Speaker A
Hello everyone, this is Jiro. Thank you for listening to my podcast today. I look forward to working with you again today.
Jiro discusses the arrival of hay fever season in Japan, its causes, symptoms, and cultural impact, including mask-wearing habits.
Key Takeaways
- Hay fever affects half of the Japanese population during late winter to early spring.
- The widespread planting of cedar and cypress trees post-WWII is a major cause of hay fever in Japan.
- Mask-wearing is a deeply ingrained cultural practice in Japan, especially during hay fever and viral seasons.
- Symptoms of hay fever vary in severity and can be managed with masks and protective eyewear.
- Jiro personally experiences mild hay fever symptoms, highlighting the commonality of the condition.
Summary
- Jiro introduces the podcast and talks about the transition from winter to spring in Japan.
- He explains that hay fever season in Japan lasts from February to April and affects about 50% of the population.
- Hay fever is caused by pollen from cedar and cypress trees, which were widely planted after World War II.
- Pollen travels long distances, causing even urban areas like Tokyo to experience hay fever symptoms.
- Many Japanese people wear masks during hay fever season, a habit that also helped reduce coronavirus spread.
- Mask-wearing is common in Japan not only for hay fever but also for flu prevention and skin care.
- Jiro shares personal experiences with hay fever, noting he developed symptoms about three years ago.
- Symptoms include itchy throat and eyes, sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion.
- Some people use special glasses designed to block pollen from entering the eyes.
- The podcast touches on cultural aspects like the term 'mask beauty' and how masks obscure faces.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Hello everyone, how have you been? I'm doing great. I'm feeling so good that I'm wearing short sleeves even though it's February. Just kidding, I forgot to wash my long sleeves.
Speaker A
So, the only thing I can wear is this short-sleeved T-shirt, and to be honest, it's cold. It's February now.
Speaker A
And the maximum temperature is still around 11 degrees. I don't think it's 11 degrees. The maximum temperature in Tokyo is around 15 degrees.
Speaker A
It's cold in short sleeves. But it can't be helped. I just haven't washed my long sleeves yet.
Speaker A
That's what I regret. So, because it's cold, I've already turned up the air conditioner by about 2 degrees more than usual.
Speaker A
Otherwise, it'll be too cold to record this podcast. So, I'd like to continue today's podcast with enthusiasm, but, well, I don't think you can even wear short sleeves during the coldest part of winter.
Speaker A
No matter how much heating you use, you can't wear short sleeves during the coldest part of winter.
Speaker A
However, the coldest part of winter is coming to an end, and the best part is about to begin.
Speaker A
Winter is over and spring is coming. I feel that every day. I can already feel the temperature rising day by day.
Speaker A
I told everyone on the podcast before that I hate winter. The winter season is coming to an end.
Speaker A
I think the thing that really makes this noticeable is that the sun sets later.
Speaker A
After all, when the sun is out for a long time, you can spend the day feeling comfortable.
Speaker A
The election in Japan was held on February 8th, and at that time, there was a lot of snow, even in Tokyo.
Speaker A
There was snow on the ground, but after a week, the warm weather started to continue.
Speaker A
I'm really happy. Actually, I feel like I'm starting to hate winter more and more every year. I'm really happy.
Speaker A
However, the end of winter isn't just something to be happy about. Do you understand, guys?
Speaker A
The hay fever season is coming up in Japan. Do you know what hay fever is?
Speaker A
No, just when winter is finally over, the hay fever season is coming. So, hay fever is something that is unique to Japan, so I think there are many people who don't know about it. First of all, I want to explain to everyone what hay fever is.
Speaker A
Hay fever is an allergic disease caused by pollen from plants such as cedar and cypress.
Speaker A
It is an allergic disease. Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, and itchy eyes.
Speaker A
No, this is really annoying. Hay fever season is roughly from February to April. So it's mid-February now.
Speaker A
Hay fever season has just begun, so I don't think there are many people suffering from hay fever yet.
Speaker A
It is said that one in two Japanese people suffer from hay fever. That's one in two people. Fifty percent of Japanese people suffer from hay fever.
