How I cope with summer

"The cicadas sing. On the green Sakura trees. And the blue sky smiles."

How positive and happy my haiku sounds! But everyday since summer has begun, it has been pretty painful for me trying to cope with the summer heat. 

The daytime temperature in Kyoto today was about 35 degree celsius. Again. 4 degree celsius higher than the temperature in Singapore today. Kyoto sits in a valley, surrounded by mountain ranges. That is why the winters are harsh and the summers difficult to bear.

My landlord always uses this analogy when talking about Kyoto's summer heat. Imagine a giant bowl that is heated up and you are in the middle of it. The heat really engulfs you. So I often find myself drenched in perspiration.

The Japan National Institute for Environment Studies has a webpage listing the number of heatstroke patients sent to the hospitals in different prefectures. Close to 300 cases were reported in Kyoto thus far.  One of my neighbours recently suffered a heatstroke too. So I try to be careful and ensure I stay hydrated.

In Japanese, there is a term called natsubate which means fatigue from the summer heat.  I think I have been showing symptoms of natsubate. It's the holidays but I really do not feel like going out much. And cooking has turned into an arduous process. When I planned 3 dishes, I would give up after 2 and then I would lose all appetite because of the heat.  Talking about cooking,  I removed some meat from the freezer for thawing one day and it turned bad quickly in the humidity. It was quite a shock to me and I had to throw it all away. What a waste.

To cope with the summer heat, an easy solution would be most definitely to switch on the air-conditioning. Everyday, when I open my windows, I hear the humming of the air-conditioners hard at work around the neighbourhood. It is very tempting indeed. But I refuse to pay 3000 Yen more for the electricity bills. Furthermore, I don't want to grow accustomed to the air-conditioning and then suffer withdrawal symptoms during the rolling blackouts. So how do I cope with the heat? 

Here are some of the strategies I have adopted and I hope they are good enough to last me through till the end of September!

1. Fans.

I can't do anything without them. Even when I am cycling, I will have with me one of the fans that I have been given by sales promoters.

In summer, fans are commonly distributed for free as publicity material.

 2. Soumen

Soumen is popular in summer.  I run the noodles under cold water after it has been boiled and dip it in the cold sauce, like how you eat cold soba. It's simple to prepare, no sweat at all.

3. New Zealand's Zespri Kiwis

I found out that mixing kiwis in yoghurt makes me happy so I have been indulging in kiwis pretty much these days.

The New Zealand kiwis are possibly the next cheapest fruit after Philippines' bananas in the supermarkets. A pack of 4 kiwi fruits costs around 200 Yen (SGD 3.20) in a sale.

4. Ice cream

I hardly eat ice cream in Singapore but here, I have no choice really. I need them to keep cool in my furnace of an apartment. I hope all the ice cream can help me regain some weight!

5. Cold showers at night

I have been taking cold showers late at night but much to my disappointment, the water is  almost always luke warm.

6. Ditching the bed for the floor

It is such an irony that I bought a bed during winter as sleeping on the floor on the futon was too cold for me. And now in summer, the floor is so much more inviting. My bed is underutilised these days.

I am probably going to get rheumatism and all sorts of aches from Strategy 5 and 6 but for now, they are critical in battling the summer heat.

7. Regular visits to the school library

It is good that the school is so near and I could pop by to enjoy the air-conditioned library as often as possible.  Even though it is the school vacation, the library is crowded with students with the same idea as me. 

It is not uncommon to see students napping in the library too. And I should mention that I have seen many students sleeping undisturbed for the longest time in the library. The librarians do not stop them so I believe this is an acceptable practice in Japan.

8. Write happy sounding haikus

I have so much time on my hands that I am spending alot more time writing.  Writing lifts my spirits and reminds me that I am here to enjoy myself, not to suffer the summer heat.

A couple of days ago, I went out to do my groceries in the evening and I saw a rainbow. "How can there be a rainbow when it has not rained at all?" My neighbour said when I told her about it.

Maybe it means the good times will come. Maybe. And yes, I will continue to write.