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Japanese volunteer loves Quesnel jogging paths

Shiraoi Twinning Society and the community welcome Japanese volunteers
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Ami Sukisaki enjoys a game during Family Day.

Jonas Gagnon

Observer Reporter

Hailing from a small town on Shikoku Island in Ehime prefecture, Ami Sukisaki has recently arrived in Quesnel to volunteer at the Shiraoi house.

This isn’t her first trip to Canada, but it is her first trip off the Canadian tourist route.

“Six years ago, I came here and I really loved Canada, I wanted to come back,” she said.

That first vacation here was a university graduation trip, hitting all the often toured places including Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria and Niagara Falls.

Now though, after two months learning English in Vancouver, Sukisaki has hopped off the tourist trail into the wilderness of B.C.

The city itself, though, she finds similar to her home town of Tobe. Both are small towns, off the beaten path – Tobe is on a completely different island than the major cities of Japan. Shikoku, one of the four main islands of Japan, is just off the south-west coast of Honshu, the main island that is home to both Tokyo and Kyoto.

Though she hasn’t seen much of the city, she has found the riverwalk.

“It’s beautiful. I really like the riverwalk. I love jogging so I like to go jogging on it,” she said.

There are a few differences that have surprised her.

The cooler weather has been something of a relief for Sukisaki.

“It’s so hot and humid in Japan,” she said.

“I like this weather.”

More surprising than the weather, however, is the sun’s changing schedule.

“In Japan the sun sets at six o’clock, in Quesnel, maybe 10.”

Japan, due to it’s placement near the equator, does not experience the lengthening and shortening of days that northerners are used to.

Sukisaki has another three months to see and experience all that the north has to offer. In those three months she is looking forward to participating in a festival, like the Canada Day festival, as well as going to Barkerville.