Coffee Break (Monthly Report) August 2023 issue

Marshall Elliott Ginsler Viner Exchange Coordinator

Self-introduction, summer differences between Sagamihara and Toronto

Hello. Marshall Elliott Ginsler Viner. Please call me Marshall. I'm from Toronto, Canada. After graduating from university, I studied physical therapy at graduate school, and after obtaining my physical therapist qualification, I worked at a hospital and clinic in Toronto for about a year and a half. I decided to take up the challenge of working as an exchange agent because I wanted to make use of the Japanese I had been studying since I was 1 years old and use it to help people. My hobbies are soccer, guitar, and studying Japanese. I will be writing a column every month for the next year, and I appreciate your continued support.

Now that we are in late August 2023, I would like to write about summer in my hometown of Toronto and Sagamihara in this column. I have been living in Sagamihara since August 8, 2023, and what impresses me most is the weather.It's hotter than my hometown of Toronto, and it's overwhelmingly humid.The air in Toronto is crisper and more comfortable.The other day, I played futsal for the first time in Sagamihara, and it was extremely hot and humid, so I sweated as much as I did for one game just by changing my clothes.Needless to say, the futsal game started and I was already exhausted after the first 8 minutes with him.

In Sagamihara, where it is hot and humid and the sun is strong, the summer fashion, cooling goods, ways of spending time, and living creatures of Sagamihara residents that are different from those in Toronto stand out.In Toronto, I have never seen people walking around town in the summer with cooling towels hanging around their necks or arm covers.Also, the laundry hanging out to dry is also noticeable.In Toronto, many homes have dryers, so there is no need to dry clothes outside.I had little experience with drying clothes outside, so I struggled the other day.I hung my laundry out on the balcony in the morning, but when I got home in the afternoon, most of my clothes were still wet and my underwear was attacked by a bee about 3cm long that I had never seen before in Toronto.I waited for the bees to leave, and at great speed I brought all the laundry inside and hung them on the living room wall and the bathroom tension rod.I don't think I'll ever forget the episode where this apartment turned into a laundry room.By the way, in addition to the bees, I was also interested in the sound of cicadas here.There are cicadas in Toronto, but they are not as loud as here.

We are looking forward to seeing what kind of autumn awaits us in Sagamihara.