Christmas is a great time to be in the U.S., but I like to be in Japan at the New Year. I always go to a temple in Nagoya at the end of December and help them make “kagami mochi.” They let me bring rice and make my own rice cakes, too. We steam the rice over a fire, and when it is ready, we put it into a stone mortar and pound it with a wooden pestle. Everyone is welcome, and the temple serves freshly-made rice cakes with sweet beans, bean powder, or soy sauce to all the visitors. It is a very Japanese event, but at the same time it is very international. Some foreign students from Nagoya University come for the experience. This time, I met people from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, and Namibia. (137 words) You can send me a comment or story at jaremaga@gmail.com

This is the last post of the year. It’s been a year of big changes at Jaremaga. Until April of 2024, Jaremaga was an email magazine, but then I started making a video for each story and posting it on YouTube. I never imagined that I would become a YouTuber! It is a lot more work, but I think it’s important for language learners to hear the language as well as read it. Now it’s time for my New Year’s resolutions, and I have two for 2025. I want to go birdwatching with veteran birdwatchers at least once a month. I also want to improve my Korean by reading something every day. I wish there were a Korean Jaremaga! What are your New Year’s resolutions? Let me know and I will post them on the first Readers’ Corner of 2025. (140 words)

When I walk my daughter’s dog, we often cross a busy old shopping street. The other day, I noticed an unusual barbershop. It had a long message written on a large window facing the street. I looked at it more closely and was surprised. The English was correct, and the message was actually a good advertisement for a barbershop. I especially liked the last line that said, “You are but a few steps away from the future you.” I tried to imagine what the future me would look like after a visit to the barbershop. Then, I noticed a sign that said, “By appointment only.” Making an appointment was a hassle. I wasn’t that interested in the future me after all. (121 words)

This year is the 200th anniversary of a great piece of music, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. This symphony was first performed in 1824 in Vienna. It was Beethoven’s last symphony, and by this time he had lost his hearing. How could someone who could not hear write such a beautiful piece of music? It’s amazing! Everyone knows the last movement of the symphony with its “Ode to Joy.” It is sung all around the world, and it is sung all around Japan at this time of year. In Osaka, they give a performance every December with 10,000 singers! There are many performances on the Internet, so why not enjoy one and welcome in the new year! (115 words)

How do you celebrate Christmas? In the U.S., that depends on where your ancestors came from. Many Americans decorate their Christmas trees early in December and have a turkey dinner on December 25, but my family was different. My grandmother came from Austria, so I grew up with Austrian traditions. We didn’t decorate the tree until December 24, and we had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. My grandmother served roast goose instead of turkey for dinner. Before we started eating, we gathered around the piano and sang “Silent Night” in German. I don’t sing it anymore, but I can still remember the first words of the song in German. (109 words)

When I think of the end of the year in Japan, I think of the major cleanup that most people do at home and at work. It is called spring cleaning in English because people usually do it when the weather gets warmer in the spring. In Japan, people do it in December. This custom probably goes back to the Heian period when they had a special cleaning day called “Susubarai no Hi.” Yesterday, we cleaned one center at Fujimae Tidal Flat. There were 10 of us. I spent the morning washing the large windows that look out over the tidal flat. By the end of the day, the center was clean and ready for 2025. Then, we followed the cleanup with one of my favorite Japanese traditions, the year-end party. (131 words)