Boiling Point
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again. | GETTY IMAGES
It can be done. You’ll be hot. You’ll be sweaty. You’ll find new appreciation for the winter. But you’ll be OK.
This summer could be the hottest Japan has ever seen, according to experts. And if the past couple of weeks have been anything to go by, I think I’d be tempted to take that bet. Our short rainy season has been replaced by extreme heat, with the scorching streets and temperature-controlled shops providing a back and forth of hot and cold.
Brace yourself for cramped trains filled with sweaty salarymen, the incessant hum of those portable plastic fans and a neverending chorus of "Atsui desu ne" (It's hot, isn't it?). Grit your teeth as you check your weather app and see that while you’re sweltering in 34 degrees Celsius, your hometown thousands of kilometers away is enjoying 15 C — with drizzle. Marvel at the workmen you see with those little fans built into their jackets and wonder to yourself, “I bet I’d look good in one of those.”
In April, long before the real heat comes, I’ll usually see the odd non-Japanese resident already in shorts. To me, that’s a rookie mistake. Remember that saying when you were a kid? Your mom would tell you off for wearing your coat in the house — “You won’t feel the benefit when you go outside!” The same applies here: Wear shorts in April, then what do you do in July?
I think for most in Japan, and doubly so for anyone whose home country rarely reaches these sweltering, subtropical heights, there’s really just one solution: air conditioning.
But not for me. I don’t use the AC at home, and I have no plans to start — even as we enter what may be a historically hot summer.
Now, before you call me a liar or ask if I’m crazy, let me add something to that statement. I will put the AC on if others around me are uncomfortably hot. I also recognize that some people require lower temperatures as a means of safeguarding their health. I am not casting judgment on those who see their AC units as critical tools for summer survival. When I’m at home on my own, though, the AC stays off.
I do have a unit, and I dutifully clean the filters now and then, but over the past two or three years, I’ve learned to live entirely without it.
This summer is already shaping up to be one of the hottest on record. | JIJI
So why don’t I use it? Firstly, it’s the spike in utility costs that comes every summer when you use air conditioning. I’ve seen it add a few thousand yen to a monthly electricity bill before, and though I suppose that’s not the worst price to pay, it’s a cost I’d rather not bear. Those costs aren’t going down anytime soon, either — last year, the government allowed utility companies to raise prices by as much as 42%.
Secondly, I see so many stories about the toll on the environment that has come as a result of excessive power usage. I feel that foregoing AC may be my own small contribution to lessening that burden. (I recycle my PET bottles too, naturally.)
Growing up in the north of England, I never imagined humidity like what we have in Tokyo. I had traveled a bit when I was younger, but always to places with a dry heat. Summers in Yorkshire in the 1990s were dry, and when you were young, it was a simple case of ducking into the house or into some shade to cool off. That, and a healthy supply of cheap, brightly colored ice pops in the freezer.
Moving to a place with such a different climate can come as a genuine shock to the system — particularly if you’ve come from somewhere that is fairly dry in the summer to somewhere so humid. The stifling nature of the heat, and the accompanying sweat and discomfort, can feel pretty brutal.
Despite my AC reluctance, I won’t pretend that I’m immune to it all. My first summer here, in 2015, was hellish at times. I landed a part-time job marking British school exam papers online. I spent much of those months laying on a towel on the floor with one fan pointing at me, another pointing at my laptop and countless bottles of Pocari Sweat filling the fridge.
I'll use my air conditioner if others are hot, but I go without it when it's just me. | JIJI
In recent years, there have been several warnings of power outages and requests by the government and utilities to reduce power usage, particularly in the summer. Use of the air conditioner is about the only thing I can really reduce, aside from turning out the lights and sitting in the dark all evening.
So how do I deal without air conditioning? Part of it might be that I’ve acclimatized somewhat over the years that I’ve lived here. I get hot, I feel the humidity, but it never feels so bad that I can’t persevere.
Rather than use my AC unit, I have two basic fans, the kind that stand upright. One is in my living room, for when I’m working or watching TV, the other is in my bedroom, for when I’m sleeping. The one in the living room is blowing at me right now, on its lowest setting, as I type this in early July. I have my balcony door open (with the screen door closed, of course — no bugs, thank you) and fortunately the sun doesn’t hit my living room until mid-afternoon. When it does, it’s just for a couple of hours.
As the summer continues, the fans are put on a stronger setting. I have a couple of cool packs in the freezer that, when wrapped in a towel and put round my neck, offer some welcome relief when the temperatures rise.
I have two regular standing fans — and nothing else — that I use to get me through the summer. | GETTY IMAGES
Another trick some people swear by is filling your bathtub up with cool water. It doesn’t need to be ice cold, but it can help to take a dip before bed (or in the morning) that will help lower your body temperature (ice cold temperatures have the effect of waking you up, so don’t go too chilly before bed). Experts suggest keeping the bathtub full in case an earthquake strikes anyway, so this method kills two birds with one stone. On top of that, my showers get cooler as well.
Other than that, I drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, adding the occasional sports drink for any minerals that have been lost.
OK, the no-AC life sounds great, I hear you asking. What are the cons? Of course, I get hot. I sweat. I probably use an extra T-shirt each day and usually one of those neck towels that you see older people wearing in the countryside. But really, the hassle is minimum and the discomfort is short-lived.
So if you’ve ever thought about ditching the AC, or even reducing your reliance on it, it can be done. You’ll be hot. You’ll be sweaty. You’ll find new appreciation for the winter. But, crucially, you’ll be OK. And you might find next year that you can bear it a little better.
