Field Notes from Tokyo
How to survive the 40 deg C heat in Japan
Traditions from corporate dress codes to instant ramen preparation are melting away.
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Pedestrians under a cooling mist during high temperatures in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo on July 14.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
- Japan is experiencing extreme heatwaves, introducing a new "kokushobi" category for days above 40°C, with serious health impacts including heatstroke and deaths.
- Traditional customs and daily life are changing, such as Nissin's chilled instant noodles and relaxed dress codes to cope with the intense summer heat.
- Innovations like air-conditioned clothing, cooling booths, and heat-related tourism reflect Japan's creative adaptations to its increasingly "cruelly hot" summers.
AI generated
TOKYO – The stifling heat is all that anyone in Japan seems to be talking about these days, a topic so ubiquitous that “Atsui desu ne” (“It’s hot, isn’t it?”) has effectively replaced hello and every other conversation filler in between.
As the onset of natsu (summer) and its thick humidity blanket the archipelago, enduring the weather has become a shared national experience.
