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Is your nose running? Are you coughing? Are you hot and shaky, and not because you’re ripping up the dancefloor? Bad news: you might have the flu.
That’s right, flu season has hit Japan in full force, and we’re asking our students to take extra special care in order not to get sick this winter.
There’s not much you can do once you already have the bug, but here’s a few preventative measures you can take in order to not get ill:
– Rinse your mouth with water when coming in from outside
– Wash your hands with soap (pump-bottle soap if you can, because germs tend to cling to bar soap!), and use your own towel (or a paper towel) to dry them
– Get a small bottle of hand sanitizer to carry around with you and use this at regular intervals during the day
– And of course the best way to avoid catching the flu is to stay away from people who already have it! We’re not recommending that you become a hermit, but if you spot someone who looks like they just walked off the set of the movie “Black Death”, it’s probably a good idea to try to not breathe the same air as them
If you do get ill, the best thing to do is get lots of rest, and if you feel really bad, try to see a doctor as soon as you can. For those who prefer home remedies, you can try the following:
– Use disposable, fever-reducing sheets (called 熱さまシートor “netsu-sama sheets”)
– Take cold medicine – it may not cure the flu, but it should help with the aches and pains! (Of course, you should always consult a pharmacist/doctor before taking any medicine, especially in a foreign country!)
– Wear a disposable mask! This won’t really help you feel better, but it will definitely prevent people from hating you for the rest of forever for infecting them with your germs!
