An unfinished blog post from January described a freezing morning in Kamakura. Only six months later, Japan is facing dangerous summer heat, and even a short walk now requires serious preparation.
It is hot again from early this morning.
If it is already this hot in Kamakura, which lies close to the sea, I can hardly imagine what it must be like in central Tokyo, where the hospital I work at is located.
My wife gets up at five to take Anne for a walk, and I cannot stop worrying that either of them might suffer from heatstroke.
As I opened my blog, wondering what I should write about today, I came across a post I had started on January 8 this year, titled “Japan Is Cold Too.”
While I was in New York, I was surprised by the cold day after day. But when I compared the temperatures with those in different parts of Japan, they were about the same as in Aomori or Sapporo. So I thought that if New York was simply as cold as northern Japan, then perhaps that was only to be expected.
But this morning, the temperature in Kamakura was 0°C.
Now that is cold.
Perhaps today was unusual, but the minimum temperature in New York was 3°C, which meant it was considerably colder here.
Yesterday, I stayed awake for almost the entire flight, and I had planned to go straight to bed as soon as I got home, but—
That was where the post ended.
I have completely forgotten what I intended to write next.
In any case, this past winter was so cold that it caused serious damage not only to the plants in our garden, but to plants throughout Kamakura.
And yet, this summer’s heat looks likely to become an even greater, disaster-level threat.
The number of people being taken to hospital by ambulance with heatstroke seems to be soaring.
This is not someone else’s problem.
I need to take care not to become one of them.
And so, the other day, I finally bought a sun umbrella.
For years, I had avoided buying one because of my preconceived notion that sun umbrellas were somehow unmanly.
Recently, however, I have seen many men using them, and that finally persuaded me to buy one.
At this time of year, I spend less than an hour a week walking outside during the daytime.
Even so, there is no telling what might happen during that brief period.
I compared small, medium, and large models and chose a fairly large umbrella that can be used in both sunshine and rain.
The problem is that it is rather cumbersome to carry.
Still, the effect while walking beneath it is remarkable, so I cannot really complain.
When I looked at the umbrellas carried by people approaching me, I noticed that most of them were about the same size as mine.
Apparently, necessity leaves little room for vanity.
Hydration, salt replacement, and more.
There are many other things we now have to remember, and I carry various items in addition to the umbrella.
Just as we dress in heavy layers during winter, it seems that summer now requires its own form of heavy equipment.
Today’s high temperature in New York is around 30°C.
Rain is expected over the next few days, with temperatures falling below 30°C.
I find myself envious.
I wish Japan could remain at the level where we could simply say, “It is fairly hot here too.”
Only months ago, I was writing about the cold; now even an ordinary summer day requires preparation for survival.
・・・
I can hardly imagine
Used to say that something is difficult to picture because it seems extreme.
あまりに極端で、想像することさえ難しい。
come across
To find something unexpectedly.
偶然見つける、たまたま目にする。
disaster-level
Severe enough to be compared with a natural disaster.
災害に匹敵するほど深刻な。
soar
To rise rapidly and dramatically.
急激に増加する、うなぎのぼりになる。
preconceived notion
An opinion formed before having enough knowledge or experience.
十分な根拠や経験を得る前から持っている先入観。
unmanly
Not considered traditionally masculine.
伝統的な意味で男らしくない、女々しいと見なされる。
cumbersome
Large, heavy, or inconvenient to carry or use.
かさばって扱いにくい、持ち運びに不便な。
necessity leaves little room for vanity
When something is necessary, appearance or pride becomes less important.
必要に迫られれば、見栄や体裁には構っていられない。
salt replacement
Replacing salt lost through sweating.
発汗によって失われた塩分を補うこと。
heavy equipment
A large amount of protective gear or supplies.
重装備、多くの防護用品や携行品。
#SummerHeat #HeatstrokePrevention #SunUmbrella #LifeInJapan #pathologist #NewYork
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