Notes:
mystery 神秘的な;
twinkle ぴかぴか[きらきら]光る;

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Early in November last year, I visited Tsumago in Nagano Prefecture. During the Edo period, it was a post town on a highway going from Edo to Kyoto. Historic buildings have been preserved, and there are no convenience stores, light poles, or traffic signals. All the shops close at 5 o’clock. During the dark night, the streets are only illuminated with paper-covered lamps, so the stars twinkle clearly in the sky. I felt as if I had been transported through time to the Edo period. It was like a mystery world. (written by a reader, edited by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
paddy 稲田，水田;
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I listened to a professor from Gifu University talk about the environment on Sunday. He said that people in Japan used to eat 300 grams of rice per day, but now they eat only half that much rice. Since 1970, farmers have been growing less rice, so there are fewer paddies. This is bad news for Japan’s frogs because more than half of them live in rice paddies. Although you may not like frogs, they are important to us because they eat insects, and they become food for large birds. This professor said that we can help to save Japan’s environment by eating more rice. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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