A heat wave has gripped Japan over the past week or so, peaking with the highest temperature ever recorded in the country on Monday. According to governme
A heat wave has gripped Japan over the past week or so, peaking with the highest temperature ever recorded in the country on Monday.
According to government data, the heat wave has killed at least 77 people and sent more than 30,000 to hospitals in the two-week period through July 22. It’s been an unusually scorching summer so far — and experts argue that it’s probably the “ new normal.”
Whether it’s because they can picture the catastrophes that global warming could cause or just because they are sweltering, Japanese online users have commented on the current situation from angles that go way beyond the standard “ Atsui desu ne ” (“It’s hot, isn’t it”). Most noticeably, the current high temperatures have prompted netizens to challenge long-standing ideas about how to handle the heat.
The most important matter on the mind of those online? Air conditioners. Specifically, using them despite the longstanding idea held by many older people that, since they didn’t have to use them in the past, they don’t need to use them now. Many griped about hearing this rationale, while others recounted visits to hospitals only a decade ago only to find minimal air conditioning in place. Comedian Kazuya Kojima tweeted how he rushed out to buy his parents an air conditioner after finding out they didn’t own one… even if they got into an argument about it afterward, as they were worried about their monthly electricity bill. Some tried to explain that many buildings didn’t use air conditioning owing to existing regulations. This did not go down well.
Arguing with older people about using air conditioners has become something akin to the American online tradition of dreading Thanksgiving dinner with your conservative uncle (to the point where there are now articles offering advice on various arguments you can throw at them).
Some netizens stated that places such as gymnasiums needed air conditioners, while others reminded us that the world didn’t have ambulances or pension programs back in the day either.
