- What is your favourite season? Why?
- Do you live in a country with a rainy season? When is it? What do you have to do to prepare for, or cope with, this season?
- Which area in your country has the best climate in your opinion? Would you like to live there? Why?
- Tell me about a country or region in the world that suffers from extreme weather (heat/drought, flooding, low temperatures, typhoons/twisters/hurricanes, heat waves, sandstorms, hail, tsunami etc.)? How does the extreme weather adversely affect the people there? What do people do there to try to protect themselves or minimise the damage?
- What is the worst weather you have ever experienced in Japan (or anywhere)? What happened?
- What do you think of people who say that the world is not warming and suffering from more extreme weather? Does the future of our climate worry you? Why?
Question 1
I like spring. Aside from the cherry blossoms and the pleasant weather, it's the beginning of the academic year. Everything seems new and fresh. I feel revitalised and ready for new beginnings. This all goes away by May though, once the Gogatsubyou sets in!Question 2
I currently live in Japan. Japan has a rainy season. It falls somewhere between June and July. That said, it is somewhat inconsistent as to when it starts and ends. I used to carry a folding umbrella everywhere with me during this time, for emergencies. Folding umbrellas aren't very effective though. I always feel like Totoro when I use one; a large creature beneath an umbrella two sizes too small. Now, I just assume it will rain a bring a proper umbrella with me wherever I go.Question 3
I think my hometown of Adelaide has a fairly decent climate. It can get unbearably hot in the summer but that's true of most places in Australia. The winters aren't too cold but they are pretty wet. I lived there for twenty-some years and I had no complaints about the weather. My complaints were all about the lack of things to do in Adelaide...Question 4
Australia suffers from heatwaves almost every summer. These can lead to severe drought and bushfires. To defend against the heat, we all use sunscreen, stay hydrated, and do our best to keep our homes air conditioned. That, and keep an eye on the news. You need to always be mindful of the temperature and listen out for bushfire warnings.Question 5
The typhoon during 2018. I don't remember which number it was but it was a big one! Having lived in Japan for fifteen plus years, I had written off typhoons as something the mainland didn't really need to worry about. This one did major damage to Osaka City among other places, showing me just how wrong I was about that!Question 6
Climate change deniers infuriate me. It's obvious to anyone with a memory who is paying attention that things are hotter, colder, and weirder weather-wise now than they have ever been in our lifetime. It worries me that things are changing for the worse and yet we aren't doing anything about it. I think that by the time the world decides to act it will be too late and we will just have to live with the consequences of our inaction.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| aside from | は別として |
| revitalised | 活性化 |
| inconsistent | 矛盾する |
| assume | 仮定する |
| decent | まともな |
| unbearable | 耐え難い |
| heatwave | 熱波 |
| keep an eye on | 目を離さない |
| be mindful of | 気をつけて |
| written off | 償却 |
| infuriate | 激怒する |
I heard that Australia can be extremely hot. I would like to go to the Australian Open Tennis tournament someday, but it’s in the summer. Last years temperature was 45 degrees. Atsui!
I seriously don’t know how the players do it. A men’s game can run out to five sets. That’s four or five hours running around in the blazing sun, praying your sunscreen is doing what it’s supposed to.
Much respect to the athletes but I don’t feature doing that myself. I’ll stick to darts. At least you can have a beer while you play.
I also feel like Big Totoro when I use a small umbrella.