A Tale of Two Summers
September 5, 2025
Episode Notes
Hey, good morning, sir.
Good morning.
How's it going? Really, really good.
How about you? Excellent.
How long you've been back in Japan? I came back two weeks ago, yourself? Uh, a week.
It's been a week.
How was your trip? My trip was awesome.
It had a few bumps.
But it was good.
Not too big, I hope bumps.
Nothing I couldn't handle, enough to make the, yeah.
Yeah.
What about you? Likewise, uh, a couple of very, very small bumps, but no problem whatsoever.
Um, yeah, it was, it was perfect.
You enjoy going back? I love it.
I love it, especially in summer, um.
What's summer like where you're from? Usually it's uh warm and dry.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So.
Yeah.
This year.
I shouldn't say this year.
Recently, I get the I, I got a strong impression climate change is happening because it was wet.
Everywhere I drove was green, which is not normal in August.
Yeah, yeah.
I was in Calgary for a few days, and my sister who lives there said the same thing.
She said, uh, normally this is all brown.
That's right.
And I, I, I thought that's a good thing, but she said it's not.
That's right.
Yeah.
It's, it's strange.
Hm.
Yeah, yeah.
West Coast uh.
So, the, the weird thing is that where you're from the prairies is wetter than usual.
In Japan it's than usual.
OK.
On the west coast where I'm from, it's drier than usual.
Really? drier and hotter, which has been resulting in worse wildfires.
Right, right.
So, yeah, so when I was there, there was a wildfire, um, which also I find interesting that in in English we say wildfire in Japanese they say forest fire.
Yeah I say in English.
00.
I, I've heard wildfire, but I always said forest fire growing up.
Sorry, in Japanese they say mountain fire.
That's right.
Yes.
Yamakaji, so interesting, you know, different words, but yeah, there was a big fire, um.
About 50 kilometers from my hometown.
Wow, that's pretty close.
Um, and so for, yeah, usually they're not that close.
Usually they're more, uh, like hundreds of kilometers away, but this one is about 50 kilometers away.
So for a few days the sky was Was Mm, kind of gray, grayish brown, um, and the air was not that great.
And there was dust everywhere.
Right, right, I.
Yeah.
See, we, we get fires in uh Alberta, forest fires and out in the mountains, and then it comes in the, the haze stays for a week or two, even.
Yeah.
Yeah, but this year for us.
Yeah, so where I was, it was uh Not hot, just warm, and it was dry, um, but it's, it's really nice.
Good for the, uh, good for the lungs, good for the skin, for me anyway, to be a little drier and, and, uh, not so hot and humid.
But I found it the same, yeah.
Um, but first week I was really thirsty.
I just couldn't drink enough, because it's dry.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, but Changing the subject of the same subject, did the water taste different to you? Yes, it does.
Yeah, it's funny, hey.
Why, why, why.
Uh, not, not better or worse, just different.
Um, Japanese water is great, Canadians water is great, and I don't know.
How to explain, but it is different.
It tastes different.
Well, you come from the west coast.
It might even be different from West Coast to where I live or where I come from.
Uh, our water is very hard.
Yeah, I know that expression, hard water and soft water, but I've never really understood it, except that pasta noodles cook differently.
That's the only thing I know about hard water and soft water is the the timing, but.
And on that note, I need a drink of water.
See you later.
OK.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
And on that note, I need a drink of water.
See you later. OK.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Good morning.
How's it going? Really, really good.
How about you? Excellent.
How long you've been back in Japan? I came back two weeks ago, yourself? Uh, a week.
It's been a week.
How was your trip? My trip was awesome.
It had a few bumps.
But it was good.
Not too big, I hope bumps.
Nothing I couldn't handle, enough to make the, yeah.
Yeah.
What about you? Likewise, uh, a couple of very, very small bumps, but no problem whatsoever.
Um, yeah, it was, it was perfect.
You enjoy going back? I love it.
I love it, especially in summer, um.
What's summer like where you're from? Usually it's uh warm and dry.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So.
Yeah.
This year.
I shouldn't say this year.
Recently, I get the I, I got a strong impression climate change is happening because it was wet.
Everywhere I drove was green, which is not normal in August.
Yeah, yeah.
I was in Calgary for a few days, and my sister who lives there said the same thing.
She said, uh, normally this is all brown.
That's right.
And I, I, I thought that's a good thing, but she said it's not.
That's right.
Yeah.
It's, it's strange.
Hm.
Yeah, yeah.
West Coast uh.
So, the, the weird thing is that where you're from the prairies is wetter than usual.
In Japan it's than usual.
OK.
On the west coast where I'm from, it's drier than usual.
Really? drier and hotter, which has been resulting in worse wildfires.
Right, right.
So, yeah, so when I was there, there was a wildfire, um, which also I find interesting that in in English we say wildfire in Japanese they say forest fire.
Yeah I say in English.
00.
I, I've heard wildfire, but I always said forest fire growing up.
Sorry, in Japanese they say mountain fire.
That's right.
Yes.
Yamakaji, so interesting, you know, different words, but yeah, there was a big fire, um.
About 50 kilometers from my hometown.
Wow, that's pretty close.
Um, and so for, yeah, usually they're not that close.
Usually they're more, uh, like hundreds of kilometers away, but this one is about 50 kilometers away.
So for a few days the sky was Was Mm, kind of gray, grayish brown, um, and the air was not that great.
And there was dust everywhere.
Right, right, I.
Yeah.
See, we, we get fires in uh Alberta, forest fires and out in the mountains, and then it comes in the, the haze stays for a week or two, even.
Yeah.
Yeah, but this year for us.
Yeah, so where I was, it was uh Not hot, just warm, and it was dry, um, but it's, it's really nice.
Good for the, uh, good for the lungs, good for the skin, for me anyway, to be a little drier and, and, uh, not so hot and humid.
But I found it the same, yeah.
Um, but first week I was really thirsty.
I just couldn't drink enough, because it's dry.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, but Changing the subject of the same subject, did the water taste different to you? Yes, it does.
Yeah, it's funny, hey.
Why, why, why.
Uh, not, not better or worse, just different.
Um, Japanese water is great, Canadians water is great, and I don't know.
How to explain, but it is different.
It tastes different.
Well, you come from the west coast.
It might even be different from West Coast to where I live or where I come from.
Uh, our water is very hard.
Yeah, I know that expression, hard water and soft water, but I've never really understood it, except that pasta noodles cook differently.
That's the only thing I know about hard water and soft water is the the timing, but.
And on that note, I need a drink of water.
See you later.
OK.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
And on that note, I need a drink of water.
See you later. OK.
Take care.
Bye-bye.