It’s here… the dreaded Japanese summer! Not only does it differ from what most of us are used to from a heat point of view, it also gets really humid. To be honest, that can be quite tough on our bodies.
But fear not, I’ve managed to survived so far and here’s my top recommendations and tricks to help you and your house make it through these long months!
Let’s start with tips to protect your health, as the most important thing is to keep yourself safe. Indeed, here, 夏バテ (“slammed by summer” – that’s my personal translation – summer fatigue being a more neutral one) is a thing. If you keep your usual activities as they are without paying attention, your body will most likely tell you to slow down. With intense heat and this summer already declared the hottest ever, please be careful.
Drink frequently – this one sounds like an easy one, but it is actually easy to not realize how fast one can get dehydrated in this type of weather. Even if you are not thirsty, drink frequently. Water is of course a great option! If you live around Tokyo, the Tokyo Government has released this map of all free water fountains and drinking stations. But you can also find a variety of sports drinks or drinks with added sodium and minerals to help replenish all that will be lost from perspiration.
The international Aquarius is available at most vending machines and conbini. Variants of it will appear more and more as the weather gets hotter (including a sparkling version that I quite enjoy). There’s also its famous Japanese cousin: Pocari Sweat. But my all time favorite is a bit of a rarer one: the Ito-En Hiyashi Ume (冷梅, chilled plum), that I am actually drinking as I write this article.
Protect your sleep – and that will most likely mean using the air conditioner. As a French person, I do not enjoy using those much, but it gets impossible to sleep with a humidity level reaching easily 80%. I tend to favor the “dry” mode to the cold one, as it removes the excess humidity without chilling out the air too much. Speaking of air conditioning, you should most likely use it on a daily basis while at home. From an electric consumption point of view, but also health, setting it at a medium temperature pretty much non-stop seems to be the best option. Don’t try to “endure” it, it is not worth it.
Don’t forget to eat – with the heat, we tend to lose appetite. But skipping meals is the fast track to getting weaker, and even dizzier. Try your best to get balanced meals, even light ones if you don’t feel like eating too much. If it gets really difficult for you to eat, you can try one of the jelly pouches from the convenience store or the supermarket. They will at least give you a bit of bonus strength. My first summer hit me so hard, I could barely eat for a week, and ended up almost fainting in the train – do not recommend!
Check out the weather forecast – this one also sounds like silly advice. But there is “hot” and “hot” – 35 degrees celsius with the added humidity can end up feeling well over 40! You will also see warnings for risk of heatstroke. For example, the Ministry of the Environment has released this website on which you’ll see the risk of heatstroke and whether it is recommended to refrain from exercising outside.
Stay away from the sun – and wear adequate SPF. This one I also under estimated. In my home country, SPF is mostly used if we go to the beach or for longer times outside. Well, after turning tomato red a few times in Japan, and finally comparing UV indexes – it does not compare. The sun here hits much harder – protect your skin with one of the many (great) sunscreens! You can find many different creams, with textures that can be really light, but also sprays, or my favorite: face powder. Fun fact (maybe?): I also started to use SPF for my hair to avoid it burning down each year. Japanese people (not only women!) use sun umbrellas to protect themselves. And when it hits hard, it does help quite a lot.
My favorite products so far:
- The SPF powder – there’s many of them. I appreciate that it doesn’t build up on my face. This one from Cezanne is a cheap option, but most powders in Japan will have sunscreen included. I just go for a higher SPF when summer comes.
- The SPF sticks – it fits in even a small bag so that’s convenient. I use this one from Apieu’ as I liked the smell but you can find many options online or in stores.
- The cooling spray – there’s also dozens of them but my favorite is Kneipp’s Arnica spray as it’s made from natural ingredients and has a nice smell.
Try all the cool cooling (pun indented) stuff Japan has to offer – cooling sheets, clothing, blankets, sprays, shampoos… There must be one that can help you endure. I personally love Nitori’s N Cool cooling bed sheets.
You can also find fans of every size to carry around your neck or under your shirt, and ice rings or pillows to put under your cap. Try to have a bit of fun and experiment to find what works for you!
… and that’s it … or is it?
Well, no, it is not. Sorry to bring the bad news in, but you will also need to care for your house with this level of humidity.
Indeed, summer is also… Mold Season. Yes. Nasty, I know.
You will have to protect your clothes: put a humidity absorber (湿気とり, shikke tori) at least in every closet. You can also find humidity absorbant cushions for your drawers. If you don’t… Well… Maybe, one day, you’ll open the doors to have this nasty smell suddenly here and you will have to wash everything. Been there, done that, once again absolutely do not recommend. You may also want to put absorbers around your electronics or food if it risks humidity. I also put one in my car.
This one is an example, but you will find many of them in the front of drug stores. It is that season after all.
To clean up the mold that will most likely appear in the bathroom (either black or pink, fancy…) or anywhere close to sinks, Kabi Killer (カビキラー, Mold Killer) is the weapon. Beware though as it is super strong – protect your eyes, hands and clothes while using it. Also, be careful not to mix it with other products – it says on the front of the bottle that it can be dangerous. There’s also a version to clean up your laundry machine – yes, mold also builds up there.
With all of this, I hope you can successfully defeat Japan’s summer! And if it all sounds too depressing, don’t forget that summer is the perfect time to enjoy plenty of specific delicacies, like cold noodles, unagi or ice cream!
What is your pro tip to fight off Japanese summer? Let us know!
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