Used to be that Japanese people kept cool in the summer by hanging little bells that rang in the barest breeze, gazing at goldfish in clear globes, and listening to ghost stories that sent shivers up their spines, but now technology has had its evil way with tradition. Behold…Ice Wear!
It’s only one of many cooling sprays, most rated with how many degrees of chilliness they deliver. Ice Wear claims that if you spray it on your skin, you’ll feel like it’s 9° cooler, and in fact (I’m testing it right now!) my left arm IS much cooler than the rest of me. I sprayed it on half an hour ago, and surprisingly enough, it’s still working.
There’s another school of thought that says if you chill your neck, it’ll cool your whole body. Wetting the Miracool, a 4″ X 24″ strip of rather repulsive, rubbery, clammy towel-ish material, turns it shockingly cold, even if the only water have is unrefreshingly warm. Unfortunately, draping a Miraclecool around your neck is about as appealing as wreathing yourself in a dead eel, and twice as fashionable.
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
Is it just me or is the prospect of what this stuff is doing to you skin to make it 9 degrees cooler mildly terrifying… Still, I think I’d go for it in a Tokyo August.