10 Tips to Survive Summer in Japan

Summer in Japan is very hot and sticky with the mercury rising to the mid and high 30C levels with very little relief at night. Popular destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka can get extremely hot during this season. You can escape the heat by heading to places like Nikko, north of Tokyo or the cooler Japan Alps in the heart of Japan. Alternatively you can follow these handy tips below to survive a Japanese Summer.


10 Tips to Survive Summer in Japan

Summer Snacks in Japan

One of the great things about living in Japan is the seasonal food and drinks that come around every year, and summer in no exception. Summer 2013 in Japan has seen a great range of summer snacks hit the shelves at conbini (convenience stores) and supermarkets around the country. A few of my favourites have been:

Summer Pocky

Two new summer flavours of Pocky came out for summer 2013. These are Tropical Pocky and Coconut Pocky. Tropical Pocky is very fruity with the Pocky stick covered in mango cream and infused with bits of pineapple. Coconut Pocky features the Pocky stick covered with chocolate and coconut. It was delicious and definitely is our favourite of the summer Pocky.

Coconut Pocky & Tropical Pocky

Passionfruit / Cookies & Cream KitKat

Two new summer versions of KitKat also hit the shelves this summer. Passionfruit KitKat and Cookies & Cream KitKat. Passionfruit KitKat is very sweet and has a strong fruity passionfruit taste. Perfect for any passionfruit fan. Cookies & Cream KitKat is best eaten cold straight out of the fridge or freezer, and is very sweet and delicious. It's hard to beat our all time favourite Matcha Green Tea KitKat but these come close.

Passionfruit KitKat

Cookies & Cream KitKat

Crunch Caramel & Vanilla

Crunch Caramel & Vanilla is also recommended to be beaten cold and is super sweet. It has a great texture and is very good.

Crunch Caramel and Vanilla

Watermelon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Watermelon or Suika is an extremely popular summer flavour in Japan and you will find it in all sorts of things.These Watermelon Chocolate Chip Cookies are a very interesting idea and taste pretty good.

Watermelon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Calbee Salty Lemon Potato Chips

These have been our favourite summer potato chip with a great lemony taste that is just perfect with a cold beer.

Calbee Salty Lemon Potato Chips

Pepsi Shuwa Shuwa Cola Corn Snacks

An unusual flavour that really does taste like Pepsi with that refreshing shuwa shuwa (fizzy bubbles) feeling! They are basically Cheetos that are covered in a fizzy cola powder.

Pepsi Shuwa Shuwa Cola Corn Snacks

What is your favourite Japanese Summer Snack for 2013? Please leave your answers in the comments below.

Summer Fashion in Japan

Summer trends in Japan for 2013 include vivid colours and colours such as blue, red, yellow, green, pink as well as neon colours. Printed designs and patterns are also very popular this summer. Soft pastel colours and whites that give a feeling of transparency and sophistication are also trending.

Classic Japanese patterns from the past have also made a come-back this year. The Japanese yukata (浴衣) is a popular choice for summer this year as well.

The yukata is a casual summer kimono usually made of cotton and worn by both men and women. Cotton is perfect for the hot summers as it lets air through and is very cool and comfortable. A typical yukata ensemble includes the yukata, obi (sash), geta or zori (traditional Japanese sandals), sensu (foldable fan), and kinchaku (carry bag). It is a popular look and very common during the hot summer months starting in July and the summer festivals and fireworks (hanabi) which are also part of this season.

Japanese Yukata

Geta ~ Traditional Japanese Sandals and Kinchaku ~ Carry Bag

Sensu ~ Japanese Folding Fan

Yukata are traditionally made with indigo dyed cotton but these days a wide variety of colours and designs are available. The traditional yukata had patterns of flowers or nature against a background. The general rule is that younger people wear bright vivid colours and bold patterns. The older generation prefer dark, simple patterns and matured colours. Men usually wear solid dark colours.

Japanese Men's Yukata

A lot of young people are also completing their yukata look with a pair of cool sunglasses. Men are also wearing hats and women hair accessories to make the look more modern. It is a wonderful mix of the traditional with the new and modern, which is a big part of fashion today in Japan.

This post is proudly sponsored by SmartBuyGlasses Japan, one of the world's largest online eye wear retailer.

Gifu Summer Festivals and Events

July is the start of the hot summer period in Japan with the end of the rainy season. This is the time to head outdoors and enjoy the numerous festivals and events happening around the country. A few of my favourite Summer Activities in Japan.

Some of the big summer events happening in Gifu this July include:

Summer Activities in Japan

Summer is the time for festivals, food and fireworks in Japan. The white winter landscape has been covered in lush greenery with the sounds of cicadas shrilling and furin (wind chimes) blowing in the breeze.

The weather is hot and sticky, which is perfect for the summer festivals.

A few of my favourite summer activities in Japan

Japanese Ice Bra

Japan’s hot and humid summers have led to many great ideas and inventions to try and stay cool and beat the summer heat. Last summer it was the Air Conditioned Jacket.

The latest is a bra with built in ice packs that promises to keep women cool this summer. The ice bra from underwear firm Triumph Japan dubbed the “Super Cool Bra” was unveiled on Wednesday. The bra features a pair of small fish tanks encompassing the breasts, a traditional Japanese wind chime and a mint leaf.

How does it all work?