People warned me when I arrived. ‘Japan is incredibly hot in summer’ they said. And while I was prepared for the worst I must admit that reality is a whole lot worse than anything I could have imagined. And summer hasn’t even technically started yet! :cry:
You see Japanese people are fond of saying that their country has four seasons. Reality is Japan does have some extra ’seasons’ like for example rainy season. Normally a period around mid to late June where it rains pretty regularly for most of the time. This helps ease you into the boiling, sweat-box summer that is supposed to be Japanese summer.
This year though things haven’t been going according to plan much. For a start winter was way hotter and nicer than has ever been recorded. In fact I remember reading somewhere that this was the longest winter without snow since records began. And I arrived in January when this was published and there was no snow in Tokyo all winter. In fact at times in February it felt a lot like spring. Spring was then also quite hot by normal standards, affecting the cherry blossom in turn.
And now rainy season seems to have all but disappeared - a bit of a bugger as it’s been replaced by a seriously hot few weeks. Unbearably hot, and as I’m constantly told this is only the beginning. We’ve had about 4/5 days of rain so far this month, well below the average and for the last week or two the average has been 25 degrees or more daily, with some punishing days at over 30 degrees.
The thing with Tokyo is that, a lot like London, the heat is unbearable - it’s sticky and oppressive and it’s also really humid, factors which combine to make it really unpleasant to do anything but ‘nothing’. What’s more Tokyo’s heat doesn’t seem to disappear at night either, which at least in London it does. So not only are you uncomfortable in the daytime, you’re also uncomfortable at night. Great.
Of course all this is oppressive heat is made easier by the fact that everywhere in Japan is pretty much air conditioned. However while air conditioning is a definite plus in this weather (and a luxury I never really had back home - in the office or at home) it’s also weird to get used to. It’s lovely in public transport though, again something most Londoners aren’t used to, but at work it’s odd because you’re constantly going in between the dead heat outside and cool, breezy air inside. It does nothing for the sweat patches either.
I’ve got an air con unit above me right now - however I’m trying to see how long I can last without turning it on. So far so good, the fan and opening all doors and windows is doing me well. And the other thing keeping me from turning my room into a cool haven is the fact that I have to pay for the electricity bill. Not nice.
What’s more I sweat like a pig at the best of times, so I can see my summer in Tokyo being an oh so enjoyable one. If anyone wants to give me a job in Hokkaido for the summer just say the word.
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written by Laurent
\\ tags: air conditioner, heat, Japan
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