you want to buy an Egg McMuffin in the U.S., it costs about $5.50. It only costs 330 yen, or $1.80, in Japan.    (134 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

We have a year-long program for children at Fujimae Tidal Flat. They come for nature walks on the tidal flat in all four seasons, and they learn about fish, crabs, and birds through their experiences. March 20 was the last day of their program, but it was also a new beginning for them. They became junior tidal flat rangers, and they will come back to help us with our events from April. We had a party to celebrate this special day. Everyone came to the environmental center at 10 a.m. with their families. We began by cutting wood for the fires and then made “mochi” and fried noodles outside. The older children organized outdoor games after lunch. We ended with a ceremony to give certificates to our 14 new junior rangers!  (131 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Ohtani Shohei was back in Japan for the beginning of the Major League Baseball season last week. So were Yamamoto Yoshinobu, Sasaki Roki, Imanaka Shota, and Suzuki Seiya. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs have five of the best Japanese baseball players on their teams, and everyone in Japan was looking forward to seeing them play. The starting pitchers for the first game were Yamamoto for the Dodgers and Imanaka for the Cubs. That game was watched by 25 million people in Japan, a new record for a MLB game. The Dodgers won that game 4-1. Sasaki started for the Dodgers in the second game and struck out Suzuki. Then, when Ohtani came up to bat in the fifth inning, it was Sho-time! He hit his first home run of the season, and the Dodgers went on to win the second game, too.  (145 words) You can send me a comment

Although I no longer teach at Nagoya Women’s University, I still remember the date of the graduation ceremony: March 18. I went there yesterday to see the happy students dressed up in colorful kimonos. They were having a great time taking pictures with their friends and family as they always do. Some things never change. However, there will be a big change in their lives when most of them start new jobs in April. There will also be a big change at the university. It is going co-educational. That means that young men will enter the university next month and start studying there with the young women. Of course, the university cannot keep its old name. It is changing its name to Nagoya Aoi University. (125 words) jaremaga HP https://jaremaga.online/ You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

When I think of perfume, I think of small bottles with a strong-smelling liquid inside. People, especially women, use perfume to make themselves smell good. Air freshener is like perfume, but people use it to make their houses smell good. You don’t have to buy an air freshener if you have a garden though. You can use your own flowers to keep your house smelling good. I know someone who has a camelia bush in her garden. When the camelia drops its flowers, she collects them and puts them on a plate. She keeps the plate in her entrance, so when you go into her house, you can smell the flowers. They give off a beautiful natural perfume.  (118 words) jaremaga HP https://jaremaga.online/ You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com