Heatwave kills 3, hospitalises 2,500 across Japan

just stop doing activities in the worst heat of the day. many seem to ignore even the news reports (that are NEW here in japan).

I agree, fluids are a must, stay in the shade if you have to be out in the middle of the day and avoid overly rigorous activities at peak hours. The human brain starts to cook itself when it reaches 45C, at that point you'll be either permanently brain damaged or its fatal.

Why? are we living in a poor poverty stricken country with no water and food? I can't understand unless I experience a sudden heat issue to myself....but then again, I drink more than two liters of water, cold tea, C 1000 juice, and juice up with apple and carrot everyday??? Then at sunset, there's my little can of cold beer and edamame awaiting me.

For all those big heads who knows best how to deal with heat - this happens in seconds, you can't prepare for that. It can strike at you even in your own bed.

Ok,..gotcha Shankun!! I stand corrected...

Shankun, The signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke can begin to occur hours before it gets to the point of losing consciousness. Though when it comes to children and the elderly signs can often be mistaken as a side effect to aging or simply nothing to "worry about" however it is preventable, you can prepare for it by taking the necessary precautions far in advance and understanding the early signs of it so when you do begin to feel light headed or notice someone else with the symptoms you can help and prevent them from further injury.

I think school should be forced to stop their outdoor activities unless it involves a swimming pool.

Abe-san, do something. Discount for old people so they spend their money in a cool place and taxi service.

"Incidents of children being hospitalised after outdoor school events were also recorded. News reports feature frequent reminders to drink plenty of fluids and avoid prolonged periods outdoors, in what has become a regular feature of the sticky summer months."

No one should be surprised by this, though it's a higher death count than usual and even sadder as a result. The government and meteorological agences spout out on and on about 'avoiding prolonged periods outdoors', but my question is why don't they DO something about it? Walk around ANY school at the peak hours and even during summer 'vacation' you can see kids out doing drills for club/sports activities. Demand that schools put a stop to it and it's that much easier. Sure, mom might gripe about having to make lunch during the day if the kids go home early, but I'll take that over reading about dead kids.

I'd say pretty much all of these hospitalizations, and no doubt there were many more cases of heat stroke where the people were NOT hospitalized, are preventable. But until people start taking the warnings seriously instead of the usual 'shou ga nai, ne!' before collapsing or allowing their charges to, I guarantee we'll be reading this headline daily.

Of the 1,718 people that died of heatstroke in 2010, 783 people died in their homes, 6 in schools and other sports facilities. Drink water before you get thirsty and take it diligently. Take some sodium too.

I never understand how they allow to have these sports events during the hottest part of the day, i am hugging the shadows, spend as less energy as possible, but see kids in full baseball gear run like crazy.

It doesn't help with the beer companies advertising to drink a cold beer on a hot day, usually on the beach. Worse thing you could do is drink alcohol, in the heat!!

And I agree with Dennis Bauer - sports day in summer should be banned - ludicrous to have kids running around in high temperatures for several hours!!

And if anyone gets badly sunburned, spray white vinegar on it. Seriously! I was badly burned last year and no amount of Aloe Vera or other topics were doing any good. Someone suggested white vinegar - I thought it was a joke, but it really works and relieved the pain for up to 6 hours, allowing me to sleep and my body to repair itself.

Stay safe and cool out there folks.

Is japan doing anything about climate change.

Drink water before you get thirsty and take it diligently. Take some sodium too.

Great advice and here's one to remember too, if you ain't pee'ing you ain't drinking enough liquids!

Does Japans Liberal Government Believe in climate change.

” if you ain't pee'ing you ain't drinking enough liquids”

I heard once that people with serious heart trouble will retain body fluids (edema) since the heart is too weak to pump out the body fluids out of your system. If you do stop peeing, better see the doctor first.

I remember going to the school to tell my son to quit baseball practice years back because the heat index was too high, the teacher laughed at me and said I was over reacting, then I asked him if he knew what the heat index even was. He didn't know, a university grad and he had no idea what it was, so I made him a little chart and gave it to him and explained it to him and the mothers there, but it was left up to the kids, the ones who wanted to go and those who wanted to stay, only those who's mothers had half a brain went home when it was too hot, the others stayed and suffered!

He didn't know, a university grad and he had no idea what it was

Here in Japan graduating from university does not mean they have gained knowledge or for many, common sense.

Yesterday, I had to go out in the middle of Saitama to teach at a kindergarten. It was a long, sweltering 20 minute walk there from the closest station with no buses available (correction, there was a bus that went there, but it ONLY CAME THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY). I got to the kindergarten expecting some relief from the heat, but, surprise surprise, the kindergarten had no form of air conditioning. I don't understand how they can have these kids in these terrible stuff heat boxes all day and not expect any ill effects?

This brings the other point that Japan doesn't seem to get. For some reason, they choose summer to do 節電, because apparently the air conditioning is unnecessary in Japanese people's eyes. But during the winter, when it's not even really that cold, they crank the heat up as if the next ice age is coming. Heat kills MUCH more than cold does, especially in Tokyo where it never even really gets that cold!! Get your 節電 priorities straight!

I was out this past Sunday cycling along the Tamagawa in the Fuchu area. It was already pretty humid/hot at around 10:30am or so. I thought I was a little crazy for going on a long ride, about 65kms, on a hot day. Anyway, there was a 20k marathon being held and I saw a bunch of miserable looking people. Why would anyone sponsor a race in the heat and why would people participate? Insane.

During the summer, these races should start at about 5am or 6am so people can be done before 9am or not be held at all.

