We have a year-long program for children between the ages of 10 and 15 at Fujimae Tidal Flat in Nagoya, and in May, we have a two-day camp at the center. This helps us get to know the children, and they to get to know each other. Last Saturday, we put up tents together, and everyone made dinner. After dinner, children used supermarkets ads to find out where the food in Japan comes from. Only 37% of our food comes from Japan. Yesterday, the children got up at 5 a.m. and started playing. They were so excited that they couldn’t sleep. We took them out onto the tidal flat in the morning and in the afternoon, and everyone had a great time, but now the adult staff really need a day off!   (132 words)

The number 200 is very important to pitchers in baseball. Only the best pitchers can win 200 games in their professional careers. In the history of Nippon Professional Baseball, 24 pitchers have won 200 or more games. Between the Japanese leagues and Major League Baseball in the U.S., there were only two Japanese pitchers with 200 or more wins. The first was Nomo Hideo with 201 career wins. The second was Kuroda Hiroki with 203 career wins. Now there is another pitcher with 200 wins, Darvish Yu. He won his 200th game last Sunday. He is pitching very well this season, so I think he is going to break Kuroda’s record soon. How far will he go? 210 wins? 220 wins? Or more? Only time will tell.  (127 words)

Have you ever seen a nutria? I’ve seen two. One was by the side of a lake, and the other was swimming in a river. Nutrias are not native to Japan. They were brought to Japan from South America for their fur, but now there are many nutrias in the wild. They are a problem because they eat the vegetables that farmers grow. Someone caught a nutria and gave the meat to a volunteer at the Fujimae Tidal Flat center. She cut it up and cooked it in olive oil with salt. Everyone liked it. I thought that it tasted a little like beef. Someone else said that it tasted like deer, and another person thought that it tasted like ostrich. The meat doesn’t have much fat and is high in protein. In other words, nutria meat is nutritious.   (139 words)

If you want to climb Mt. Fuji this year, you have to make a reservation. At least you need a reservation if you want to climb the most popular trail, the Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture. The Yoshida trail reservation site opened yesterday, and they take 3,000 people per day starting on July 1. You have to pay 2,000 yen per person to use the trail. If you want to stay overnight, you have to make another reservation at a mountain hut. Remember that Mt. Fuji is 3,776 meters high. You can get sick if you climb that high, so you need to take breaks every hour. Also, it can get very cold on top of the mountain.  If you decide to climb Mt. Fuji, make a reservation, and make sure that you are healthy and that you have the right clothes.  (142 words)

I went to the rose garden at Tsurumai Park with my wife last week, and we saw many different varieties of roses in different colors and sizes. It is a great time to go see the roses here in Nagoya because they are in full bloom. The white, pink, yellow, purple, and deep red flowers give off a beautiful smell. There were people taking pictures everywhere in the garden. Some were just taking pictures of the flowers, but many were taking pictures of each other. In the middle of the garden was an arch covered with roses. People were waiting in line, and when their turn came, they walked up to the arch and had a friend take their picture.  (120 words)