Twenty Ways Japanese Stay Cool During the Hot Summer

Friday, June 21st is the first official day of summer in the United States. Calendars in Japan are likewise telling the same story to residents and visitors there. Anyone who has lived in or visited Japan during the summer months knows how incredibly hot it can get, especially in the cities. I remember summer days stepping outside of my Tokyo apartment into what felt like a steam sauna.  In the time it took to walk to the train station, my clothes were damp and I'd finished off my first bottled water.  Japanese also need to deal with the onset of the rainy season, an approximate six-week period during June and July where humidity is elevated to the max, and afternoon rain showers pop up just about every day.

This time of year the goal becomes simple:  find ways to cool off.  Here are twenty ways that Japanese beat the summer heat and humidity. These suggestions range from the high tech to the old school, from the logical to the unexpected. 

1. Pick up an uchiwa (hand held fan)

Fans have long been an icon in Japan and you can still see people using them today. While fancy, artistic types can be purchased in stores, basic varieties prevail for on-the-street use. Inexpensive ones with nature decor  or free fans with promotional advertising seem to be most preferred.

2. Wear a yukata 

These lightweight summer cotton garments easy to wear with no elastic, buttons or zippers to bother with. There are elegant ones for special occasions and simple ones for every day wear.  Yukata are designed for women, men, kids, babies, even pets... 

 
3. Lower the sudare blinds and admire a furin (wind bell)

Many Japanese residences still use these wooden or bamboo roll up blinds as a way to block direct sunlight from entering and heating up rooms and balconies. Restaurants and office buildings are also equipped with sudare blinds.  The wind bell is said to evoke a feeling of coolness when the wind moves around it and causes a gentle chime to sound. 

 

4. Cold meals – Opt for salads and cold soba noodles

Chilled meals are a big favorite when the temperatures soar.  

5. Cold drinks – Sip iced coffee, iced tea, and iced sake
There is no better way to cool down fast than with a tasty chilled beverage.

6. Cold desserts – Enjoy green tea ice cream, kakigoori (shaved ice), and coffee jelly
If you have never heard of coffee jelly, or tried it, and you are a coffee fan, I recommend this dessert.  It is coffee gelatin, usually served with ice cream or cold rich cream. So refreshing!  Search You Tube for video tutorials on how to make it at home.

7. Go to a natsu matsuri (summer festival) 
Wherever there are Japanese, look for a summertime festival and join in! Annual summer events might be held for a day or over a weekend, and include parades, live music, dancing, taiko drumming, street food, carnival games for the kids, and fireworks. The atmosphere can be electric with the buzz of excited and happy crowds of people.

8. Go to the movie theater
Catching a movie at the local movie theater on a summer day or evening has become a global thing. Japanese theaters can be small or large.  In recent years I have seen some huge entertainment complexes in Tokyo that seem to take up a whole city block.  They can be nine or ten stories high and house movie theaters, a bowling alley, arcade bar, and food court.  Of course, you can pay for movie tickets ahead of time online, or pay onsite with cash, credit card, or a swipe of your smartphone. 

9. Turn on the A/C or your electric fan  
Push some buttons to activate your favorite cooling system. 

10.  Visit Tokyo Disneyland
The famous amusement park is a great escape any time of year, but especially summer. Take advantage of the many cool theaters, exhibits and attractions.

 

11.  Use an umbrella under the sun (for ladies)
Many women keep cool and protected from the harsh rays of the sun by taking an umbrella along when they go out and about.

12.  Take a bike ride with a friend
This is such a sign of summertime in Japan:  riding a bike with a friend as a back wheel passenger through Ueno park or along the Tamagawa River.
 

13.  Go to a park with fountains
Take your pick of beautiful municipal parks, then grab a park bench near a fountain and enjoy the breezes and water spray.  Fountains you find may be small and simple, artistic, digital-modern, or majestic and natural looking.

14.  Pay a visit to Tokyu Hands or The Loft

Tokyu Hands bills itself as the "Creative Life Store."  The Loft is of the same genre.  These are massive multi-story general goods merchants. Imagine a Target store that is narrower and seven stories tall. These variety stores have items for sale that you didn't know existed or never knew you needed.  Air conditioned and full of things to stimulate the senses, you can pass some serious time in these places.  It's a fun way to spend a sultry summer afternoon.

15.  Find a pool party 
Pools and water parks are always a good choice for hot summer days, and are popular in many countries and cultures, including Japan.

16.  Display a fresh summer flower arrangement
Japanese love the simple beauty of a flower arrangement and bringing the colors of nature into the home.  Ikebana is the art of flower arranging according to the season.  Whether you take a class, purchase an arrangment from someone who practices this art, or attempt to do it yourself, flowers and fresh greens are synonymous with a cool, relaxed feeling, and antidote to the summer heat.
 

17.  Walk the shaded grounds of Meiji Shrine, Tokyo
Meiji Shrine is in the heart of Tokyo and it is just one of many shrines and temples that you can visit.  Many are well known not only for their sacred buildings of worship but also for their grounds that resemble parks with woods. Take a detour into one of these sanctuaries and do some exploring.  Usually there are sidewalks for strolling, and gazebos for enjoying peaceful sights and sounds of nature.

18.  Visit an aquarium or museum
Lazy summer days usually mean less running around and taking care of urgent business. It is the perfect time to unplug from the computers and tablets and walk around massive fish tanks with cool dark corridors, or enjoy an art exhibit. Some standout facilities in Japan include:
-- Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN 
-- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium 
-- The Tokyo National Museum
A guide to some of the many museums in Tokyo alone can be found here. 

19.  Go to the beach
Japan is an island country so that means you are never far from a picturesque beach, a cool ocean breeze, and water sports.
Okinawa has some of the most gorgeous beaches I have ever seen.  But that tiny island is far away, a long plane trip to the south that not everyone has the funds or time to visit.  Fortunately you can take your pick of many other great beaches closer to the main cities, and around vicinities and regions of Japan, such as Kamakura, Tottori and Ise.



This is Shonan Beach near Mt. Fuji.

20.  Get a foot massage at a Queensway oasis
I was introduced to Queensway by a Japanese friend.  It is a spa-salon chain owned by a company named Raja that specializes in providing walk in or by-appointment reflexology services, or foot massage. Some locations offer body massage as well.  Queensway spa-salons are located strategically wherever people are on foot and on the move:  busy city streets, train and subway stations, and inside shotengai, or walking malls.  

When your feet are feeling tired or achy and you'd like to take a break from the day's activities, walk into a Queensway spa-salon and leave your cares behind.  In a cool, darkened room you are offered a recliner and a cool towel for your forehead scented with lavender.  You select a service from the menu (such as a 50 minute foot massage), then sit back and let the expertly trained massage professional take over.  This is one of the few massage service businesses that appears to bring in just as many men as women. If in Japan be sure to include a visit to Queensway, and if not seek out a reflexology service closer to home. A foot massage is a nice way to stay cool and relaxed this summer.