Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: Summer

Summertime

Meanwhile back in Japan, the rainy season ended a couple weeks early and right behind it came summer. Summer arrived without hesitation and with plenty of heat and humidity. According to this cute graphic from weaternpacificweather.com, it’s hot (almost) everywhere in Japan right now.

We live in the Kanto area and are expected to experience temperatures greater than 30 degrees Celsius. That converts to roughly 86 degrees Fahrenheit. I know that doesn’t seem terrible. But, please remember how humid it is this time of year. According to my weather app, at 13:00 the heat index was soaring up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

This was the fourth straight day “black flag” conditions. Today, the black flag condition was set at 10:00.

Unfortunately, looking at the long range forecast, there is no relief in sight.

Dave and I have been getting out early for our run each morning. We leave the house by 4:15 am and slog our way around our 5 mile loop. My pace is a lot slower than normal and I depend on Coach Dave to keep me going. Coach Dave incorporates more walk breaks for me and motivates me to “run” a little bit more than the day before. I’m hoping I’ll be better acclimated in the next couple of weeks. Or not and in that case, Summer won’t last forever!

The good news? There is an outdoor pool on our base. It’s about a 10 minute walk from our house. I have been swimming laps for about an hour each day. My h2audio headphones keep my shuffle dry and I can listen to music or podcasts to keep me entertained. It’s been nice to get back in the pool and it helps to beat the heat for a little bit!

I’ve employed one more strategy to beat the summertime heat. Besides my essentials at Costco, I made a silly spontaneous purchase at today. I bought an inflatable pool for our side yard. I see pool lounging in my future this weekend. Might be the best ¥2898 ($25.00) I spend this summer!

Watermelon 

Nothing taste better on a warm humid summer day than a cool refreshing watermelon. Fruit in Japan is beautiful and expensive. For example, the large watermelon at Costco was ¥2,378 (about $23.00). 


At our local grocery store, Yorkmart, there were more size options. The larger one was ¥3,218 including tax! That’s more than $30 for a watermelon! Don’t you love how they are wrapped for easier carrying? Genius!! 


The store also sold a variety of watermelon pieces. 


I selected a smaller watermelon from Family Mart for us to enjoy. The price (¥650 – $6.00) seemed a little better and the size was perfect. 


Plenty of delicious watermelon for us to enjoy for a refreshing dessert. 

In June, I was able to find watermelon Chu-hai at the 7-11. I had dreams of making a nice watermelon spritzer by pouring a watermelon Chu-hai over with freshly frozen watermelon. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find watermelon Chu-hai since I returned from America. I suppose, I’ll need to wait until next year for that delightful beverage. 

Coolish

I’ve mentioned before August in Japan is very hot and humid. I took a screen shot of the temperature while I was out and about on errands today. Feels like 132!!! We can all agree that’s HOT! 


I’ve started to incorporate several survival strategies when I’m out in the heat. The first is to carry a small ice pack when I walk down the hill to catch the train. I also take a small towel with me to wipe my dripping sweat. 


I also carry a pack of Bioré sheets. These sheets are ah-mazing. 


The sheets have a light powder on them and have magical cooling power. They help to cool your skin, leave a refreshing tingle and light powder on your skin. 


When I’ve exhausted all my efforts to stay cool, I reach for one final weapon against the heat. Coolish. Soft cream in a convenient to-go pack. 


At only 153 calories, it is a delightfully cool treat. More importantly, you must kneed the frozen package and hold it to melt the ice cream! Sure you can use your hands to melt it, I prefer the back of my neck! 


Ahhhhh…. it’s all about survival! 

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