Japan Battles 'Cruelly Hot Days' as Temperatures Near 40 C
Extreme weather is hitting Japan hard, with officials coming up with a new term for just how hot it is: "kokushobi," or "cruelly hot day." Residents and tourists alike are struggling to cope with the soaring temperatures by staying hydrated and seeking shade.
Carrying handheld fans... shading themselves with umbrellas... people in Japan are looking for ways to escape the unbearable summer heat, as temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius this week.
The heat is uncomfortable... and dangerous. At least 14 people have died this summer from heat-related illness, and thousands have been hospitalized.
Locals... and tourists... say it's hard to get used to.
Unprecedented numbers of people, like elderly folks and young children, are being rushed to the hospital due to heatstroke because they aren't drinking water. I myself am an elderly person, so regarding those things, I feel we must be careful to stay hydrated, or depending on the person, use a parasol.
I feel that it's extremely hot so early in the morning. There is no progression. You leave the hotel at 08:30. I mean, it feels as if it was noontime. And as the day progresses, it just gets hotter and hotter and hotter. And we're constantly having to hydrate ourselves, trying to find shade.
On Friday, most of Japan's main island was under a heat stroke alert, with exercise prohibited as temperatures soared.
And the heat is not letting up... the two-week weather forecast shows very high temperatures across the country.
This summer heatwave is so unusually hot that officials have even come up with a new word for when temperatures exceed 40 degrees – kokushobi—or "cruelly hot day." The first such alert was issued on Tuesday.
Since I had never heard that expression in previous years, it makes me think it must be really hot this year, and that scares me.
Very sweaty, from the minute I walked out of home, I’m wet, and it’s all about looking after my little boy and making sure he can cope with the heat.
As summer drags on, these cruelly hot days may become more and more frequent... as extreme heat hits hard all around the world.
