Japanese Innovations to Fend off the Heat

Much like the UK, the summers in Japan often feel much more stifling than countries on similar latitudes, owing to the higher relative humidity. As a result, Japanese companies have developed a suite of innovative products that are perfect for staving off the heat. Read on to discover more about these products, which might one day find their way onto British shelves.

Source: TikTok

“Heat in the UK hits different” - I must have heard this expression over a dozen times. People from around the world, including those from more equatorial nations, often express their confusion that British summertime, somehow, feels hotter and more oppressive than other countries. So, with the prevailing stereotype having been that the UK is cold, wet, and miserable, what’s going on here? 

Whilst the specific climatic reasons for this are complex and nuanced, they can be boiled down to two key factors. The first lies in just how humid this country is; being an island nation with an extensive coastline, warmer and wetter air gets blown inland from the sea, resulting in a higher humidity than much of mainland Europe. As our sweat evaporates at a reduced rate during periods of higher humidity, our bodies feel hotter than they would under drier conditions.

The second major factor more lies in the UK’s ability to respond to extreme heat, specifically in our built environment. In this country, with our notoriously cold winters, housing has been constructed with the intention of conserving as much heat as possible, giving little thought to natural modes of cooling. When periods of extreme heat then strike, our homes struggle to cool down.

With this in mind, and with climate adaptation in housing progressing at a snail’s pace in the UK, it falls to the individual to keep themselves cool. In an effort to understand the best ways to do so, we looked to Japan to seek out the latest innovations in personal cooling as, much like the UK, their summers are plagued with high humidity, arguably to a much greater extent. 

So, if you’re looking to add more products to your keep-cool repertoire, read on to find out what products are currently all the rage in Japan.

The Power of Menthol - Wet Wipes, Mists, and Sprays 

A deep dive into TikTok consisted of following various travel vloggers as they explored stores across Tokyo, invariably the discount chain store Don Quijote (Donki). They were met with wall upon wall of brightly coloured packaging, with each vlogger seemingly mesmerised by the selection on offer. Here, we see just how seriously the Japanese take keeping cool. 

Some of the more interesting items on offer, striking in their relative simplicity, include a line of products that are applied directly to the skin. Low-cost products, such as different varieties of body wipes or a moist towel to hang around the neck, seem to work by enhancing the body’s ability to lose heat. They contain chemicals, namely menthol, which stimulates the same receptors in the skin as does cold temperatures, which have an instantaneous cooling effect on our bodies.

Source: Time Out Magazine 

This principle has been applied across a range of items - whether it’s a shirt mist that reacts with your sweat to produce its cooling effect, or an instant-cooling wipe you apply to your face, these products will leave you tingly cold on a budget! 

Back to Basics - Icepacks 

Whilst pressing something cold against our bodies until we cool down is hardly the most cutting-edge or high-tech tool we have at our disposal, it seems a number of Japanese companies have got quite creative in their icepack designs. 

And they stand out quite starkly. Walk around any district of Tokyo and you will see what looks like thousands of people sporting multi-coloured rubber tubes hanging around their necks. At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that these are some kind of strange, new-age neckbands that haven’t hit the British high street just yet. In actuality, they are more like giant inedible popsicles built to keep your head and neck cool. These reusable icepacks can be found in most convenience stores during the summer months and go for just a few yen apiece.

Source: Japan Shopping Now

Despite how reviews for these products seem mixed, those on the cheaper end of the scale seem to be useful for the best part of 10 minutes. Notably, the neckbands are a cheap, popular, and potentially fashionable solution. Pairing this with another nifty icepack they have on offer, such as one that slots neatly between your back and a rucksack, you can keep your whole body heat and sweat free, whilst keeping your laptop cool too. 

Shade Japan? 

One TikTok in particular that caught the eye featured one influencer going through her relatively vast collection of Japanese umbrellas, eight in total. Known as Higasa (日傘), these umbrellas are more similar to what we would describe as parasols in the UK, made explicitly to block the sun. These products notably come with various ultraviolet protection factors (UPF) i.e. how effective they are in blocking the sun’s harmful rays, as well as their heat-shielding rating, which is a measure of the amount of heat they reflect. 

Source: Mainichi

According to this one TikToker, these umbrellas are commonplace in Japan, especially as people are able to pick them up at any convenience store. This, I think, reflects a key challenge we face in the UK. Countries like Japan have been actively preparing for extreme heat, to the extent that these products are readily available, whereas we in the UK are lagging behind as any of these products will be nigh on impossible to find. And, if they are available here, their prices are likely to be relatively eyewatering. 

Sewn In - Wearable Innovations 

The last few inventions on the list extend into the pricier range now and comprise devices that can be built into your regular fit. 

Take, for example, a series of jackets that have been launched in recent years with built-in fans, which circulate air throughout the clothing in order to waft heat away from the body. Whilst initially popularised by construction workers across the country, toiling under the midday sun, they have become a more mainstream item for people in Japan. As summer temperatures have continued to rise, they are a relatively common sight on city streets. With a rechargeable battery pack stored in the coat’s lining, they have enough power to last the whole day, meaning people often need little more than this to keep cool. 

Source: Bloomberg 

Whilst the jackets have not seemed to make their way yet over to Britain, a similar device has. Much like the popsicle rings mentioned above, an electric-powered neckband with built-in fans has become popular across much of Japan and is starting to gain traction here as well. I myself have even seen a few of them around London. 

The days of handheld fans are truly over. 

Conclusion 

Recent years have given truth to the notion that, despite living in a warming world, progress towards steeling ourselves against its likely consequences has not moved at the rate we need. Protection against overheating and heatwaves therefore falls more and more to the individual, in the absence of more macro-scale solutions. 

We have provided this list of products not only to educate people on the most innovative cooling solutions, but also as a nudge to UK manufacturers that we are falling far behind. With our own summers getting hotter and more humid, there will be a growing need for products such as these in future. 

If you would like to learn more about our work at Shade the UK, please visit our website.