Today is “hinamatsuri.” It is also known as the Dolls’ Festival or Girls’ Festival. Families buy special dolls for their daughters, and they display them until March 3. Girls usually don’t play with these dolls because they are expensive. The princess is dressed in “junihitoe,” a kimono with many layers. She sits next to the prince who is also dressed in a fancy kimono. They say that you should put the dolls away right after the Dolls’ Festival. If you don’t, your daughters will not be able to get married. Many families stop bringing out the dolls after their daughters grow up, but my wife still does it. We look at the dolls, and they bring back memories of our daughters when they were little. (125 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

If you want to borrow a paper book, you have to go to the library. These days, however, you can borrow e-books from your own home. I went online and borrowed an e-book in January. I chose “Demon Copperhead,” a story about a boy who has a very hard life growing up in the countryside. It was moving and full of surprises, but I’m a slow reader. I was only halfway through the book the day before it was due. If it were a paper book, I could finish it and take it back late, but this was an e-book. I had to finish it on time! I stayed up until 3 a.m. the night before and I finally finished it! I’m glad I did! When I checked my tablet the next day, the book had disappeared.  (137 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Last week, I went to Yokohama with a friend to visit a teacher. We were meeting him in the afternoon, so we spent the morning looking around the city. I am interested in Japanese history, and Yokohama was one of the first ports that was opened to other countries at the beginning of the Meiji era. We visited a small museum called the Yokohama Archives of History. They display many things from that time: old photos of people and places, maps, and newspapers. I was excited to find an exhibit about James Curtis Hepburn. He published a Japanese-English dictionary in 1886 that used a new way of writing Japanese. I use the Hepburn system every day to type in Japanese, and it has become the official way to write names in Japanese passports. I didn’t know that this kind of romanization began in Yokohama. (144 words) You can send me a comment or