KYOTO - A severe and prolonged heatwave is taking a widespread toll across Japan, affecting everything from traditional summer events to vegetable harvests and dairy farms.
In Kyoto, the popular “Randen Yokai Train,” a haunted tram ride that offers a chilly thrill by featuring monsters during the Obon holiday season, has been cancelled this year. The decision was made due to the extreme heat, which poses serious health risks not only to passengers but also to staff members wearing long-sleeved monster costumes and heavy wigs. According to the operator, Keifuku Electric Railroad, the unprecedented temperatures made it too dangerous to run the event safely.
The intense heat is also affecting livestock. At Maruo Farm in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture, around 150 dairy cows are showing signs of heat fatigue. Their reduced appetite has led to a noticeable decline in milk production. One week ago, each cow was producing an average of 30 kilograms of milk per day. Now, that figure has dropped to 29 kilograms.
“If they don’t eat, they don’t produce milk,” said Maruo Farm owner Maruo Tateki. “It’s already cutting into our profits.”
Cows must continue giving birth to maintain milk production, but some have died after failing to recover strength due to the oppressive heat. Maruo explained that dairy cows perform best in temperatures around 20°C. With recent highs reaching 40°C, even cooling measures like misting systems, which can lower the temperature by about 5°C, are proving insufficient.
Meanwhile, farmers in Toyooka City, also in Hyogo, have been struggling with a prolonged lack of rainfall since the end of the rainy season. Although it finally rained on August 5th, the downpour was too light to make a difference.
Ogawa Yasuhiro, head of the local farming venture Vegedeplus, surveyed a bone-dry rice paddy and said, “Normally there would be standing water here. The little rain we got isn’t enough. We still desperately need more.”
Attempts to divert water from nearby rivers have failed, as the rivers themselves are drying up. Even crops that typically thrive in summer are suffering. Bell peppers, known for their heat resistance, are withering under the harsh conditions. Harvests are projected to fall by around 40 percent compared to average years.
To fight the heat, Ogawa is pumping groundwater around the clock. But the soaring temperatures are damaging the leaves and scorching the fruit before it ripens.
“Electricity and fuel costs for the pumps are higher than usual,” said Ogawa. “In July, I think it only rained once. It’s the least rain I’ve ever seen. This year has been especially brutal.”
Rain is forecast across much of the Kansai region on August 7th, but it remains to be seen whether it will bring much-needed relief to the scorched fields.
Source: YOMIURI
