Atsui! (hot)

When I first arrived in Japan last January I learned a very important Japanese word:  Samui!  Now, over six months later, I hear another word just as frequently:  Atsui!  When Haidee first told me about how hot the summers get in Japan I didn’t really think it could be so bad.  I’ve survived countless summers in the Arizona heat and the Minnesota humidity.  Certainly I could handle a summer in Japan . . . . right?

Well, it’s true.  This summer here in Fukushima City is Atsui.  “Mushi Atsui” to be precise (Hot and Humid).  Our beautiful apartment, which enjoys a lot of sunlight through our south-facing windows, is nice in the winter, and an oven in the summer. . . . as you can see by our trusty thermometer clock:

36°C is about 97°F.  (you’ll remember from an earlier blog post how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit)

Here’s a what the heat combined with the humidity does to the heat index:

97°F with 55% humidity feels like 114.5°F!!!  Yikes.  That's mushi atsui!

The heat is even worse the further southwest you travel in Japan.  The number of adults hospitalized for heat stroke continues to rise.  Check out this article from The Japan Times Online (largest English newspaper in Japan):  Heat Wave Causes Eight Deaths, Sends Thousands to Hospitals

Recently, of course, all of my students have been talking about the summer heat.  It’s actually kind of fun to teach my students useful English phrases to use in a conversation about the weather.  Here are the top 5 responses by my students to the question: “How do you ‘Beat the Heat’?”

1.  Use the Air Con (that's "air conditioning").

2.  Enjoy some ice cream!

3.  Drink "Pocari Sweat."  (Japanese Gatorade. . . I don't know how well it would sell in the States with that name)

4.  Eat lots of seafood (especially eel - expensive, but known for it's nutritional value during the summer)

5.  Study English!  (I think the Teacher's Pet was the one who suggested that one)

How do Haidee and I “beat the heat”?  Here are a few of our summer routines:

  

Eat ice cream at the air-conditioned mall!

 

Read books at the 図書館 (Library).

Make homemade lemonade.

Eat at the local sushi restaurant.

I'm actually NOT eating eel - but rather I ordered the "Neba Neba Brothers" - sticky gooey vegetables wrapped in seaweed.

Tie icepacks - or bags of frozen vegies - to your head and sit in front of the fan.

Stay tuned for more summer Tales. . . . .