Speaker A
Isn't that bad? Yes. So, one in two Japanese people will suffer from sneezing and runny nose in the coming season...
Speaker A
One in two Japanese people will suffer from hay fever this coming season. So, you might be wondering why so many Japanese people suffer from hay fever.
Speaker A
This doesn't mean that Japanese people are genetically predisposed to hay fever. Amazingly, there are many cedars, cypresses, and other trees planted in the mountains of Japan.
Speaker A
In Japan, the war ended in 1945. The very last war was in 1945. After that, it seems that they planted a lot of fast-growing trees such as cedar and cypress in Japan's forests.
Speaker A
And those cedar and cypress trees really do scatter a lot of pollen at this time of year.
Speaker A
So, there aren't many forests in Tokyo. Compared to other prefectures, the percentage of land area occupied by mountains is small. Pollen can travel very long distances.
Speaker A
So in Japan, for example in Tokyo, many people suffer from hay fever. It's because of pollen flying in from cedar and cypress trees in places far away from Tokyo.
Speaker A
People in Tokyo suffer from hay fever. It's a really terrible story, isn't it? So, in a sense, hay fever is a man-made disaster.
Speaker A
If we didn't plant so many cedar and cypress trees, the problem of hay fever among Japanese people was never such a big issue to begin with.
Speaker A
One in two Japanese people start to suffer from sneezing and runny noses around this time of year.
Speaker A
After all, Japanese people are used to this situation. Around February, the number of people wearing masks suddenly increases.
Speaker A
Even people who don't normally wear masks will start wearing them. So, do you remember?
Speaker A
At the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020, the coronavirus started to spread.
Speaker A
So, in Japan, compared to other countries, the number of coronavirus infections didn't increase much at first.
Speaker A
At times like that, Japanese people have always had the habit of wearing masks due to hay fever. It was also said that the number of infected people did not increase explosively compared to other countries.
Speaker A
That's how many Japanese people wear masks because of hay fever. When you walk around the streets of Tokyo, you see a lot of people wearing masks.
Speaker A
So, you can see people wearing masks even outside of this period from February to April.
Speaker A
For example, October or November, when the dry season comes, influenza and coronavirus become prevalent.
Speaker A
At that time, because I didn't want to catch a cold, I didn't want to get the flu, I didn't want to get the coronavirus, there are a lot of people wearing masks.
Speaker A
Also, since winter is dry, some people wear masks to keep their skin moisturized. Especially announcers, if you don't wear a mask, my throat was getting worse and worse and I couldn't work.
Speaker A
That brings back memories. I remember when I was in elementary school, there was a guy at my school whose father was a TV announcer.
Speaker A
So, that child wore a mask all year round. So I never really saw his true face.
Speaker A
And sometimes when the child took off his mask, I'd feel like, "Oh, so that's what he looked like." As you can probably imagine, the reason why the child was wearing a mask was because his parents are announcers.
Speaker A
I think the announcer's parents were wearing masks all the time to avoid transmitting any viruses.
Speaker A
During the coronavirus pandemic, in Japan, everyone was wearing a mask when walking outside. For example, during that time, when I met people for the first time, I couldn't see their true faces for a while.
Speaker A
So, sometimes when we would eat meals together, I would think, "Oh, so that's what he looked like." It brings back memories.
Speaker A
The coronavirus started spreading five, maybe six years ago. That much time has passed. That's why in Japan, expressions like "mask beauty" became popular. It's a really awful expression.
Speaker A
It means someone who is beautiful even when wearing a mask. Some people said things like, "She wasn't that pretty when she took off the mask." It's really sad though.
Speaker A
But now, I think it's around the time of hay fever season that everyone will have to wear masks.
Speaker A
But the severity varies from person to person. Some people have really severe symptoms, while others have milder symptoms that aren't as severe.
Speaker A
During the hay fever season, some people not only wear masks but also glasses to protect against hay fever.
Speaker A
So, glasses for hay fever are different from regular glasses. It's designed to cover the entire eye, so pollen doesn't get into the eye from any angle.
Speaker A
I thought that around this time of year, people wearing those glasses would start appearing, but I haven't seen any yet.
