I'm Melting

Seriously. A holiday in Edmonton did not prepare me for the wall of heat that I would encounter upon returning to Japan. We've had heat in the 30's, and with humidity a "feels like" temperature in the 40's. Apparently if haven't hit record temperatures we've been awfully close to it. It's the kind of hot that has you dripping from the moment you leave the house till the moment you step in a cold shower or your air conditioning kicks in after returning.

This serious heat however is a recent phenomenon. I wonder if Mother Nature was waiting for me to get back before she cranked up the temperature? I ran into a colleague today who has been here for the whole summer. He said that July was normal, hot, but not as extreme as this. August has been hot and steamy and with thunder showers predicted for the next few days combined with high temperatures it will only continue.

I'm at a bit of a loss though. How best to regulate my temperature / the temperature in my oven-like apartment? Air conditioning uses electricity and apparently it's expensive to run. So in a move to conserve energy I turned it of last night and woke up in a hot sweat. Cold showers feel good but use water. Which is more energy and/or cost effecient?

I predict lots of laundry and cold showers in my future.