Surprising finds happen when you least expect them. 

Part of being a working Tokyoite is knowing how and where to escape the summer heat while commuting to and from the office during the hottest days of the year. For our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma, his summer haven is Ikea Shinjuku, as it’s right between Shinjuku Station and our office, so when temperatures soared above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) recently, he sought refuge in the store to give his sweat-drenched body a rest before work, and when he did he made some surprising discoveries.

The first find came as soon as he stepped through the doors, as the store had strategically placed its Swedish Bite bistro right near the entrance. Stepping over to the ticket vending machines to see what they had to offer, he discovered something that immediately had him reaching for his coins.

▼ The Secret Soft ice cream (150 yen [US$1.03])

The mysterious black colour of the Secret soft serve looked like just the thing to reset his tired body, and his interest piqued even further when he saw that the ticket from the machine had “シークレット” (“secret”) on it in bold black-and-white print.

It took seconds for him to receive his soft serve, and the whole process of entering the store and ordering and receiving the ice cream took about a minute, which is good to know when you’re looking for a quick place to recover from the heat.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re about to shrivel up from the heat, a cold, refreshing soft serve is unbeatable. That’s how Masanuki feels anyway, and when he put his lips around the icy treat, he closed his eyes in delight as he found the secret flavour tasted fruity, with a sweetly tart and refreshing finish that made him think it might be pear.

After finishing his soft serve, Masanuki’s energy was restored and he decided to enjoy the air conditioning for a little while longer by heading up to the next floor. That’s where he discovered that this branch of Ikea was celebrating its fourth anniversary with a limited-edition tote bag for 999 yen.

Next to the bags was a selection of seasonal goods, where he saw what looked to be rolled-up towels.

Upon closer inspection, he found these were actually T-shirts, and there was a good discount on them for customers who are registered as Ikea Family members. Seeing as Masanuki often shops at Ikea, he’s been a member for a while, so when he saw he’d only have to pay 999 yen instead of 2,499 yen, he immediately picked up a black in the L/XL size.

With his clothes already sweaty before work, Masanuki thought it’d be nice to wear the shirt when he got to the office, so he could feel super refreshed and ready to start the day.

▼ When he unrolled it in the office, it didn’t look half bad.

▼ And when he put it on, he felt like a new man.

The one drawback to the shirt was the super long tag inside it, but that was an easy fix as he got out his scissors and simply snipped it off.

Masanuki couldn’t quite believe how good the fabric felt against his skin, especially after his hot morning commute, and now that he knows how easy it is to get a soft serve on the way to work, he might just be popping in more frequently over the next couple of months.

So next time you’re walking around Tokyo looking for a respite from the heat, you might want to to duck in to a store like Ikea. You never know what you might find, and chances are, you’ll look and feel better for the short break too!

Images © SoraNews24
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