It was 8:45 last Friday morning. I was walking my dog in the neighborhood when I saw one couple walking in the street. They were dressed up, but they didn’t look like they were going to work. Later, I saw a Japanese flag flying in front of a junior high school. Why was it there? March 6 isn’t a public holiday. Then, I saw couples walking into the school. “That’s it! The third-year students are having their graduation ceremony today!” I realized. The couples were the parents of the students, and they were going to attend their children’s graduation ceremony. (100 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

My granddaughter and her family came over for dinner on Saturday night. “Can we watch TV?” she asked. “Sure,” I said. “What do you want to watch?” “You have Netflix, don’t you? We can watch the World Baseball Classic.” We turned on the TV just as the game started. What an exciting game! Korea got 3 runs in the first inning. Then Japan took the lead when Ohtani, Suzuki, and Yoshida got one home run after another in the 3th inning. Korea tied the game in the 4th inning. By the top of the 9th inning, Japan was ahead by 2 runs. A Korean player almost hit a home run, but Shuto made a great catch and stopped Korea from scoring. Japan won! It was an exciting game until the end.”    (131 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

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