Beat the Heat

Has the rainy season finished yet? I hope it does soon. Once it's over, then it will be summer. It is already getting hot and sticky. Hands up if you've started using your air-conditioner at home.

I like summer in Japan (and winter, spring and autumn) even though it's as sticky as natto. Okay, it's not so nice when you have to wear long pants and a neck tie, but most times those clothes are worn in an air-conditioned office. But on the other hand, summer is filled with kakigori, fireworks and swimming. Is there somewhere nearby where I can watch fireworks while I am in a pool? Eating kakigori l at the same time would be great, but will probably give me a stomachache.

You are probably wondering why there is a photo of myself waist-deep in snow when I am talking about summer. That photo was taken a long time ago, but when it gets really hot, I think of a time when it was really cold (this day was around -10 degrees) and it helps me feel cool. You might try remembering when you were a junior high school student sitting in your classroom with the broken heater in February. The only way to keep warm was by writing faster. In Japan, students are assigned a seat, but when I was a high school student in New Zealand we sat anywhere in the room. So on cold days, the first students in the room took the desks next to the heaters. Those who came late froze on the other side of the room. By the way, winter uniform was short pants.

Well, I hope you can find ways to beat the heat. Just remember to drink lots and eat chocolate out of the sun. Keep cool!