How to frugally avoid the sun's giant laser

There is a voice in my head that usually gets louder and louder around this time of year. It is a simple voice with a simple message.

It says, and I quote “HOW CAN PEOPLE LIVE IN THIS HEAT?!?” end quote.

For the first twenty five years of my life, I lived on a small, cold, desert-like island in the North Atlantic, and the voice was pretty quiet most of the time. Despite the fact that nothing grows in my country except the hardiest of plants (and the occasional fiery mountain), the voice was content. This was all it knew. The air should always be significantly colder than the skin it’s blowing on. Rain should always fall sideways. Trampolines fly from the sky. This is fine.

So when I landed in Japan in September, and was greeted with the warm, humid winds of the Pacific, something broke inside me. And the voice immediately started screaming.

So I did what I thought should be the simplest solution. Air Conditioner on full blast, ice cream on a conveyor belt right into my mouth, and just wait it out.

Until I saw the electricity bill that is… Then another, similarly loud voice started.

SO, Here’s what I do in the summer to escape the heat! (or get heatstroke trying).

1. Use someone else’s electricity!

Did you know that some hotels let you use their lounge area all day for a small fee? I pay maybe 1000 yen and get to stay in a well air conditioned lounge with an all-you-can-soft-drink! I get a bunch of work done in peace and don’t have to feel guilty about using my aircon on full blast because they are doing that anyway. And with the amount of orange juice and coffee that I drink during the day, I think I come out in profit.

2. Early bird special

Did you know that some hotels have an all-you-can-eat buffet in the mornings? You probably have if you’ve ever stayed at any hotel. But did you know that some hotels offer the same buffet to non guests?!? For a small fee of usually 1500, you can stuff yourself senseless and probably not have to eat for the rest of the day! Just get there very early in the morning to avoid the heat and hotel guests.

3. AEON malling

Did you…. Yeah you probably know that going to the mall is a good way to escape the heat. But did you know that if your AEON has a Namco arcade, you can download their app and get points and play games for free? That’s how I got my Hunter X Hunter branded coasters. Also I am a very good dinosaur hunter in the Jurassic Park shooting game. All for free! (if you consider installing an app, logging in every day and letting it track your location “free”).

So yeah. To escape the burning laser of the giant celestial body, try to get under someone else’s roof. They won’t mind!