Aug 7, 2025
Night Walks
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I was trying to take walks and find ways to stay safe and still get some enjoyment from it despite the heat. The effort is still there, but with heat alert after heat alert, I’ve switched strategies; while the weather remains this hot, I’ve stopped taking walks during the day and instead go out walking at night.
Taking walks at night was something I got really into during the various Covid case spikes, across all the seasons (the steeets are very peaceful at 11pm on winter nights, and I have a particular fondness for the moonlight on the rice paddies im mid/late spring). In summer, though, it all but inevitably becomes a necessity, especially during these heatwaves.
I’m grateful for the various factors that make this possible. Living in the suburbs means there’s plenty of well-lit roads and still some people around without needing to be wary around bars/izakayas or clubs. I also have a renewed appreciation for how safe it feels; this isn’t something I feel comfortable doing in my home country.
Still, there are limits. You can’t really go exploring by night the way you can by day, and as safe as Japan relatively is, I still tend to give other people a wide berth and avoid things like wearing earphones. It’s also very much an activity for when Im not working the next day, and not something I can maintain as often when I go back to work.
Notably, even without the sun, it is still hot and humid! Still, it’s better than nothing - a lot better! I plan to continue enjoying it while I can.
4 Comments
helloalissa
on Aug 7
Night walks are nice and usually what I do during summer. I read about avoiding summer fatigue and a doctor wrote that getting exercise and sun in the morning is what it recommended the most, so I'm trying! I have been going out with earplugs to tolerate the cicadas and a parasol, sigh. I think it helps with my energy levels so I'm gonna keep it up.
TonetoEdo
on Aug 7
Up here in Noda City, it's still 28C at 9 p.m. The good news is that it'll cool off to 26 overnight. One thing that keeps me indoors in the evenings is the poor air quality. I'm keeping an eye on this index - https://aqicn.org/map/japan/
Lyssays
on Aug 8
@helloalissa Ooh, interesting about the summer fatigue! I’ve been really struggling by late morning/early afternoon with tiredness. I usually feel fine by the evening, but feeling that depleted is not fun. Good luck with the morning walks!
Lyssays
on Aug 8
@TonetoEdo The air has been so hazy again! I’m hoping that the rain on Sunday (?) clears things up a bit more. Thanks for sharing the link!