Well, summer here... is hot to say the least. During summer in Nagasaki it averaged around 32-33 degrees Celsius each day + the humidity. A lot of people told me that the Japanese would not sweat during summer, that i'd be the only one... that... is a lie. The good thing about my school is that at least there is air conditioning inside the staff room, however, none of my classrooms have aircon. Anyways, I have a bit of advice about summer, stuff you might not hear at your average "prepare for JET meeting". I'm gonna leave out the official stuff of JET because they will make sure you know everything about the important things. I'll just tell you some additional advice ;)
I like bullet points ;)
(The the following is advice and things i've learnt. Most I have learnt myself, some the hard way)
- Cardiovascular exercise. This is good for 2 things: outrunning zombies & bears, surviving the Japanese summer. I'm thinking about getting a running routine at the moment. It truly does help to be fit so you don't turn to goo during classes (esp if you get one of those 35-37 heat waves). An additional benefit is that most schools have athletic meeting at this time. You can join in ;)
- Freeze your food scraps! All of them. Usually you can chuck out food scraps 1 or twice a week, but things decompose quickly in the humid hot summer. Freezing your scraps can save you from a few things that summer brings: cockroaches, fruit flies, maggots. Additionally, make sure your kitchen is kept clean, as I said, it is the season for bugs.
- Mukade. A poisonous centipede thing. These things can grow pretty big, and can leave hell of a swollen whatever-they-bite apparently. If you live on the lower floor of a building you might just meet on of these beauties. Don't touch. Oh, and if your sleeping on the ground, as many do here, check your bedding ;)
- If you have a Futon (a mattress you sleep on the ground/tatami,-google it) then make sure you get it off the ground to dry from time to time. If you sweat during the night it can affect the tatami. Take it off the ground so the summer heat/wind can dry it out.
- Every Japanese person carries something like a towel/handkerchief. They will probably have them all year around, but they esp obvious during the summer. They are used to dry hands, etc. During summer probably most used for sweat ;) Get one. You can probably find many cute ones around the shops. You'll see what I mean when you arrive.
- Figure out what kind of summer clothes you can wear. At my school I can go casual with a polo shirt to keep things cool. Some might need to go formal. Either way, find some dry-wear/summer-wear if you want to be comfortable in the heat. Japan releases whole ranges of this at summer time. If you visit a store you will no doubt find summer suits, and other clothings which says "Dry!", "Summer!", etc.
- Most Japanse also wear an additional layer under their shirt (this is mainly for men). They have cheap "dry", cool, under shirts on sale here. Grab some if you care.
- Apparently rainy season and summer is the season for snakes. Not that I saw any last summer. However, strangely I nearly walked onto one 2 weeks ago. I looked pretty pissed. There are venomous vipers here, they're not completely lethal, but it isn't just a scratch either. Just be aware, not really worth the fuss, just a side note ;)
Ok that is all I can think of right now. Hope some of these help. I made it sounds like it'll be a big sweaty mess over here, and that you life is endangered by nature. That isn't quite the case, but pays to be informed. Lastly, ask your predecessor where a good summer spot is ;)
Cheers.
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