Finishing up at Starbucks… Beat the Heat! “My Summer Survival Tips” by Hidehiko Ishizuka of “Honjama-ka”

Staying Cool Is Important During This Time of Year

Hello, everyone. It’s become quite common for temperatures to exceed 25°C these days. I suspect the only things that welcome the blazing sun are watermelon seedlings and solar panels. This is Hidehiko Ishizuka.

In this post, I’d like to share my summer survival strategies. Of course, watching movies at home with the air conditioning on is ideal, but since I’m a working professional, I sometimes have to go out for work. Going out is like playing hide-and-seek with the sun. When walking from the station to your destination, try to stick to the shade. We call cities with underground walkways “Fat-Friendly Towns.”

However, not many towns have underground walkways. In those cases, walk in the shade along the sides of buildings. If buildings are clustered together, the path between them is best. In addition to the shade, you’ll get a divine gift: a breeze blowing through the buildings.

Advanced practitioners don’t just walk past ordinary buildings—they head for large electronics retailers. That’s because a cool breeze blows out from the store entrances. If you have time, it’s a good idea to step inside. Around this time of year, the area right inside the entrance is usually set up as a sales floor for air conditioners and fans. Just watching the ribbons attached to the fans flutter is enough to make you feel cooler.

The absolute experts, however, know for a fact that the basement of a department store or the fresh fish section of a supermarket is guaranteed to be cool. After all, it’s kept at a temperature where tuna won’t spoil.

Next, let’s talk about clothing. I’m lucky—unlike many of you, I don’t have to wear dress shirts or ties for work. I usually wear overalls and a short-sleeved T-shirt. On my feet, I wear breathable Crocs instead of shoes. Depending on the situation, I might even switch from a cotton T-shirt to a mesh one.

This might sound like an ad, but “Sakazen”—the brand I’m the spokesperson for—sells breathable suits and cool dress shirts.

Recommended Menu Tips from HIRO-kun

Once you arrive at your destination, you absolutely must not waste energy on unnecessary exercise. Even if it means taking a detour, take the escalator; no matter how long the wait, take the elevator. Stairs raise your heart rate. I heard this from mountaineer Ken Noguchi once: when your heart rate goes up, exhaling slowly helps you calm down. What was I talking about again? Oh right, summer survival tips.

Finally, here’s an emergency refuge for when nothing else works. Number one: Starbucks. Don’t bother looking at the menu—just order a “Matcha Cream Frappuccino.”

This tip comes from HIRO-kun of “Yasuda Dai Circus.” His cryptic words—“Just drink it without saying a thing”—had been stuck in my head for a while, and one day, my chance finally came. As I made my way through the platform at Shinagawa Station, drenched in sweat, a green mermaid was smiling at me.

With eyes pleading for divine intervention, I told the barista, “I’d like a Matcha Cream Frappuccino,” to which they kindly replied, “You mean a Matcha Cream Frappuccino, right?” And then, the star of the show made its entrance.An elegant green mermaid wearing a hat of whipped cream. A thick straw jutted out from it. When I took a sip, the firm texture required a bit of suction. The aroma and sweetness of the matcha made a smile slip onto my face without my realizing it.

My mouth, esophagus, and stomach grew colder in that order—as cold as Cape Tappi in winter. The conclusion: “If you’re overweight in summer, cool yourself from the inside out.”

If that still doesn’t work for you, find a sauna and head straight for the cold plunge pool.

From the July 10, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*