Speaker A
Now, as I talk about hay fever, I think there's one thing that's been bothering you all.
Speaker A
I think everyone probably has a question right now. I'd like to talk about whether I, Jiro, have hay fever or not. I, Jiro, have hay fever.
Speaker A
I have hay fever. But let me tell you something. I have hay fever, but I'm a beginner.
Speaker A
Maybe, when did you first experience symptoms of hay fever? Yes, the first time I experienced symptoms of hay fever was about three years ago.
Speaker A
So it hasn't been that long since I developed hay fever. So, what symptoms do I have? Whenever hay fever season comes around, my throat and eyes get itchy.
Speaker A
So, I don't feel like I have th
Speaker A
That's why I want my hay fever to be cured, but I don't think it will be cured if I stay in Japan forever.
Speaker A
So, I've had hay fever for maybe three or four years now, There have been people around me who have had hay fever long before I developed it.
Speaker A
So... I think, maybe, but I feel like my hay fever symptoms are getting worse every year.
Speaker A
I think this time last year was the worst hay fever I've ever had in my life.
Speaker A
But, I'm a lazy person, so wearing a mask is a pain, It's a pain to wear glasses, Because I don't usually wear contact lenses or glasses.
Speaker A
I don't know, I don't have the habit of wearing glasses or anything like that.
Speaker A
However, every year when hay fever season comes around, I think about buying glasses. That being said, I've never bought glasses.
Speaker A
I think I'll probably be struggling with whether or not to buy glasses this year too.
Speaker A
So, getting back to the topic, last year a friend of mine who suffers from hay fever introduced me to some medicine.
Speaker A
As I said before, many Japanese people suffer from hay fever, which is why pharmacies sell a lot of hay fever medication.
Speaker A
So, my friend who suffers from hay fever told me, "This medicine is good," I was recommended some medicine for hay fever, so I went to the pharmacy and bought it.
Speaker A
I was thinking, "Maybe this will help my hay fever symptoms a little," but... After all, I'm a lazy person.
Speaker A
I forget to take my medicine, It's a hassle to have to prepare water and do other things like that to take medicine.
Speaker A
This is really terrible, but I didn't take the medicine even once last year. So now I have the medicine stored at home, unopened.
Speaker A
So, this year, even if I find myself in a situation where I have to take medicine, There's no need to go to the pharmacy to buy medicine.
Speaker A
This year I'm going to take some medicine. This year I'm going to take some medicine.
Speaker A
It's really embarrassing, but Whenever I catch a cold or something, I always try to get through it by relying on my body's natural healing powers.
Speaker A
If you're a normal person, when you catch a cold, you go to the hospital, right? You can get a prescription for medicine there, I think that's the quickest way to cure a cold or illness.
Speaker A
For some reason, and it's just a habit, I don't go to the hospital every time.
Speaker A
It's your natural healing power that helps you get through it. I don't go to the hospital very often when I get a cold, so I never buy medicine at the pharmacy.
Speaker A
To be honest, I feel a little reluctant to buy medicine at a pharmacy or take medicine that I buy at a pharmacy.
Speaker A
Yes, I'm really old-fashioned because medicine definitely helps you get better faster. However, this year I don't want to go through the same pain as last year, so I'm thinking about taking some medicine.
Speaker A
Oh, I mean, I love going for walks, but now I can't even go for walks. That reminds me.
Speaker A
This time of year... Oh, actually, I love going for walks. I love going for walks, but at this time of year I can't go for walks. The reason is that I have hay fever.
Speaker A
When I go outside, my eyes, nose, and throat get itchy. So, I don't want to have to wear a mask when I go for a walk, right?
Speaker A
That's right, I've decided! I'm definitely going to take medicine this year. I'm definitely going to take medicine for hay fever this year.
Speaker A
Well, how effective is it? I've never taken medicine for hay fever before, so I don't know, If I take this medicine, will I be able to walk outside the house without needing to wear a mask or glasses?
Speaker A
Is that so? Has anyone ever taken medicine for hay fever? No, because I hate it.
Speaker A
It's going to get warmer and warmer in the coming season, and I don't want to have to wear a mask.
