Fw:Summer Heats Upin Japan

I think I have mentioned in the past that we get a lot of heat stroke illnesses and deaths in the country. Add to the traditional trouble this year we have been asked by the government to raise our temps, and use less energy in order to avoid blackouts due to power under-availability (thanks, TEPCO) from the lost nuclear reactors, and we are seeing quite a spike in related illness and death.

http://tinyurl.com/HeatStrokeNews

It doesn't help, as one commenter said, that the government has asked us all to conserve energy, because the elderly people continue to turn off their fans, close and lock their windows, and turn their living space into a sauna. Traditionally people here don't use AC at night. Even at this modern office when I ask people, they always say they only have it turned on for an hour after they go to bed, but then turn it off otherwise they get too cold. I've tried that, and I wake up at 3am in a steambath because the windows are closed (to prevent the cool air from escaping... )

Even now I sleep at over 30C but it forces me awake every hour or so because the back of my head is soaked. If I drink a lot of water during the night and keep the fan running it's OK for now, but I admit that to sleep in the living room with the AC running would be more comfortable. But I'm not 70 years old, either. Note that a large proportion of people in this story have died IN THE NIGHT. That's when they usually end up overheating because they close everything up and turn their place into a sauna. The problem is the humidity, not so much the heat, as I have mentioned in the past. If you look at the humidex on the internet, you can get a good idea what it is like: 31C + 75% humidity + no breeze...

We have at least one more month of this kind of weather. In the morning when I wake up I have to wipe myself down (full body). Then before I get dressed for work I have to wipe myself down again (full body) because the sweat is just running, and the oils on the body make one quite itchy. At least at this new office it's nice. But even just the elevator ride up to my apartment makes me dripping in sweat. Last night, because nobody else was in the elevator with me, after coming home from a COLD shower at the gym, I took my shirt off and rode up to my home. Still... I was sticky!