(I wrote and recorded this last Friday.) I like birdwatching, and this weekend, I’m going to be at a conference in Yamanashi Prefecture. I asked a birdwatching friend where to go, and he recommended Mt. Fuji. If you go to the fifth station, there’s a little restaurant and shop, and next to the shop, there are two little ponds. This is the only water in the area, so many birds come here to drink and wash themselves. And many birdwatchers come to look at the birds. When I got here today, there were about 10 or 15 birdwatchers. I saw five or six different kinds of birds. They came and washed themselves, and they jumped out of the water, shook their feathers, and flew off. This happened again and again. I don’t know how many photos I took, but I’m sure I took more than 200. Remember, if you are looking for birds,

There is a newspaper holiday once a month in Japan. It is nice to have a day off for the staff and the delivery people, but I feel a little lonely without a newspaper.  Reading a newspaper is part of my morning routine, and I am addicted to the smell of the ink and the feel of the paper. I subscribe to a local newspaper, and when there is a holiday, this is what I do. The day before, I go to the convenience store to get a different newspaper to read the next morning. It is an opportunity for me to read other newspapers once a month. When I go on a trip, I buy local newspapers. I can read the local news and find out about local events. This makes my trip more fulfilling.  (136 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

There are people who call up older people and try to steal their money. The caller says that he is a family member, a grandson, for example. He is in trouble and needs money right away. The grandmother gets worried and sends him the money. Later, she finds out that her grandson didn’t call her. He wasn’t in trouble. The caller was lying. It was a scam, and her money is gone. This is a big problem all over the world, and now, it is the plot of a new American movie called “Thelma.” Thelma is the name of a 93-year-old woman in Los Angeles who gets scammed. However, she is very stubborn. She doesn’t give up, and she tries to get her money back. The movie is a comedy, but there is action and excitement, too. My wife and I really enjoyed it.     (144 words)   You can send me a comment or your

Matcha, or green tea, is very popular. There are hundreds of green tea products in Japan: ice cream, Japanese sweets, donuts, cakes, and drinks. These days, matcha is getting more popular abroad, too. People around the world are trying green tea because they believe it is good for the health. In Southeast Asia, the influencers on SNS have helped to make matcha bubble tea and matcha milk tea very popular. I think this is great! I am a big fan of matcha, and whenever I see a new product, I want to try it. I was in a supermarket the other day, and I saw something new: a bottle of Matcha Coffee Liqueur. I bought it and tried it with my wife. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t think it’s as good as matcha ice cream.   (136 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

My nephew, my sister’s son, went online and found a bit of family history. It was the announcement of my parents’ engagement in an old New York Times. Violet Mary Schnyder was marrying Donald Lee Jarrell. The announcement talked about her father. He came from a small village in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. My father’s father was from New Jersey, but his family had been in the U.S. for such a long time that we don’t know when they came to America or what part of Europe they came from. The engagement was announced on June 21, 1949, but they didn’t get married until June 10, 1950. They had a long engagement!      (113 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

Doctor Yellow is in Nagoya now. I know a junior high school boy who is crazy about trains, and he told me a lot about this special yellow train. It is used to check the tracks and the overhead wires of the Shinkansen. It went from Tokyo to Hakata Station three times a month, but JR never told people the schedule. However, this boy knew it. Last year, he told me when it would come to Nagoya, but I was too busy to go to Nagoya Station to see it. He was disappointed when JR Tokai stopped running Doctor Yellow in January this year, but I think he is happy now. He can see it whenever he wants to at the SCMAGLEV and Railway Park, a train museum at the Kinjo Pier in Nagoya.   (134 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com