Speaker A
Masks are great to wear in the winter though. Anyway, nothing will start unless I take my medicine, so I'll make sure to take it.
Speaker A
I think I have it stored somewhere over there, so I take my medicine. Huh, should I start taking it now?
Speaker A
It's still early pollen season, so there isn't that much pollen in the air. But if I'm going to take it, should I start now? Are there any side effects?
Speaker A
Hey, I want to check it out. I'll check it out. So, I mentioned that I first experienced hay fever symptoms about three years ago.
Speaker A
Apparently, there are quite a few people like me who develop hay fever as adults.
Speaker A
So, if you're in Japan and haven't developed hay fever yet, you still shouldn't let your guard down.
Speaker A
So, when I started to get hay fever, around the time I started to get hay fever, I noticed changes in my body other than just hay fever.
Speaker A
Guess what? This is a physical change that I think can be quite shocking for some people.
Speaker A
Well, what I'm talking about is that when I eat certain fruits, my throat gets itchy.
Speaker A
In other words, it seemed that I had developed hay fever and an allergy to fruit at the same time.
Speaker A
Well, for people who love fruit, this is really, how can I put it? I feel sorry for them.
Speaker A
So, what kind of food... what kind of fruit do I eat that makes my throat itchy?
Speaker A
Well, I don't have it all figured out, but All I can figure out are apples, peaches, and cherries.
Speaker A
And maybe pears. This fruit. For some reason, when I eat it, my throat gets itchy.
Speaker A
So, sometimes I eat fruit. So, at that time... before I even realized I was allergic to fruit, For some reason, I always felt like my throat would get itchy whenever I ate fruit.
Speaker A
I really love peaches and cherries and eat them occasionally. So I had this feeling like my throat was itchy, but I didn't think anything of it.
Speaker A
I thought maybe I just had an itchy throat, but then one day I noticed something.
Speaker A
"Hey, does it happen that my throat gets itchy every time I eat cherries?" Well, one day I noticed this pattern.
Speaker A
No, whenever I get an itchy throat, it's always when I'm eating cherries or something, so it happens regularly.
Speaker A
At the same time, I started to experience symptoms of hay fever, so I thought something was wrong.
Speaker A
So I did a proper search on the internet to find out. So, I think I probably have a type of allergy called a rose family allergy.
Speaker A
So, it seems that it is caused by a combination with hay fever. Yes, that's sad.
Speaker A
I love peaches and cherries, but I can't eat them anymore. I can eat them, but they make my throat itch.
Speaker A
So, for me, I like apples, but I don't think I'm that fond of them.
Speaker A
However, I did quite like peaches and cherries. So, it's quite unfortunate, but I found out I had an allergy.
Speaker A
To begin with, I don't eat much fruit on a regular basis, so it doesn't have that devastating an effect on me, However, I think my mood would be much lower if I could no longer eat oranges or pineapples.
Speaker A
No, I love mandarin oranges and pineapples. Aren't they delicious? It's okay if you can't eat peaches and cherries for the rest of your life.
Speaker A
I want to eat mandarin oranges and pineapples as many times as I can until I die.
Speaker A
So that's how I discovered I had allergies. I never thought I had allergies. I... I guess I'm more of an allergy person.
Speaker A
Up until now, I've always thought of it as my own problem, something that didn't concern me.
Speaker A
When I was in elementary school, there was someone in my class who was allergic to wheat.
Speaker A
So, there are a lot of dishes, or rather meals, that use wheat. Bread is a prime example.
Speaker A
So the child wasn't able to eat bread. I wasn't able to eat bread made from wheat, so bread was served quite frequently in the school lunches at my elementary school.
Speaker A
And every time, the child who was allergic to wheat would bring bread from home that wasn't made with wheat.
Speaker A
So that scene brings back memories. So there is school lunch, and I think the child's parents probably make that kind of bread every time.
Speaker A
If you have a wheat allergy, there are a lot of things you can't eat, like pasta.
Speaker A
I think that kids like that are limited in what they can eat compared to me, That's how I found out I was actually allergic to fruit.
Speaker A
I finally feel like I understand a little bit about how he feels. What I've experienced quite a bit is allergic reactions to buckwheat flour.
