Atsui, ne? Surviving Summer in Japan

If you've been in Japan for longer than a couple of weeks, you surely can't have helped but pick up at least one word. ATSUI!!! This multipurpose word has not one, not two but THREE different kanji*. This particular kind of atsui, though, means hot. Common (and by common I mean every couple of breaths) utterances from the Japanese during the summer include "Atsui, desu ne?" or the slightly more casual "atsui, ne?" ("Hot, isn't it?") to the exclamation of "ATSU!". While you may think that this particular expression is reserved for those hot days, outdoors, with the sweat slowly trickling down your back, you would be wrong - I most frequently hear it in cool, air-conditioned rooms. Still, the fact remains that summer in Japan is, indeed, atsui.

*If you are interested: 暑い= hot weather, 熱い=hot (temperate of things or people?)　厚い = thick, kind, cordial or deep!

So, I thought I'd give those of you thinking of coming to Japan a heads-up and let you know what summer is like here. Of course, this only really counts for Hamamatsu area. Hokkaido's summers are apparently quite cool, while the further south you head, towards Hiroshima and Fukuoka, the hotter it gets, of course.


Temperature ranges between 30 and 36, usually, although Kyoto reached 39.9 a couple of weeks ago. Don't let these temperatures scare you, though (if you're from somewhere like the UK, like me, where 22 constitutes a "heat wave") - this summer was apparently the hottest Japan has had in about 150 years. 118 people have died from the heat. The good news is, though, that Japan is a country of great air conditioning. While most classrooms in the schools are not air conditioned (I'll get to that in a minute), your average bus or café compensates by blasting ice cold air into the room, making the wave of unpleasant humidity that hits you on your way out all the more powerful.

How to survive? Well, personally I battled it by hiding in my air conditioned apartment, ducking into shops and cafés whenever possible, and of course staying in the shade. You should also be warned that air conditioning can give you flu-like symptoms, headaches and fatigue - not fun, but sometimes having it on is the only way that I can sleep. As for being at school, it's obviously advisable to wear short-sleeved shirts and (for the ladies) a skirt, as jumping around like a crazy genki lunatic will get you pretty sweaty. No self respecting Japanese person leaves the house without a fan (or doesn't have one stashed in their desk) but if you don't want to spend 1000-2000 on a pretty one, ugly ones adorned with advertisements are usually handed out for free on the streets - keep an eye out!

As well as temperature, the humidity is pretty extreme, too. Not only does this cause you to feel as if you've been hit by a wall of watery heat whenever you step outside, but it can cause things in your apartment to get mouldy, too. Yay! Your futon will most likely be the first victim - I lost one to mould already. When it's definitely not going to rain, hang the futon on your balcony throughout the day. As for the rest of your things, I recommend getting some "shikke tori" - humidity absorbers. Three tubs cost something ridiculously cheap like 150 Yen, and you can buy packets of the absorbent white crystals to refill them. You'll be amazed at how much water gathers in them after only a few days. They are available in pharmacy type shops, the same places that you would find make-up and vitamin tablets. You can get special de-humidifying sheets to put under your futon, and hanging packs to put in between your clothes. Magical! Just be sure to keep your apartment well-ventilated, and you should be OK. However, when I say ventilated....

...Beware of evil, massive insects. One thing that nobody told me about Japan is that bugs are MASSIVE! While freakishly large butterflies are beautiful, their friends - f***ing massive wasps - are not quite as enchanting. There are also massive, scary grasshopper-like things that lurk above doors. As far as I know they are harmless, but they can give you quite a fright. People in more rural areas have reported finding a lot of spiders. There are also the cicadas, who sing (well, SCREAM) from the trees and occasionally fly past your face while you're innocently cycling past... Japan is also quite the place for mosquitoes; although this is not a malaria-carrying country, they are bloody annoying. Of course, you can buy spray to deter them, and I have bought a little plug-in device for my apartment that seems to have worked for around 3 months in keeping them out. If you're wondering what these magical things look like, behold.

Deserving of a paragraph all to themselves are the evil cockroaches ("gokiburi" in Japanese). Growing to about three inches in length, these horrible things appear out of nowhere and crawl across your floor. When you try to attack them, they will run not away from but TOWARDS your feet. Naturally, when this happened, I jumped and screamed like a little girl, banging my side against a door handle and leaving a massive bruise for weeks. If you're an insect killing kind of person, one unorthodox method is to spray them with whatever you have on hand (mosquito spray, hair spray) to slow it down... before crushing it with the nearest object (shoe, bottom of a cup, bottom of a bottle of hairspray..). I have heard that they release eggs when crushed so clean everything nearby.... a LOT!!! They keep coming back. You can also buy cockroach spray, but generally try not to have any food lying around, it attracts them!

This should go without saying, but (like ma mamma always says) use protection! I found out the hard way that the sun is much stronger here than back in the UK. Sun cream only protects you for a couple of hours before you have to slap it on again. The other day, I was fooled by a cool breeze, and spent two hours outside. When I came inside, I realised that I was bright red. Always a good look. At least it amuses my students, though! If you're as fair as I am, invest in some 30+ suncream (it's quite expensive and watery here, sadly), sunglasses and a decent hat, and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

It started to get hot in July, after the rainy season. Now (late September) it is still hot, although the odd typhoon has cooled it down to the point where I can sleep at night without my air con. If you are planning to visit during the summer, just be warned! So be wise, stay safe, and remember - always know where your fan is!