Five Urawaza Solutions for Avoiding Weekend Picnic Disasters

It's summer, and if you're anything like me, you're planning on spending a lot of time outdoors. It's sunny, people are happy, and dogs are romping in the fields. But then there are those dangers and annoyances that we all have to work around. Picnic mats flying in your face and annihilating your sandwich. Mosquitoes sucking your child's precious blood. Poison ivy. The chills. Lucky for us, there's an urawaza cure for everything. Here's a quick list of tips from my book, Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan:


1. Flight-happy picnic mats: By tying each corner of the picnic mat with a rubber band and tucking them under, you prevent air from getting underneath and whisking it away.

2. Mosquitoes: Forgot mosquito repellent? Use lavender oil on your skin and possessions to keep those suckers away.

3. And if you still get bitten: Put some Scotch tape on the bite or stick a straw in its epicenter and suck on it to alleviate itchiness.

4. Sat on a park bench with gum on it? Dab your pants with some liquor. The sticky ends of alcohol molecules attach to the gum and make it easier to pull off.


5. The chills: I live in San Francisco, where it inevitably gets cold in the late afternoon, even when it's sunny. The Japanese custom of bowing doubles as a body-warmer-upper: It stimulates the thick artery that runs through your abdominal area and gets the blood flowing.

Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan


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