Name: SUMMER IN JAPAN IS THE WORST
Uploaded: 2025-08-24T05:37:33.000Z
Duration: 8 min 17 s
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I often get asked for advice and tips about traveling to Japan and the first thing I always say is DO NOT COME HERE IN THE SUMMER!

Adverbs of manner

Springtime has cherry blossoms and perfect for little outdoor picnics, autumn is nice and breezy and the leaves are vibrant, the winter is perfect for enjoying hot springs and piping hot oden from the local konbini, and the summer gives you bugs and a perpetual feeling of swamp ass everywhere you go because of how offensively humid it is outside.

We all know summer is easily the worst season in general, but for some reason I find it's especially hellish in Japan.

So these are my three biggest complaints about the season.

And I guess I should mention this disclaimer, because I already know some contrarian is out there itching to type something like typical ungrateful fear-mongering gaijin looking for something to complain about.

You clearly don't know how to make the most out of Japanese summers.

I visited in the summer of 2019 and had the most splendid time.

It's really not that bad if you know what you're doing.

I don't do very well with heat and humidity.

These are of course grievances based on my own subjective opinions and experiences.

I'm just here to share my silly little stories with my silly little drawings.

And speaking of silly little drawings, I just came back from a multi-day art trip in Osaka with a bunch of other artists, and during this trip I decided I want to get better at drawing on the go, especially since I travel a lot more around this time.

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Heatstroke warnings are something I've learned to be more mindful of, especially as someone who mostly gets around by walking and using public transportation.

During the summers now, I'll always be equipped with a UV umbrella, a water bottle, and some form of electrolytes when I walk around.

But last year, when I was less wise, one day I thought it would be a great idea to bike home from my Japanese class instead of taking the subway.

The trip wasn't that far, and I figured it would be a good mini-workout.

I was in my cute little summer outfit, hot breeze running through my hair, with the sun beating down on me.

And wow, I don't remember the way back having this many hills.

And then suddenly, my vision started blurring and I started feeling really dizzy.

And as my vision started getting hazier, the only thing I could think about was how embarrassing it would be if I passed out right here in the middle of the sidewalk.

So in a panic, I threw my bike to the ground and ran to the nearest grocery store.

And then spent the next 10 minutes dry heaving in the freezer section.

Luckily, didn't pass out, but ever since then, I've avoided biking anywhere during the summer.

I still have no idea if I narrowly escaped heatstroke or if I was just dehydrated and panicking, but I'm not taking any chances.  The constant sweating.

If you're the type to sweat easily, you can expect to be perpetually drenched here in the summertime.

And I have absolutely no idea how everyone manages to wear long sleeves in the summer.

As a certified California girl, I have a lot of outfits specifically for a hot summer day, but I unfortunately don't feel super comfortable wearing them here.

I love a cute little mini skirt or spaghetti strap romper or open back dress, but I don't really wear them while I'm in Japan.

And speaking from the perspective of someone who lives in Tokyo, realistically, you can wear whatever you want, right?

Like the fashion police isn't going to stop you and ticket you for showing too much clavicle.

And at the end of the day, no one's going to give you shit for it.

But my goal in my everyday life is to blend in and not direct too much attention to myself.

So nowadays, I just suck it up and wear the extra layer underneath that summer dress, even if it makes my back extra sweaty.

Also, I don't know about you guys, but I get so much more irritated in hot and humid weather.

Everything pisses me off when it feels like I'm covered in a layer of grime and sweat.

And this is a non-issue, but it's hard to feel cute when the humidity is ruining your hair and makeup.

And just recently, I randomly developed rosacea, which can flare up from the sun in high temperatures and stress.

You're really elevating my summer experience.

When you're not being oven broiled by the heat of the sun, you're being assaulted by the rainy typhoon season.

And normally, I don't mind the rain too much.

But if you're not careful, typhoon season can really mess up whatever plans you had on your itinerary for the day.

Example, so earlier this month, Jacob and Jaden were in town for a magical Mirai, and we made plans to go to Nagoya to catch the last day of the Sailor Moon exhibit.

And a few months prior, I'd gotten us four premium passes to Ghibli Park.

Take a morning train to Nagoya, check out the Sailor Moon exhibit as soon as it opens, have fun at Ghibli Park until closing, and then head to Osaka.

I was so excited to show them an unforgettable time.

When we met up at the station, we discovered that the Shinkansen line we were going to take was suspended for the day because of the typhoon.

And we were informed that we'd have to take a separate detour train and then transfer if we wanted to go to Nagoya.

Also, since it's all booked, it'll be standing room only.

In addition to that, your transfer train currently has no seats available, so you'll be on standby, which means you might not be able to ride.

So I can't guarantee that you'll even make it to Nagoya today.

OK, so a bullet train that would have normally taken just an hour and a half was now going to take around four or six hours, and we couldn't risk the possibility of getting stranded at our transfer station.

So with the available routes and timing, we quickly decided that our best bet was to try and grab a taxi from our transfer station so we have a chance to make it on time to one of our scheduled activities, because we realized the Sailor Moon exhibit closes an hour early today, being that it was the last day.

So we'd have to sacrifice Jubilee Park and try our best to go to the Sailor Moon exhibit.

And with the current timing, we'd have a chance to make it with at least an hour or two to spare.

And as soon as we were done, we could take a 50 minute bullet train to Shinosaka to check into our hotel.

Did I mention that my rosacea can get triggered by stress?

Even though realistically, I don't think there's anything I could have really done about the typhoon, I still felt really bad and like I was at fault because I'd never experienced this kind of bad luck with the Shinkansen before.

But Jacob and Jaden were really nice about it.

And luckily, we made it to the Sailor Moon museum on time with just an hour to spare and the rest of the trip to Shinosaka went fine.

But the typhoon really messed up our plans for the day and made it 10 times more exhausting.

The moral of the story is if you're traveling to Japan in the summer, remember to stay hydrated, carry a UV umbrella and wear breezy and comfortable clothing and keep your schedule flexible for unexpected weather changes.

The moral of the story is pick a different season if you can help it.

All jokes aside, if you still want to plan your trip for the summer, don't let me stop you from having a good time.

It's not impossible to have a fun and fulfilling trip during the summertime.

I'm just sharing my own thoughts as someone who has trouble with the heat and humidity, both physically and mentally.