Another Summer in Japan!

It's Summer again and (surprise, surprise) it's hot, humid and uncomfortable.

Last year we lived through Japan's hottest summer in 100 years and, it would seem, this year promises to be just as hot. Mai nichi totemo atsu-i desu-yo! (Every day it is very hot! desu-yo shows this is a statement of fact.) The hot weather arrived very quickly. Within a week we went from comfortable, mild temperatures to very hot and humid conditions.....which at a personal level equates to saturation all round! A condition further exacerbated by the fact that 'herself' has overheating issues anyway!! Thank goodness the thermostat on the air conditioner works!
Many shops try to help by cooling their customers as they enter.

With temperatures remaining in the low to upper 30's day in day out for months, the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama just never cool down. Weekly weather forecasts predict little relief.

Our apartment absorbs heat like a sponge absorbs water, air conditioners run flat out and with millions of commuters, trains can't avoid using air conditioners (even with current power restrictions). Walking to the station or around the local area can be enough to make us question why we even bothered to have a shower before leaving. Steve leaves for work before 6.30am, but wears a t-shirt for the journey and changes into his business shirt once at the office. On the way home, he often gets off one stop early and walks just to escape the hot bodies and heat of crowded peak trains.

It's hot work making pancakes!

Why is it that we are at the same latitude, but north of the equator, as Bega in NSW, Australia and we have snow in the winter then tropical, monsoonal conditions in Summer?? It's weird. It is hard to describe the heat because it can be so overwhelming. People in Steve's company, who commute between here and Papua New Guinea, say the heat here is much harder to handle. The humidity is very high and I suppose the nature of cities makes it seem hotter. Travelling on crowded trains and walking most places has an impact on the general population and their heat stress is clearly visible. So....let me introduce some of the everyday summertime accessories which help people cope.

Umbrellas, a familiar accessory all year round, are used in summer to protect the skin from the sun's damaging rays. At other times of the year, of course, they are used against the rain. I think I can safely say that the majority of women wear hats and it's not unusual to see women wearing gloves and long sleeved tops to preserve blemish free hands and arms. Bit late for me!

Many people, young and old, carry fans and small towels, commonly called handkachi. These small towels are also an all year round accessory but are particularly useful in Summer to mop the brow, neck and body. Even I carry one!

If you need an umbrella, fan or small personal towel then Japan is the place to buy one. I have always associated fans with Japan but, honestly, thought they were an ornamental accessory for a traditional costume.....kimono (the national costume of Japan), yukata (a casual version of the kimono most often worn after bathing), obi (sash), tabi (traditional Japanese socks with a separation between the big toe and the other toes), zori (open sandals), geta (high wooden based flip flops), umbrella, fan and so on.

Even 'Himself' enjoys being fanned by his fans!

Of course, it wouldn't be Japan if you couldn't select from a huge array of these items. Cheap umbrellas can be purchased at convenience stores and market areas but if it's a fashion statement you're after then there is no end to the choices. It must be a very lucrative business producing umbrellas because, in Japan alone, millions and millions are used. Small pocket versions are daijoubu desu (alright) for sun protection but are quite useless in monsoonal downpours or any breeze, clear plastic ones are great for footpath vision and normal rain but judging by the number of discarded ones are easily destroyed, there's lace edged or frilled varieties....the styles are endless.

For a variety of reasons, since arriving in Japan, we have gone through our share of umbrellas. Sometimes when out and about we'll get caught in a downpour and need to buy one or two. Others have needed replacing when they've been......left somewhere, dropped between a train and the platform, borrowed, caught in the front spokes of a bike or victims of the unexpected or even expected gust of wind! The list goes on! Damaged umbrellas are not easy to dispose of. Our rubbish collection personnel always return them to our door so, short of littering and leaving 'no longer wanted' umbrellas on the side of a footpath, you need to become a little creative. After numerous varieties, I  had purchased a decent umbrella which was extra wide and equipped with plenty of ribs but, after surviving a 'spoke' incident, it also fell victim to the wind. Unable to dispose of it at the apartment we decided to take it to a restaurant one evening and then we conveniently forgot to take it home. Oh dear, what a shame!!

