jaremaga
Readers' Corner

Readers’Corner: What Do You Mean?

I saw a sign that said Blue Mountain Coffee, and it reminded me of a story that a friend told me. He was a high school teacher, and the principal of the high school where he used to work was named Aoyama. The principal went to a coffee shop near the school. When the waitress came up to the table to take his order, he said, “Aoyama da.” The waitress was confused and said, “What?” but the principal just repeated himself. “Aoyama da.” The waitress asked, “What do you mean? I didn’t ask you what your name was.” Then the principal said, “I’d like to order Blue Mountain coffee.” The waitress burst into laughter, and so did Mr. Aoyama. Aoyama means “blue mountain!”      (123 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

September 26, 2025 No Comments
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Two Different Flowers at the Autumnal Equinox

Tuesday was the autumnal equinox. This is the day in autumn when the night and the day are the same length, each 12 hours long. Many people think about their family members who have passed away at this time of year. They go to the cemetery and put white chrysanthemums on their family graves. There is another flower that you can see at this time of year. It is the red spider lily, known in Japanese as “higanbana.” The flowers are blooming here and there, so look around and see if you can find some. They are beautiful from far away, but they look even better if you look down at them from above!    (114 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

September 25, 2025 No Comments
JM posts

Can You See It?

I work at an environmental center a few days a month, and when people visit the center, I tell them about Fujimae Tidal Flat. In our fish tanks, we have fish and crabs that live around the tidal flat. I like to show the visitors one tank in particular. I ask them, “Can you see it?” They look into the tank, but they can only see sand. I tell them that I can see a fish. When they look again more closely, most of them can see the fish. It is called “magochi” in Japanese and “flathead” in English. This fish can change color and blend in with the sand. The camouflage helps it to hide from predators and to catch shrimp and fish for food.   (132 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

September 24, 2025 No Comments
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Flies and Stripes

The Nobel Prize is for people who have done great work, but have you heard of the Ig Nobel Prize? It is not a serious prize like the Nobel Prize. It is given to people who have done research that makes you laugh and think. This year, a group of Japanese researchers in Aichi Prefecture won the Ig Nobel prize for biology. They knew that flies don’t bother zebras as much as they bother cows. Was it because of the stripes on zebras? They wanted to find out, so they painted white stripes on some cows but not on others. They waited and watched. Flies didn’t bite the cows with stripes as much as they bit the regular cows. Stripes are the reason that flies don’t bother zebras so much.   (130 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

September 22, 2025 No Comments
Readers' Corner

Readers’ Corner: I’m Going to Finish It

I like browsing second-hand bookstores to look at English books. I sometimes find textbooks which are unfinished. The user must have given up in the middle. I did the same thing when I bought a French conversation book for beginners. I bought it new, tried some exercises, and sold it without finishing it. Yesterday, I bought “Cambridge Basic Vocabulary in Use” at a store. The book is 120 pages long and has 60 units. The previous owner filled in the exercises through Unit 20. I have a message for that person: “Dear former owner, thank you for filling in the exercises through the first part of the book. Now I am going to finish it. From the second owner of this book.”   (122 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

September 19, 2025 No Comments
JM posts

Exploring a Fish Market

My wife and I sometimes go to a supermarket that is known for its fresh fish. At the end of last month, they were selling a red fish that we didn’t know anything about. The Japanese name was “hachibiki.” When I looked up the English name, I found out that it is called “Japanese rubyfish.” That makes sense. Rubies are red, and so is this fish. My wife wasn’t sure how to cook it, but the sign said that it was good grilled with salt. She made it that way, and it was delicious. We enjoy exploring fish markets. There are so many different kinds of fish. And if we don’t know how to cook them, we can ask the people who sell them! (124 words) You can send me a comment or your own story at jaremaga@gmail.com

September 18, 2025 No Comments