The latest and greatest gear for keeping it cool
Despite early predictions of a mild summer, almost 7,000 people called ambulances for heatstroke this June across Japan — three times more than the same time last year. Some spots in the country hit record high temperatures they hadn’t seen in 50 years, Kyodo News reported. Official advice is to drink plenty of fluids and to be sensible about setsuden. But there’s only so much water you can drink. Manufacturers are to the rescue with products for every inch of the body and home.
This year sees an expansion of the sprays, gels and lotions that we saw last year, as well as a burst of subtle variations on the cool wraps that were spotted wrapped damply around necks last year. The use of high-tech fibers means the wraps can stay cooler with less dripping. At the same time, there is a return to basics that pre-date air-conditioning: Wooden screens, wicker pillows and bamboo sheets remind us that there were plenty of cool ideas in Japan long before microfibers and rechillable elasto-polymers. Start waving your paper uchiwa and check out our finds.
Found any yourself? Tweet your photos to @japan_pulse.
Tags: keeping cool, setsuden, summer heat
