Heat, Heat, and Budgets for Meat

Welcome to the third edition of Rough Edges Japan! In this edition, we've got a few big recent events and some advice for a couple of the bigger concerns at the moment: avoiding heat stroke, and avoiding broken budgets.

A Record Broken, A Seat Vacated

On top of the news, the Japanese head of state, Prime Minister Ishiba, has decided to resign after the recent election performances of the LDP. Party leadership will now decide how to elect the next LDP leader, who will need support from other parties to take up the prime ministership.

In a different sort of eventful, the Hanshin Tigers broke the previous record for securing the earliest 1st place in the Central League. With 17 games left in the season, they claimed 17 more wins than the Yomiuri Giants, who are in a tight race for 2nd against Yokohama DeNA. Only a couple years after overcoming the Curse of the Colonel, too!

On a happier note, McDonald’s Japan will put up some golden hurdles for scalpers in an effort to prevent the Pokémon card frenzy of last month. The newest Happy Sets can only be sold on day 1 to customers ordering directly in the store or drive through, meaning no purchases through the app, and only in limited quantities initially. Parents, rejoice! We get at least one day to evade competition with those pesky speculative “investors”!

The Heat Persists

Even as we pull into September, the heat will not yield. Heat stroke continues to threaten, resulting in 39 individuals hospitalized just on Monday in Tokyo. This year also saw around 4,000 more people hospitalized between May 1 and the end of August compared to last year, with marked increases in typically cooler regions such as Hokkaido.

The heat is hard to escape, but it’s important to do what you can to minimize the risk of heat stroke. Some of the simpler things you can do include:

• Stay hydrated! Fluids can cool you down and keep your body regulating its temperature
• Use shade - a wide-brim hat helps if you’re planning on a lot of walking, and it can be a janky hand-fan when you’re waiting for a train
• Dress light, dress loose - tight clothes will absorb a lot more sweat and prevent that heat transfer

Consumables Continue Climbing

Good news: Minimum wage now exceeds 1000 yen across the country!​

Also good news: Sukiya will return to pre-March prices for their beef bowls!​

Bad news: Over 1,000 food and drink items will rise in price this month. This brings the year’s total to over 20,000 items, after hitting such numbers in 2022 and 2023 but skipping last year.

Cooking at home is one way to keep costs manageable. Here’s a few tips for budget bowls:

• buying for volume with things like konnyaku, bean sprouts (moyashi) and pasta
• substituting ground beef with crumbled tofu
• preparing simple sauces and dressings
  • a can of crushed tomatoes, some garlic, salt, pepper, and dried oregano and basil will make a solid pasta sauce
  • olive oil, rice vinegar, and salt and pepper is a formidable salad dressing base that also works to flavor sliced meat sandwiches and pasta!
• emphasizing high-fiber and high-protein in your meals will keep you feeling full with relatively less