Essay Contest winner

JHS Honorable Mention Essay: “Kuwai” Made My Grandfather Happy

At the end of the year, my mother and I made “osechi.” We also made “kuwai” stew for the first time. When I first saw “kuwai,” I thought it looked like a mushroom. But when I tried it, it was really delicious. On New Year’s Day, my grandfather came to see me at my house. Then, we all ate “osechi.” My grandfather was surprised when he saw the “kuwai.” He tasted the stew and said it was delicious. He was happy because this is what my grandmother used to make when she was healthy. It was a happy start to the New Year for everyone.   (105 words)By Wataru You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

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Walking in the Rain

I used to have a dog when my children were little, but after the dog died, I decided not to get another one. Now, my daughter has a dog. She lives near me, so when I am free in the morning, I take the dog for a walk. She keeps him in the house, but he loves to go outside. When I walk him, we stay out for 45 minutes or an hour. He doesn’t want to go back home. He doesn’t care what the weather is like. He will walk in cold weather, and he will walk in the rain. He is a shiba inu, so he has a natural raincoat. When he gets wet, he just shakes the water off. That’s fine for him, but I have to be careful or I will get wet!  (137 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

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Stick Nation

Have you ever gone hiking in the mountains and found a beautiful stick? Or maybe you were walking on a beach and you found an interesting piece of driftwood on the sand. You can take a picture of it and post it on SNS for your friends, but now, there is a way to reach an international audience. Stick Nation is a group of people from around the world who love sticks. They post videos of interesting sticks they find on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Almost everyone speaks English, so you can learn English by listening to them. Then, go out and use your English. Find your own stick, make a video. and tell the world why your stick is so cool! And don’t forget to tell me about it!  (130 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

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A Message from My Sister

My sister sent me this message on Saturday: “What time do you want me to call you on Sunday? We are switching to Daylight Saving Time (DST).” In the middle of the night, the clock skipped from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., and Sunday, March 9, was only 23 hours long. Now the sun comes up and goes down one hour later. She doesn’t like DST because it takes her body and brain a while to get used to the new time. She has to get up one hour earlier, so she gets sleepy more easily. She sometimes forgets about the time change and goes to work or her appointments late. She says that children are sleepier because they stay up later than usual. The U.S. started Daylight Saving Time in 1918 to save energy, but now my sister and about 70% of Americans want to stop changing their clocks. (150 words) You

Essay Contest winner

JHS Honorable Mention Essay: The 5-second Rule Doesn’t Have Borders

I went to Wales in the U.K. last summer for two weeks. I had a great time there. In particular, I remember an incident that happened in a pie shop near the beach. I bought a sausage pie for lunch there. When I tried to eat the pie, I dropped it on the road by mistake. I picked it up quickly. When I tried to eat it again, a British woman spoke to me. She said, “5-second rule, it’s okay!” and smiled at me. I was surprised to hear that the 5-second rule doesn’t have borders!   (96 words)By K.A. You can send a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Essay Contest winner

JHS 3rd Place Essay: Not a Baby Anymore

One night during the winter holidays, my aunt asked me to read to my baby cousin Hikari at bedtime. The bed was so warm and comfortable that we fell asleep as soon as we got in. I thought both of us fell asleep, but it seems that only I, playing the role of a little mama, fell asleep. I woke up feeling someone hitting me. I saw Hikari looking at me with a big smile. When I asked her, “Are you still awake!?” she replied, “I didn’t sleep. I was sleepy, but I had fun patting you on the back and wrapping you in a blanket!” Hearing her words, I thought that Hikari was not a baby anymore. (118 words)By Miwa You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com