TOKYO - A late-summer heat wave pushed central Tokyo to its 10th consecutive day meeting the 'extremely hot' threshold of 35°C on August 27, updating the all-time records both for the longest streak and for the annual count of such days. By 2 p.m., the city had reached 36.0°C as crowds moved under parasols and sought shade in Shibuya despite the month drawing to a close.
Shoppers and students described the heat as searing. A teenage girl said, “It’s so hot it feels like my body is burning. I just want it to cool down soon,” while a teenage boy noted, “The sun is so strong that I’m sweating even when I’m standing still. It feels like it gets hotter every year.”
The prolonged heat is reshaping how visitors plan trips. A tourist from Germany summed up the experience by saying, “This is everything you need to know—I won’t come in August again.” Another woman, unaccustomed to Japan’s humidity, said she bought a portable fan as soon as she arrived and now considers it essential.
The heat extended across the Kanto region. More than 100 locations registered highs of at least 35°C by 2 p.m., including 39.4°C in Hatoyama, Saitama Prefecture; 38.7°C in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture; and 38.7°C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, where many people walked with handheld fans. With Tuesday’s reading, central Tokyo’s total number of extremely hot days this year reached 23, also a record.
Clouds are expected to increase over Kanto on August 28 with a chance of spotty showers. The forecast high for central Tokyo is 32°C, which—if realized—would keep the city below the extremely hot threshold for the first time in 11 days.
Source: TBS
