Hakodate to iu-to, yakei-ga yūmei-desu-ne. (Speaking of Hakodate, it's famous for its night view.)

Situation 1: After talking business, Mr. Sere and his customer Mr. Sato chat in a coffee shop.

佐藤： 私は北海道の函館の出身なんです。

セレ： あ、函館というと、夜景が有名ですね。いつか見てみたいです。

Satō: Watashi-wa Hokkaidō-no Hakodate-no shusshin-nan-desu.

Sere: A, Hakodate-to iu-to, yakei-ga yūmei-desu-ne. Itsuka mite-mitai-desu.

Sato: I'm from Hakodate in Hokkaido.

Sere: Oh, Hakodate, the city famous for its night view. I'd like to see it someday.

Today we'll introduce two expressions: というと and といえば. XというとY expresses that the mention of X reminded the speaker of Y. The speaker thinks of Y (phrase) after X (noun or phrase/clause) is mentioned because Y is typically associated with X. Examples: 「もうすぐ夏（なつ）ですね」「夏というと、花火（はなび）ですね」("It'll soon be summer." "When you say 'summer,' I think fireworks."); 秋葉原（あきはばら）というと、最近（さいきん）はメイドカフェを思（おも）い浮（う）かべる人（ひと）が多（おお）い (Mention Akihabara and many people now think of "maid cafes."). Y can be a comment or an explanation about X. Another example: ボランティアというと、たいへんなことのように思（おも）われるかもしれない (When people hear "volunteer work," they might think it's tough).

Situation 2: Continued from above.

佐藤： あ、ここから東京スカイツリーがよく見えますね。

セレ： ええ。スカイツリーといえば、この前初めてあそこに上りましたよ。

Satō: A, koko-kara Tōkyō-sukai-tsurii-ga yoku miemasu-ne.

Sere: Ee. Sukai-tsurii-to ieba, kono mae hajimete asoko-ni noborimashita-yo.

Sato: Oh, there's a clear view of the Tokyo Skytree from here.

Sere: Right. Actually, I went up that tower for the first time the other day.

XといえばY is similar in meaning to XというとY, but, with XといえばY, the speaker can mention a new topic or add new detail to develop the conversation. というと in Situation 1 can be replaced with といえば, while といえば in Mr. Sere's remark above cannot be replaced with というと. Another example: 山田（やまだ）さんといえば、さっきから見（み）かけませんが、どこにいるんでしょうか (Speaking of Mr. Yamada, I haven't seen him around. Where is he?).

Bonus Dialogue: Ms. Shiba, who has a small child, and her colleague Mr. Tian are chatting during a break.

ティエン： もうすぐ６月(ろくがつ)ですね。

芝： ６月というと、梅雨(つゆ)だから気(き)が 重(おも)いです。

ティエン： ああ、小(ちい)さいお子(こ)さんがいると、 保育園(ほいくえん)の送(おく)り迎(むか)えとか さらに大変(たいへん)ですよね。

芝： そうなんです。それに、洗濯物(せんたくもの)も多(おお)くて、なかなか乾(かわ)かないし。

ティエン： でも、洗濯(せんたく)といえば、最近(さいきん)はずいぶんいい洗濯機(せんたくき)も出(で)てきているんじゃないですか。

芝： まあ、便利(べんり)なんですけど、時間 (じかん)がかかるうえに、汚(よご)れが落(お)ちにくいんです。新製品(しんせいひん)がいいとは限(かぎ)りませんね。

ティエン： でも、新製品といえば、この前(まえ)買(か)ったコードレス掃除機(そうじき)はとってもよかったですよ。いい家電(かでん)で家事(かじ)を楽(たの)しめるといいですね。

Tian: It'll be June soon.

Shiba: You say June and I think "rainy season," and that makes me feel depressed.

Tian: Oh, you have a small kid. Taking them to nursery school and picking them up must be even tougher.

Shiba: Exactly. And there's all the washing to do too, which won't dry easily.

Tian: But speaking of laundry, aren't there really good washing machines on sale these days?

Shiba: Well, they are convenient, but they take so long and stains don't come out easily either. Sadly, new products aren't necessarily always good.

Tian: But speaking of new products, the cordless vacuum cleaner I bought the other day is really good. It'd be good if we could enjoy housework using good appliances.