Today was the first day of the year the outdoor 50m pool was open, and I made the most of it. I was the only one there for the first 10 or so minutes, but not before at least 3 of the lifeguards had told me that the water was 27℃. They made it sound as if that’s a bad thing.

I guess when you’re used to 31℃, 27 is pretty cold, but it’s only slightly below the standard in New Zealand. No, Japanese pools in general are too warm. It’s easy to get dehydrated, I’m always surprised people can swim without water. It’s also probably why I’m drenched in sweat when I leave the also too warm changing rooms. I’ll take a 27℃ pool any day, thank you very much!