Japan Burns In Hell!

Summer is hot.

Summer in Asia is hot!



Japan is experiencing the hottest summer on record, since the governments started recording meteorological data after WWII in 1946. Every day people in the office complain about how hot it is. When they come back from lunch, everyone talks about how hot it is. I think my elevator is probably over 40C every day. My back is soaked with sweat by the time I get to the office. If I sit on the toilet for more than 2minutes, because there is no air circulation there (i.e. no breeze), I get drenched in sweat (and that is keeping the door open!). Etc. Etc. etc. Actually Fukui was hotter, and the daily temps prove it, compared to Tokyo, so for me, it's not too bad here (except I have to wear these damn work clothes!)



Many MANY people have been taken to the hospital around the country due to heat stroke this year. It is big news.



One of the problems is that traditionally (it has changed in recent years), young people were trained that to be "tough" and get "stronger" you need to learn to overcome your "desires" and "needs" some times. This works for many things, but not when it comes to ignoring the body's need for water and salts. Maybe that is how the samurai made themselves "tough" in the past, but we aren't samurai anymore, and we don't need that kind of "tough". It's just silly. That mentality still sticks with a lot of older people. As an aside, I recall when I studied kendo here 20 years ago, that no matter how hot it was, no matter how thirsty we were, we were not by any means allowed to drink water during the practice. We could drink before, and after, but not during. I ignored that once as I thought I was going to pass out from thirst and loss of water...and boy did they lay into me! Apparently that mentality is no longer in the current dojos, which is a good thing.



Another problem of course, lies in the fact that as we age, our bodies no longer are as good at controlling their core temperatures than when we were younger. This is a big reason why many elderly people succumb to heat exhaustion.



A third reason, I think, may be that air conditioning is viewed differently hear in Japan than it is in North America. Where I grew up we used AC when it got hot. Period. Here they try not to use it as much as possible. The problem is that during the evening and night, most people close their drapes and windows. And that is when the heat builds up in the home. Also, people do not sleep with fans blowing on them because (tradition? old truth whose reason we have forgotten?) they SAY that air blowing over your body when you sleep is bad for you. (A lot of wives tales began in original truths, so who knows? To me it sounds crazy, but to Japanese it is a common belief - just like to North Americans eggs must be kept refrigerated is a common belief, but to Japanese, it is not necessary - and considering all of the salmonella outbreaks in eggs and the egg recalls going on in the USA these days, it's no wonder N.A. think this way: the food chain there is filthy!)



Anyway...



Here is an article from Japan Today giving you the latest update on the statistics of people suffering heat stroke in Japan:



Have a great day, and keep your fluids, and your mineral levels up!



I love you!

Cam



P.S. On the political front, this new battle for the DPJ Leadership Race is a travesty. Japan has a very very poor (weak) political system. Besides, if Ozawa actually wins, we are in big trouble.....

http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/dpj-leadership-race-begins-with-kan-facing-challenge-from-ozawa



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Nearly 47,000 hospitalized due to heatstroke since late May

Wednesday 01st September, 08:00 AM JST



TOKYO —

Nearly 47,000 people were taken by ambulance to hospitals across Japan in about three months since late May, including more than 5,000 last week alone, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.



A total of 46,728 people were rushed to medical institutions from May 31 to Aug 29, with 5,358 of them transported in the seven-day period through last Sunday, the agency said in a preliminary report. Of the total, 158 people died shortly after arrival at hospitals in 42 prefectures, the agency said.



The agency urged people to continue to take care to avoid heat stroke by consuming water and salt frequently, particularly as there may be increased outdoor events and activities with the start of a new school term.



According to the agency’s report, those diagnosed with mild symptoms upon arrival made up the largest proportion of patients at 57.7%, followed by 35.3% with moderate symptoms and 3.5% with severe symptoms.



By age bracket, 46.6% of the patients were 65 or over, while by prefecture, the figure exceeded 3,000 in Tokyo and Aichi, Osaka and Saitama prefectures.



http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nearly-47000-hospitalized-due-to-heatstroke-since-late-may