This is the best summer in years to visit Japan…if you hate mosquitoes

People aren’t getting bit by the aggravating insects in Japan this summer, those some might the reason why is something even worse.

I love summer in Japan. Between the fireworks shows, summer festivals, and restaurants atop the sand at the beaches, I can easily fill every weekend with a revolving cycle of warm-weather fun.

One thing I absolutely hate, though, is the mosquitoes. See, summers in Japan aren’t just hot, they’re humid, and every year, come mid-June, I can expect to get bitten by the bloodsuckers if I spend too long outdoors…except this year, they haven’t gotten me even once.

I thought I might just be incredibly lucky this year, but it turns out I’m not the only one to have noticed I’m making fewer involuntary blood donations that usual. Japanese Twitter user @arinohiroshi hasn’t been bitten either, and even tweeted an explanation as to why.

そう言えば今年は蚊に全然刺されてないなと思ったら奴ら35度以上は活動できないのか。猛暑の唯一の利点やな。

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ありのひろし@3日目東コ30a (@arinohiroshi) July 17, 2018

With mosquitoes usually being at their most active in the summer, some might think they love hot weather. But while it’s true that they don’t handle the cold all that well, there’s a limit to just how much heat they can deal with. Their exact cutoff point varies by exact species, but in general mosquitoes don’t like temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), and this year, Japan has seen fierce and extended heat waves. For example, as uncomfortably muggy as the weather can be in Tokyo in the summer, the average high for July is just 29 degrees, with periodic spikes into the low 30s. For much of the past two weeks, though the daytime high in the capital has been between 34 and 36, right around where mosquitoes become inactive.

So if your criteria for fine weather is “Will I get bit by mosquitoes?”, then right now is the best time in years to visit Japan. Of course, the flip side is that if it’s too hot for the bugs, it’s pretty hot for us people too, so you’ll want to stay hydrated and slather on the sunscreen, to keep your unbitten skin from getting sunburned.

Source: Twitter/@arinohiroshi, Nandemo Zatsugakudan via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso

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