Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

My daughter, who just started elementary school, recently loves to talk about her favorite seasons. Whether it's a conversation with her parents or with friends she's just starting to get to know, the topic seems to come up often. When I was a university student, I loved summer. There's something exhilarating about immersing myself in something while sweating profusely under the summer sun. More than anything, I can't get enough of the indescribable excitement I get when thinking about the long summer vacation that's approaching. These feelings combined to create many irreplaceable memories of the summers I spent at university.

But how is it now? If you try to do anything under the summer sun, you are hit with life-threatening heat. There are also moves to shift the timing of fireworks festivals as a measure against heatstroke. The intense heat has changed the Japanese summer scenery. In recent years, summers are not only hot, but also long. One department store is using the keyword "two seasons" to emphasize summer and winter, as the presence of spring and autumn has decreased. Indeed, the midsummer heat was still continuing in September and October of last year, 2024. Where has autumn gone?

Even though the customs and changing seasons may have changed, university students still have a long summer vacation, just like they did when I was a student. What are your thoughts as summer vacation approaches in a month? It seems that this summer is predicted to be extremely hot as well. However, there are not many opportunities in a long life to use your time as generously as you did during summer vacation in university. I hope you will not give in to the intense heat and will make as many irreplaceable memories as possible.

(HI)

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