Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
A few weeks ago, we reported on the Japanese government’s Super Cool Biz campaign, which is basically an initiative to encourage Japan’s office workers and business folk to wear lighter, cooler and somewhat more casual clothing during the hot summer months. It is a big part of this year’s setsuden summer in Japan, where a premium has been placed on conserving electricity due to the country’s diminished electric power production capacity in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown back in March. And apparently the Super Cool Biz campaign has been a big hit. Polo-style shirts in particular have become a kind of new and comfortable symbol of a more relaxed and energy-conscious environment in Japan’s busy and rather serious offices. In addition, some government offices in Tokyo and other cities are allowing workers to wear pattern-free t-shirts, and even knee-length shorts. So with every day this summer basically being a casual Friday in Japan, you wouldn’t be surprised to see folks wearing Hawaiian shirts, right? Well, wrong. Seems Hawaiian shirts, known as ‘aloha shirts’ in Japan, are a source of discomfort and controversy in Japanese office environments. At the link, you’ll get some historical background about the origins of aloha shirts (they were invented in Japan) and why these shirts are an uncomfortable reminder of Japan’s loss in World War II. Oh, and on the practical side, it seems that the very hot and humid Japanese summers make wearing the typical Rayon aloha shirt a pretty uncomfortable and impractical undertaking. Who knew? (Asahi Shimbun Online – “Aloha” Shirts Not Super Cool for Biz)
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First, there was Super Cool Biz. Then, there was the USB-charged tie fan, and the puffy jacket with the built-in fans. And for our next story on staying cool during Japan’s setsuden summer, we bring you the super water-cooling backside pad! Yes, according to the short report at the link, this pad and water-circulation combination works pretty much like the water-cooling system in a personal computer. Code-named the Ass Water Cooler, this device has apparently been designed to keep irate drivers cool in major Japanese urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka where summer traffic jams can reach legendary proportions. You can pretty much dope out how the system works by looking at the promotional image we obtained. Pretty “cool” idea, and probably a lot more comfortable that those love beads you see taxi drivers sitting on while they plaster you to the back seat as they drive you to the airport at warp speed. (Akihabara News – Japanese Ass Water Cooler)
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Since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, energy conservation has become a very important concern after the meltdown the disaster caused at the Fukushima nuclear power facility. Setsuden, the Japanese term for conserving electricity, has become a popular trend and media discussion topic. And in cities like Tokyo which have been hit hard by Japan’s diminished ability to produce electricity because of the Fukushima meltdown, setsuden has become a necessary if uncomfortable way of summertime life. So, ever the innovators, the Japanese have started coming up with new products and ideas to help people using less air-conditioning in the often stifling summer heat of Tokyo and other cities. You may recall the story we reported a few weeks ago about the Japanese government’s Super Cool Biz campaign, which urges office workers to wear lighter, cooler business fashions. Well in addition to cooler clothes, we’ve come across a couple of tech solutions for the Japanese heat. One is a small fan that clips onto the back of a salaryman’s tie and blows (hopefully) cool air across the chest and neck. It’s run by a small battery pack which can be recharged by plugging it into a computer USB port. Another tech solution is a special jacket that has fans built into it and keeps the wearer cool with a rather unfashionable but comfortable puffy balloon of circulating air while the garment is in use. Of course, we can’t vouch for how effective these devices are for their intended purpose, but the ideas seem sound. And they must certainly be a lot less drippy and messy than those gel-filled coolers you chill in the freezer and wrap around your neck in the heat. (Red Ferret Journal – USB Tie Fan) (The Raw Story – Japanese Fan Jacket)
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