More than 12,000 people taken to hospital nationwide for heatstroke Aug 17-23

How many of these cases could have been prevented by common sense?

Why don’t the elderly here get it? Every single year

Oh...this is not a good news.

The problem is that going to work as a "salary-man", you have to wear that damned suit with a necktie, which is unbelievable hot outside.

I am lucky that at least my company allows me to wear short sleeve shirts.

But than inside the office the Air-condition is running full power, that the wind blows my papers and documents from the desk and I start to freeze.

I dont know why they are going hospital for heatstroke ? its just come and go...

Tokyo is too fair everyday.. i also having heatstroke in my both hands...

"How many of these cases could have been prevented by common sense?"

Precisely

I dont know why they are going hospital for heatstroke ? its just come and go...

Because you can die from heatstroke, as the article shows

Why don’t the elderly here get it? Every single year

And in every country around the world, not just here, it is the elderly that die of heatstroke.

Look at it from their perspective - they have survived all of the previous heat waves. How would they know that they have now reached the specific age at which they are likely to die? Of course many take precautions, but I'd you have enough people, there will always be some.

Also some live in poverty and cannot afford to run air conditioning non-stop.

Quick lock down the country becuase well you knwo we need those hospital beds for the pandemic, you know sick people with the virus over running the wards, all 34 of them ......................................

Wake up people, its more dangerous going about your daily life in the sun than it is catching this ahem virus.

I completed a 10k run at 4:00 today and feeling great!. I'm pushing 60. Don't understand why so many are reporting heatstroke. Especially young people. People need to get off the sofa and away from the TVs and games and get out and get in shape. If you don't exercise your heart and lungs and wear a mask all day what do you expect to happen?

oh and no I don't sit in A/C all day. Don'T like them. If I do use one, it is usually set at 29-30

@since1981 it's not about body fat. stuff like your body temperature is different depending on where you are from which can affect how you feel the outside temperature a lot. young or old, it doesn't matter. if you're pushing 60 you should have obtained this kind of knowledge by now.

Old people and children are more affected as their internal thermostat doesn’t work as well as most people. They do not realise how hot they are until it’s too late. This also accounts as to why they are more prone to hypothermia. You also have to remember that you have to go out, school, shops, bank, hospital and the opening hours of businesses does not help. Why don’t supermarkets open earlier in the summer, say at 7am, so you can shop before it gets too hot. Japan needs to adapt to hot weather business practices, as seen in other hot countries.

Why don’t supermarkets open earlier in the summer, say at 7am, so you can shop before it gets too hot. 

This is a great idea, especially with an aging population. They tend to get up earlier in the morning too, 7-8 am is not early for many of them.

Take precautions too; wear light, loose clothing, carry water, use an umbrella/wide hat, avoid standing out in the sun when possible and stick to shaded areas when out.

If you are wearing a Mask in this Extreme heat you are in Big Troube and will have breathing Difficulty.

But how many people did they test for heatstroke? The numbers must be much higher!

It’s a a pity they haven’t broken the statistic down into prefectures. It would be interesting to know if the ‘anti-heatstroke’ innovations they put in place for the Olympics are actually working.

Funny, and all along here there have been complaints about hospitals not being able to handle extra patients, due to corona, (yeah I know, special requirements) and yet they have been able to handle 12,000 patients in spite of the virus?

Something tells me the government here isnt being straight with the people! (Sarcasm)

Oh and I have to write (sarcasm) because it seems that too many folks here have a hard time understanding it!

I think it comes down to people’s Over-reliance on air conditioning.

At home - aircon on, in the car / train - aircon on, at work - aircon on.

When they go outside, their bodies can’t handle the heat.

Our house has never used air conditioning (relying only on the trusty fan).

None of us have ever had any trouble during these hot humid summers.

saiakuToday  05:51 pm JST

@since1981 it's not about body fat. stuff like your body temperature is different depending on where you are from which can affect how you feel the outside temperature a lot. young or old, it doesn't matter. if you're pushing 60 you should have obtained this kind of knowledge by now.

If that's the case then why are so many JAPANESE ( I see) out jogging walking alone Tama River young and old not suffering form heatstroke. Could it be because they are taking care of their body?

5000 not 500

The problem is the vicious circle we create using A/C to prevent heatstroke which creates a warmer climate.

I brought up today's weather for Tokyo on my phone. At 8:16 pm in Japan, Tokyo is at 29 C (84 F), with 77% humidity, which makes it feel like 36 C (97 F).

36 C two hours after the sun has set? No amount of standing in the shade will compensate for conditions like that.

By comparison, Death Valley, California, often the hottest place on earth, has a temperature at 4:15 am of 36C, with 15% humidity, so it feels like 36 C.

In other words, Tokyo and Death Valley have the same temperature at this moment, but with the lower humidity, conditions may actually be better in Death Valley. Almost no one lives in Death Valley, but millions of people live in Tokyo.

It’s not so much the heat as dehydration and loss of critical ions.

I wonder how many of them were caused by being forced to wear masks...

Material masks don’t help with this issue. I have a perspex one that covers my nose and mouth but is held off on my face by a chin plate. Look a bit like a mad dentist but can breath normally and keeps the locals happy when I must wear a mask.

Idiots wearing mask in heatwave. It's sad that Soo many people hang on every word the media says. Maybe it was their responsibility to warn people that wearing a mask outside in the heat is dangerous. But I guess corona sells better.

I guess they are just giving people what they think they want.

Even without the pandemic, Tokyo is not a good place to visit in the middle of summer.

Not a good time to be hospitalized, I wish people would just be smart and dress down and cool down. It really still amazes me that there are actually people that set their AC at 28 degrees Celsius and still wear a full suit and tie.

In other words, Tokyo and Death Valley have the same temperature at this moment, but with the lower humidity, conditions may actually be better in Death Valley. Almost no one lives in Death Valley, but millions of people live in Tokyo.

"It's not the heat, it's the humidity" is as true as ever.

I've worn long sleeves and jeans in 33C with very low humidity and been fine. Meanwhile, I've been to places when it's 35C with high humidity and I'm a puddle of sweat while wearing a thin tee, thin shorts and flip flops.

This may be off topic, but it is inappropriate to compare this reporting to Covid-19 reporting. This articles states:

12,799 patients were taken to hospitals for heatstroke...

That does not mean they were hospitalised. A proportion may have been discharged on the same day.

Likewise:

387 were seriously ill, requiring more than three weeks of medical care...

This definition is different to the definition of serious ill for covid-19 patients, which is (generally) in the icu or requiring ECMO or a ventilator.

Of course, the heat wave and heatstroke are serious issues. However, it is largely independent of the pandemic (beyond minimal impact following behavioural changes).

Checked the weather app on the phone again, and at this time, adjusted for humidity, Tokyo is actually hotter than Death Valley - 36C vs. 35C.