Speaker A
This also happened when I was in school, so maybe when I was in middle school or high school.
Speaker A
Middle school and high school students go on school trips, right? Even elementary school students go on them.
Speaker A
Compared to when I was in elementary school, when I was in junior high school or high school, I think there were quite a lot of events where people stayed overnight like that.
Speaker A
So, when that happens, I stay at an inn, Some inns provide pillows made from buckwheat flour.
Speaker A
I remember that when someone who was allergic to buckwheat tried to sleep with their head on that pillow, it looked really painful.
Speaker A
In the first place, you have to be aware of things like that in advance.
Speaker A
But there were times when I wasn't able to do that. When he said "good night" and went to sleep, he suddenly started to feel itchy.
Speaker A
There were a couple of times when I realized, "Oh, I'm allergic to buckwheat flour," or "This pillow is made with buckwheat flour." I've seen this two or three times.
Speaker A
So, I think that the allergy I have discovered so far is probably to the rose family.
Speaker A
So, if you have a lot of allergies, I know it's hard because there are so many hardships in daily life, That way, once something happens, it's too late.
Speaker A
Even though I have a wheat allergy, I ate wheat or something made with wheat.
Speaker A
I'm allergic to buckwheat flour, but I used a pillow made of buckwheat flour. Before that happens, I think you need to get an allergy test done.
Speaker A
I've never had an allergy test before, but I definitely should. I might develop other allergies. Oh, but I've done it before. I just remembered.
Speaker A
I think I had an allergy test when I was in elementary school. But at the time, I didn't think there was any problem.
Speaker A
So, as I said before, the symptoms can appear after you become an adult, Maybe if I took an allergy test now, The results will probably be different from the tests you did when you were a child.
Speaker A
Here comes my bad habit again. I'm a lazy person, so I haven't had an allergy test or anything.
Speaker A
No, I need to get an allergy test. It's a pain to go to the hospital, but I have to do it.
Speaker A
However, I've been talking about fruit allergies for a while now, I don't think my symptoms with this fruit allergy and hay fever are that severe.
Speaker A
There are a lot of people who suffer more from hay fever than me. So, the best way is to It would mean uprooting all the cypress and cedar trees planted in Japan's forests.
Speaker A
No, I wonder how much it would cost to do this. But I think Japanese people's productivity is seriously dropping at this time of year because of this pollen.
Speaker A
Because it's one in two. Yes, so if possible, I would like to uproot all the cedar trees and cypress trees, I think that's unrealistic.
Speaker A
Recently, it seems that the number of people suffering from hay fever has been increasing.
Speaker A
The reason for this is that, as I mentioned earlier, pollen from cedar and cypress trees that were planted long ago is being released in greater quantities every year.
Speaker A
And the reason is that the tree has grown. So I think that unless we reduce the number of trees, the number of people suffering from hay fever will continue to increase.
Speaker A
So, hay fever is really a problem unique to Japan. Even people who are not Japanese are at potential risk of developing hay fever.
Speaker A
In fact, I think many people who live in Japan for a long time develop hay fever.
Speaker A
I did some research, and it seems that if you come to Japan from overseas and live here for a few years, you'll develop hay fever.
Speaker A
So, as I said at the beginning of this video, Where you're from... so it's not like just being Japanese means you have hay fever.
Speaker A
It doesn't matter what country or region you're from. If you come to Japan, there is a chance that you may develop hay fever.
Speaker A
It seems that the period it takes for people to develop hay fever after moving to Japan really varies from person to person.
Speaker A
Apparently, some people develop hay fever soon after coming to Japan, but for others it takes time for them to develop the condition.
Speaker A
So I don't know when I'll get hay fever. After all, I've been living in Japan for over 10 years and have developed hay fever.
Speaker A
So even if you come to Japan and spend five years there without any problems, There are also cases where people suddenly develop hay fever in the sixth year.
Speaker A
So, everyone please be careful. Japan is a really fun, interesting and great country, but hay fever can be quite painful.
Speaker A
So if you want to know the disadvantages of coming to Japan and living there for a long time, First of all, I want everyone to know that hay fever exists.
