Tsukaguchi (Amagasaki) English Conversation Teacher Remembers Family Toyota Land Cruiser and Winter Life in Quebec, Canada

In “Winter Life in Tsukaguchi (Amagasaki), Kawanishi and Quebec, Canada”,  I talked about winter snow where I’m from (Quebec, Canada) and the pleasures that snow brings. Yes, snow can be fun but it can be dangerous too as it is slippery. In Canada we have special trucks with snow ploughs which clear the roads of snow. On highways and some other big roads, salt is sprayed to make the snow or ice melt. On smaller, less-used roads, sand is sprayed. The sand doesn’t melt the ice and snow but still makes driving safer by giving cars more traction.

Japan makes fine motor vehicles. When I was growing up in Canada my family had a Toyota Land Cruiser (shown in the photo). My family owned it for over 30 years. I used it to go to college for 3 years. It had 4-wheel drive which was great on snowy winter days. Together with salt or sand on the roads, it made getting to school safer. Before leaving home, I had to remove the snow from the jeep. In “Winter Temperatures in Kawanishi, Tsukaguchi and My Hometown in Canada” I wrote about cold temperatures that winter brings in Quebec, Canada. In winter, starting a car in Tsukaguchi (Amagasaki) or Kawanishi in Japan is probably easy. This is not the case where I’m from. Starting an engine in very cold temperatures (like -20 degrees Celsius) is difficult and hard on an engine. An engine block heater helps make starting the engine easier. My family’s Toyota Land Cruiser had one. The block heater needed electricity to work, so in the front of the jeep, there was a dangling plug. Using a long electric chord, I would connect the jeep’s plug to an electric socket which was outside my family home. I did this the night before I planned to go to school, before going to bed. By doing this I was able to start the engine the next morning with no problem and go to school.

As you can see, winter conditions in Quebec, Canada can be quite challenging. Personally I prefer winters in Tsukaguchi (Amagasaki), home of my English conversation school, Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi. (^.^)

Derek