Summer has come to Japan, which means doing fun things like attending festivals, shooting off fireworks with the kids, drinking mugi-cha (Japanese roasted barley tea), and lounging around the house in my jinbei summer kimono while keeping mosquitoes away with Japanese mosquito coils. One of my favorite things about summer here is being able to eat those Suika Bars, a delicious watermelon-flavored ice cream bar complete with chocolate “seeds” — yum. This summer is unlike any other because Japan is still dealing with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunamis of three months ago. Everyone in the TEPCO service area (from Tokyo northward) is bending over backwards to save electricity, keeping lights dimmed in stores and the temperature in public buildings set no lower than 28 degrees C (82 degrees F), and encouraging employees to dress in light, casual wear called Super Cool Biz.
I love watermelon ice cream in the summer.