Speaker A
Apparently, there are areas in Japan where people are more likely to suffer from hay fever and areas where they are not.
Speaker A
Wait a moment, let me have some water. Or rather, now that I think about it calmly, When we first started filming this podcast, it was pretty cold.
Speaker A
As we talked, I felt like my body temperature was rising. It's not that cold right now. I guess talking is the best way to keep warm.
Speaker A
Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh, that's right. It seems that even within Japan, there are areas where people are more likely to suffer from hay fever and areas where they are less likely to suffer from hay fever.
Speaker A
Apparently, in places with lots of forests, like Yamanashi Prefecture, there are a lot of people who suffer from hay fever.
Speaker A
Hay fever is an immune response to pollen. Therefore, if you are exposed to pollen on a regular basis, you are more likely to develop hay fever.
Speaker A
And as I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of people in Tokyo who suffer from hay fever.
Speaker A
So, the question is where you should live to be most likely to avoid hay fever.
Speaker A
In Japan, if you live in Okinawa or Hokkaido, The amount of cedar and cypress pollen in the area is relatively small, The chances of getting hay fever are quite low.
Speaker A
So, if you don't want to get hay fever, please... Ah, if there are people who don't want to get hay fever and still want to live in Japan, You have only two options. Or maybe three. First, live in Okinawa.
Speaker A
The second is to live in Hokkaido. Oh no, my fingers look weird now. Finally, the third point is that I don't live in Hokkaido or Okinawa, The only thing you can do is be patient, take your medicine, wear a mask, and wear glasses to get through the hay fever season.
Speaker A
Which one is better? Well, that's why, if you don't want to get hay fever in Japan, So you have no choice but to go to the northernmost part of Japan or the southernmost part of Japan.
Speaker A
No, the people of Okinawa are really happy. The people of Hokkaido are really happy too.
Speaker A
Hokkaido has such vast nature, and Okinawa has such beautiful oceans. There are so many good things about it.
Speaker A
So, as expected, foreigners living here, Ah, I think that most foreigners living in Japan live in Tokyo, In Tokyo, I get hay fever.
Speaker A
When you think about it that way, it's winter right now. It's winter now, so I find myself thinking, "I wish summer would come soon," but maybe there's no better time?
Speaker A
From February to April, we'll be suffering from pollen allergies, and then in May comes the rainy season.
Speaker A
May and June are the rainy season, so it rains every day, right? And July, August, and September are too hot, right?
Speaker A
There might be a typhoon in October, right? And November, December, January, and February are too cold, right?
Speaker A
There is no such thing as a perfect time in Japan. Seriously, it's a tough world, but let's do our best.
Speaker A
I think I'll take some medicine this year to get through my hay fever. Now, I live in Japan, so I don't have many opportunities to talk to people from overseas, That's why I've never seen a foreigner say they have hay fever.
Speaker A
So, if anyone has come to Japan and has developed hay fever, please let me know in the comments.
Speaker A
Please let me know. It will make me think, "Oh, so there are people who get hay fever even if they're not Japanese!" No, but I'm sure there are a lot of people who come to Japan from overseas who don't know about hay fever in Japan.
Speaker A
So, if you don't know what hay fever is and then you realize you have it... well, what happens?
Speaker A
For example, if you were to come to Japan for the first time at this time of year, you might think, "Oh, my nose is kind of runny..." No, that's not it.
Speaker A
In the first year, there are fewer cases of people developing hay fever. For example, if you come to Japan and live there for five years, Let's say you've lived there for five years, and then in the sixth year, at this time of year, you suddenly get hay fever. Wouldn't that be shocking?
Speaker A
Huh? My nose is itchy, my throat is itchy, my eyes are itchy, and on top of that, I have a lot of runny nose.
Speaker A
You might think, "Huh? Maybe I'm sick?" However, unlike a normal cold, your body temperature won't rise, so you'll probably feel a strange sensation.
Speaker A
You may be wondering, "Am I sick or something?", but your body temperature isn't rising. What's going on?
Speaker A
Did you know about hay fever? But if you develop hay fever in the fifth year...or even the sixth year, Surely, if you've lived in Japan for that long, you'd start to become aware of hay fever? I wonder.