Summers over here seem to be getting hotter and hotter. Drink plenty of fluids and when you think you've drank enough.....drink some more. I hope we don't get to see any stories of babies being left in locked cars in pachinko car parks this year.

Blast the aircon or.... you know what will happen.

It's currently between 30 and 33 degrees in my classrooms. I honestly can't imagine trying to make my kids do much of anything in class.

Makes me laugh how nobody drinks water in JP in this heat. They wait until they are dizzy then go to the hospital! Even if you give them water, they sip a tiny bit in their mouths and say, hahhh. JP is not the only country to reach 36, get real with your ideas!

I betcha they all had aircon too. get off the eco nonsense if it is dangerously hot. Stop saying atsui while waving a sensu. Its hot so turn on the aircon. Dont be silly.

It's currently between 30 and 33 degrees in my classrooms. I honestly can't imagine trying to make my kids do much of anything in class.

30 to 33? Lol! Wait till it hits 38 to 40! 30 is a veritable cold snap by comparison!

Drink plenty of fluids and when you think you've drunk enough.....drink some more.

Works for me with Kirin Green Label! : )

I still see many Japanese salarymen are still in suits and tie. Women want to wear black long sleeve shirts and pants carrying black umbrella to shield the sun. Crazy!!

I was having a trouble breathing because of the humidity, so I left about a month ago. The heat like this would probably kill me . I am sorry you guys have to put up with this until end of September.

Kirin Green Label is GOD AWFUL stuff, it amazes me people can stomach it!

For goodness sake drink something with at least some semblance of taste or stick to water!

Ojiisantachi, stop wearing white thermo pants in summer.

It doesn't help with the beer companies advertising to drink a cold beer on a hot day, usually on the beach. Worse thing you could do is drink alcohol, in the heat!!

But it sure as hell tastes good. Just remember to drink some water sometimes too and you'll be fine.

I beg for common sense: ladies wearing plenty of clothes and those long sleeves and gloves which I hate so much, while kids are outside exercising in such a high temperature!!

**This surprises me because it's just not that hot and most people in Japan have air conditioning, It is of course sad when anyones mother or father die.

As not only a Mexican, but having been born in the worst, hottest part of all Mexico, Mexicali in Baja California Norte, I can tell you that most Japanese do not UNDERSTAND how to deal with this terrible heat. My hometown goes to over 50 centigrade at this very moment, and we know what to do, stay INDOORS WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER on, only fools go out in the middle of the worst heat and these same fools end up overheating, dying etc..why can't Japan understand that in the heat and this HORRIBLE HUMIDITY you should slow down, take a nap, relax, is that too difficult to understand??

it's just not that hot

35 degrees here today. It's hot. If the dog doesn't get taken for his walk before 8 at the latest, the ground is too hot for him to walk on and burns his pads.

The up side is that the allotment (watered by the daily yudachi) is producing veggies at a super-fast rate.

"you should slow down, take a nap, relax"

I can't, I've got work to do, lol

at this summer time ,children in their kinder garden school must not exposed at long time at the play ground!

Put the aircon on to feel comfortable in the office and at home. Drink plenty of water, best at ambient temperature, not cold A bit of salt is good to to replemish what is lost

remember going to the school to tell my son to quit baseball practice years back because the heat index was too high, the teacher laughed at me and said I was over reacting.

Some fools won't be convinced...too bad that others suffered for this one's folly. Was anyone ever hospitalized from the school?

@bruinfan

No one was hospitalized that year, A few of the mothers took what I had said more seriously than the teacher did and always showed up when it was really hot to get their kids and after so many left the teacher would finally let everyone go. The next year they got a new vice-principal who saw it was a danger and made it a rule to go by the chart and to not force any kid to work out in the heat, it was a relief to see that some old men had common sense.

I still think it is strange that most schools have no air conditioners, my sons high school did not even have fans, we parents all donated money to buy air conditioners for all the rooms, but right before we bought them the school said they could not afford the electric, then after we offered to pay for that they said that there were not enough outlets to plug them in and the cost for wiring was just too expensive, so we finally gave up figuring they just enjoyed seeing the kids and teachers suffer. They did get them some cheap fans the next year, but according to my son and his classmates they only blew warm air in a small section of the class.

Especially with the nuclear reactors down I understand Japan's need to conserve energy but they go about it horribly wrong. Here in Nagano prefecture where it gets both hot and cold during the year, necessary measures for heating and cooling are still not properly taken. In some of the more poorly built housings it gets down to -5 or worse indoors overnight (thats 23 farenheit) in the winter and there's no central heating for that. We've also got the shortest summer vacation in the country. To be fair it can't compare to places like Nagoya and Tokyo. However, I just don't see the point in watching us all melt into puddles at work. I have found over time that Japan as a society seems to have set and usually unspoken rules about everything. Unfortunately it seems often to override the most logical and best solutions. (What is ok about ambulances that don't fulfill their function so that people die before reaching the hospital all the time?).

C'mon you Yamanashi wimps! It was 54 C in Furnace Creek, Calif., last week! You got 14.9 C to go! Suck it up!

@Monaka

Here it is not so much the heat, it's the humidity that gets you!

@Davinyoko - absolutely true. We are getting those temperatures and more here in Southern California at the moment - pretty much my first Summer not in Japan in 11 years. But it feels SO much more comfortable without the humidity. Over in Arizona its even worse, but you never hear of anyone collapsing in heat there - they stay indoors with the aircon.

Yep, humidity is the killer, your body sweats & with reasonable humidity levels the body DOES cool, but with the insane humidity in J-summers sweating often DOESNT work & if your not cognizant of that your body will get hotter, sweat more & nothing happens, you gotta be careful here its a different beast than many are used to!