Jakarta –
Masaya Maruyama; his wife, Junko; and his brother, Koichi; was sitting in the shade in the back of their pickup truck while repeatedly sipping orange soda from large bottles.
The plumber’s family has been working on repairing the pipeline under the hot sun since 8 a.m. local time.
At 11.00, the temperature at the location where they work, namely in Isezaki, was around 42 degrees celsius.
“The temperature even reached 47 degrees Celsius yesterday afternoon,” said Maruyama.
When asked how he managed to work in such scorching temperatures, he said: “It’s scary, I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
The three of them wore jackets equipped with electric fans to blow cool air around their bodies. But it seems the tool is not very helpful.
Also read:
‘Strange and a bit scary’
For many in Japan, the heat over the past few days has felt strange and a bit scary.
By now it should have entered the middle of the country’s rainy season.
But across Japan, skies are clear and temperatures are stuck in the 30s and have crossed 40 degrees Celsius twice this week.
That’s just the official temperature being monitored – if you’re outside, it’s often much hotter.
Even though summer has just begun, 263 places across Japan have set temperature records in the past six days, according to meteorologist Sayaka Mori.
Temperatures in Tokyo City on Thursday (30/06) touched 36.4 degrees Celsius – the highest temperature recorded in the Japanese capital in June since 1875.
The city of Tokyo on Thursday (30/06) touched 36.4C – the highest temperature ever recorded in the capital in June since 1875. (Getty Images)
Japan is not alone in the scorching heat of this time.
But what might come as a surprise is that Japan is struggling to keep the lights and air conditioning on.
On Tuesday (28/6), when electricity demand peaked in the afternoon, electricity supply was at 97% of capacity.
That means it’s close to a power outage.
The Japanese government has asked the public to “turn off” as many lights and electrical appliances as possible. But at the same time, there is also a warning so that residents do not turn off their AC.
Their fear is a repeat of what happened in 2018, which was the last time Japan hit by heatwave .
At that time, dozens of people, mostly elderly people died from heatstroke and more than 22,000 people were rushed to hospital.
To prevent this from happening again, some local governments are opening “cooling” centers, where the elderly can take shelter.
‘I could dieif not Turn it on AC’
In the Sumide District, northern part of Tokyo, 86-year-old Kiyoji Saito is playing Shogi (Japanese chess) with several people his age.
Like many elderly people in Japan, he really dislikes using the air conditioner.
“I spent three or four thousand yen [Rp332.00 – Rp442.000] per month for electricity this year,” he said.
“It’s great that they provide this place [lokasi pendinginan]we can come during the day, meet and stay relaxed.”
Across the table, 81-year-old Yukimasa Nakano, said he limits his use of air conditioning to one hour in the morning, and three hours in the evening.
“In my eight decades, I’ve never felt this June heat,” he said.
“I live alone so it’s useless to use the air conditioner,” said Kiyoji Saito, a member of a chess group.
“But if I don’t use the air conditioner, I can die from exposure to this kind of heat.”
Watch Video: Impact of High Temperature, Japanese Office Saves Electricity
(it/it)
–