Speaker A
No, I think this is really a disadvantage of living in Japan. That's because pollen is such a big problem in Japan.
Speaker A
During pollen season, you can see some interesting scenes on TV. There's a weather forecast section on TV.
Speaker A
In Japan, too, at the end of the news, there's a weather forecast, At that time, pollen information will also be released, such as "There will be a lot of pollen in the air today." Information like "People with hay fever, please be careful" will be added to the weather forecast.
Speaker A
So when I see that, I think, "Oh, there's a lot of pollen today," Even if you see that, there's not much you can do, But, you know, whether there's pollen in the air or not really depends on the day.
Speaker A
So, I'm a beginner when it comes to hay fever, "Oh, my throat is itchy compared to usual today, so maybe there's more pollen in the air than usual." That's just how I feel, Patients with severe hay fever often say things like, "Wow, there's really a lot of pollen today."
Speaker A
So, depending on the day, some days my hay fever symptoms are severe and some days they're not.
Speaker A
It all depends on the amount of pollen in the air, There are times when I think, "The pollen count is pretty good today," What time is that? After it rains.
Speaker A
In the first place, you don't feel the effects of pollen as much when it's raining.
Speaker A
So, the day after it rains, there's surprisingly little pollen in the air, so you can spend the day comfortably.
Speaker A
So there's something good about rain. Well, I'm not a farmer, so I don't want it to rain...
Speaker A
If you're a farmer, your crops won't grow unless it rains, I think people might think, "It'd be a problem if there was no rain," I'm not a farmer, so I really hope it doesn't rain any more.
Speaker A
So, as I said earlier, the rainy season when it rains all the time is the worst season for me.
Speaker A
However, I hope it rains frequently during pollen season. Well, if it rains two days in a row, it really makes me feel depressed and it's hard to get work done.
Speaker A
But if it rains every other day, we can experience sunny days, What's more, on those sunny days, not only will it be sunny but there won't be much pollen in the air.
Speaker A
So that's probably the best time. February isn't the peak for hay fever this time of year, so maybe March.
Speaker A
I hope it rains every other day in March. And I hope it's sunny every other day. I wonder.
Speaker A
I wonder if there will be a lot of rain this March. Apparently, January was one of the driest months in recorded history.
Speaker A
I was in Tokyo all day and it didn't rain at all. Recently, it has been snowing and raining, but it hasn't rained at all.
Speaker A
So I really was able to spend every day in a good mood. And then, there are other things you can do to prevent hay fever, It seems like pollen often gets on laundry.
Speaker A
Well, I think there are a lot of people who use things like bathroom dryers and dryers, Many people hang their laundry outside their homes.
Speaker A
So, when you hang out laundry outside the house, it seems that pollen ends up sticking to the laundry.
Speaker A
So, for those who absolutely have to hang out their laundry outside the house, Before bringing the laundry into the house, you need to make sure to shake off the pollen before putting it away.
Speaker A
By the way, I'm not the type to dry my clothes outside. It's not that I don't like drying clothes outside, but I don't do it outside because of my personality.
Speaker A
First of all, it's a pain to go out onto the balcony. I really am a lazy person.
Speaker A
Oh, so my... my washing machine doesn't have a dryer. So you have to dry it somewhere, but I always dry it indoors.
Speaker A
Well, there are a lot of other things besides being annoying, and I guess I'm the type of person who tends to forget things easily.
Speaker A
And, you know, I'm a bit of a worrier. So once I start hanging out the laundry outside, I forget about it. I really do forget about it.
Speaker A
Well, I mean, there are people among us who are forgetful, right? So, for example, let's say it's sunny and you start hanging out the laundry outside.
Speaker A
So, let's say it starts raining halfway through. But when that happens, I probably forget that I'm hanging out laundry outside.
Speaker A
So, in the end, the laundry won't dry and will end up getting wet in the rain.
Speaker A
So I dry my clothes indoors. But other than that, it's a pain. It's also a hassle to carry the laundry inside when it starts raining.
