The summer weather in Tokyo is always brutal. Every year seems worse than the last, but it’s usually about the same – there are a couple of weeks when it is entirely too hot to eat, think or do much of anything. We push through the days without aircon here at home. It’s not a pleasant time of year for me. But I have some strategies.
We are currently in smack dab in the middle of one of the hot periods, so I stocked my fridge with juice boxes. When I can’t bear the idea of a meal, I can manage one of these. Maybe even a couple of them in a row. This selection is 100% juice and mostly vegetable-fruit mixes because I like them best. The one on the left is especially interesting. It features haskap, a honeysuckle berry. I’d never heard of them before and they are tasty.
This year I am also making myself homemade electrolyte solution. I used electrolyte powders while at the circus in Thailand and they were helpful but tasted nasty. Now I make my own with a squeeze of citrus and a pinch each of salt and sugar in my water bottle. Is it a perfect recipe? Not at all, but it breaks up the monotony of plain water and should make it easier for my body to absorb the moisture I am giving it.
Another liquid survival technique we use here is the cold bath, which is what is sounds like, a tub full of cold water sometimes made even colder with some ice packs. I plunge in and soak for a few minutes to bring down my core temperature. It’s even more refreshing than air conditioning and has the added benefit of washing off the sweat.