Most shops and restaurants cater for patrons carrying umbrellas. Racks are a common sight and in many stores you're expected to wrap your umbrella in plastic. As you enter a store you simply push your umbrella inside a metal container which contains long plastic bags. It's surprising how much water drains into the bag! Multiply that amount by the thousands of umbrellas that could enter a store in one day and you can see why it's necessary to provide bags.

Ice creams become a normal part of the diet (how tragic is that?). My favourite ice creams are made by Meiji, the same company that makes delicious chocolate, or Lotte, also makers of good chocolate. There is a version of the Drumstick here but in Japan they are a 'cool' price, ranging between 78 and 128 yen depending where you buy them, and another favourite is one that's like an enclosed waffle. It's the same price and can easily be cut in half for two feeds as it is so big (but why would you do that?).  I have had green tea ice creams but, to date, I haven't been tempted to taste the red bean variety. I suppose I should but I hate to spoil a treat eating something I don't like! The price and taste make ice creams totally irresistible!! Most of our 'alien' visitors have succumbed, even in winter!

Not an accessory but another very familiar sight in Japan is the vending machine. They can be found everywhere.... there are numerous ones on station platforms, in the station, along streets, out in the countryside, on road sides, in stores (you name it)....they're so common, you rarely go very far before you find one. In the winter you can buy hot coffee, hot soup or food, as well as water,  but in summer it's icy cold water, coffee, tea, soft or sport's drinks and even ice creams. You usually use coins or notes but if you prefer you can use your Suica card. Most drinks range between 100 and 150 yen which is pretty cheap! I have grown quite accustomed to accessing vending machines so easily when out riding, walking, running or whatever.

 How could you not drink something that comes with this guarantee!

With 'aliens', Bek, Sophie and Harriet, back in town the heat has made many activities very difficult. A return trip to Disneyland saw us moving from one shady spot to another avoiding the sun and its heat. Quite a contrast to a visit, a few weeks earlier, with 'Team Lewis' when the weather was warm but absolutely ideal.

The 'Thompson Clan' experienced last year's hot summer and once again have felt its warmth. This year we've had a few weapons up our sleeve though. There's the Motomachi Swimming Pool, on the other side of Motomachi Street, where we've enjoyed quite a few swims. Strapped in their bike seats, the girls were always eager to head off and 'swi-i-m swi-i-m'! At 200 yen per person per one hour session or 6 sessions for 1000 yen it was fairly good value. Last year we were told Harriet couldn't go in if she wasn't toilet trained, this year we just said, 'Hai!' when they asked.

We waited until late afternoon so the girls were cooler before dinner and bedtime and it made it so much easier to enjoy a bed time story with 'Himself'.

We made a visit to the Negishi Pool, also known as the 'mammoth pool', which was terrific fun and excellent value. We spent over 3 hours there simply enjoying the immersion in water. A river pool, complete with a current, surrounds a central mammoth pool and there are a couple of other smaller pools for young children. The entry fee, 800 yen for adults and 200 yen for children, was valid for the day. Negishi is only two train stops south of us and then about a 500 metre walk. Armed with rings, sunscreen and sunnies the excursion was a great success!

It was at these pools we experienced something we had only read about. On the hour, every hour, the lifeguards (of which there were many) started blowing their whistles loudly and insistently. Everyone got out of the water and there was no swimming for 10 minutes. After a check of the pools and 'secret gestures' between the staff, the whistles signalled permission to enter the pool again. This happened three times whilst we were there.....it was really quite funny. But like all things in Japan, everyone just does it without complaint!!

We also had a great time at Hakkejima Sea Paradise, which is an aquarium with the normal walk through tunnels, including one with an escalator, lots of displays, seal, whale shark and dolphin performances and, the favourite for the girls, a touch tank you could walk in!! Both girls were soon wetter than they should have been, but they weren't alone!

 

Our trip to Nikko gave us the ultimate swimming experience though. Swimming in a pristine river, with mini rapids and inflatable rings, was perfect! Staying at the Zen Hostel, we had the river to ourselves and the only thing which signalled us to get out here was 'drinks time' or our chilled bodies.

Yes.... it's hot, very hot, and we will swelter but, I guess, we could be enduring the wet, cold Melbourne winter! Mmmm, I guess we can't complain....life is always a compromise! Of course, as I'm now a bit of a cocktail 'fan', maybe I could sip on one or two of those when I'm desperate!!

Kampaii!!! Ima watashi wa samui-i desu-yo!