Speaker A
Also, I'm a bit of a worrier... I don't know. For example, if you are hanging out laundry outside and you decide to go out, "Uh, what if my laundry gets wet in the rain?" I find myself thinking, "What if it starts raining now?", so I can't hang it out to dry.
Speaker A
Also, there's the possibility that it will be blown away by the wind. Sometimes when you're walking around town, you come across clothes lying around and wonder whose they are.
Speaker A
So, you see, I don't have many clothes. The clothes I wear are really just a select few.
Speaker A
So, people who have been watching my YouTube videos for a long time, I think everyone probably has the same thoughts, Aren't the clothes I wear in front of this camera usually the same?
Speaker A
I pretty much wear the same clothes. That's how few clothes I have. So, even though I don't have many clothes, If you hang your laundry outside and it gets blown away by the wind, you'll end up with even fewer clothes.
Speaker A
It's a serious situation, to me. So I don't hang out laundry outside that much. I don't hang it out very often, or rather, I don't hang it out at all.
Speaker A
So, quite a few of my friends buy washing machines with dryers attached. Apparently it's quite convenient. But I bought one... and it's expensive. A washing machine with a dryer is quite expensive.
Speaker A
Other than that, I think it's fine to just hang it up on a hanger and let it dry.
Speaker A
After all, water evaporates without me having to do anything. What I'm trying to say is that laundry dries automatically, even if it's wet.
Speaker A
It will dry on its own over time, so I don't think there's any need to speed it up.
Speaker A
Because I don't think my working hours will change much. Because, you hang your clothes on a hanger... Oh, that's right. You hang your clothes on a hanger and hang them out to dry.
Speaker A
Then it will dry on its own. So I don't need to shorten that time by using a dryer, because my working hours haven't changed.
Speaker A
That's why I don't use a dryer. After using the dryer, you'll probably hang it out to dry again anyway.
Speaker A
So I think it would be better to hang the clothes on a hanger and let them air dry, what do you guys think?
Speaker A
That's how I feel. I wonder what else. Few clothes... Maybe it's good for people who have extremely few clothes.
Speaker A
For example, you wash your clothes in a washing machine with a dryer. So, the clothes are in there in a dry state, after they've been washed.
Speaker A
So you can just take that and... take the clothes straight from the washing machine and wear them. That's great.
Speaker A
I think that would be convenient, but I think the patterns would be quite limited.
Speaker A
Because it's impossible if you have very few clothes. So, you have to wear the same clothes every day.
Speaker A
But that's the one thing that's convenient about buying a washing machine with a dryer.
Speaker A
Because my washing machine doesn't have a dryer. You can't take them out after the wash is done and then wear them.
Speaker A
Because the clothes are wet, and I'll end up going out soaked. I wouldn't do something so embarrassing.
Speaker A
Maybe, but I'm making up all sorts of reasons like this, The reason I don't buy a washing machine with a dryer is probably because 90% of them are expensive.
Speaker A
I think things like, "It's expensive, so maybe I don't need to buy it." However, many of my friends have bought washing machines with dryers, and they seem to be quite satisfied with them.
Speaker A
There are quite a few people who say that if you live alone, it's definitely a good idea to buy a washing machine with a dryer.
Speaker A
You won't know until you buy it. But once you raise your standard of living, it's very difficult to lower it.
Speaker A
For example, After living in a three-story mansion with over 10 rooms, isn't it pretty tough mentally to move to a one-room apartment?
Speaker A
Right? So it's best not to raise your standard of living too much. So I think I'll continue to use a washing machine without a dryer for a while.
Speaker A
If there are people who still want to use a washing machine with a dryer, Please write in the comments section in detail why I think it's better to use a washing machine with a dryer.
Speaker A
Please try to convince me logically. If you can, I'll seriously consider buying one. I probably won't buy it. So... Oh, it's time already. Time has flown by.
Speaker A
It's been a while since we last did a podcast, so we had a lot to talk about.
Speaker A
I'm really looking forward to it getting warmer and warmer from now on. Please be sure to listen to the next podcast.
Speaker A
Well, that's it for today's podcast. Bye.
Topics:hay feverJapanpollen allergycedar pollencypress pollenmask wearingJapanese culturespring seasonallergic rhinitisJiro podcast
