After an extra-long rainy season, folks in Japan are now bracing themselves for a particularly mean heatwave with historical summer temperatures. Better get ready for all the “いですね.”
The rain was barely gone when the scorching heat settled in central Japan, sending thousands of people to the hospital with heatstroke. Since early August, the weather has been reaching maddening temperatures, close to or above 40°C in hundreds of cities, with a historical record of 41.1°C in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. To put this in perspective, the average summer temperature in this particular city is around 31°C.
This tweet shares a picture of Hamamatsu city’s public thermostat at 2 p.m., boiling under the sun, its needle past the maximum 44°C. According to the locals, it really felt like it was 46°C and the wind that day was like hot air coming from an oven!
をしたといて
こ わ れ る
=
“I heard that Japan recorded the highest temperature ever
Hamamatsu City is broken”
浜松でってめちゃヤバイ
、ライダーでショッカーがをってのらをししてやるぜい！ってがあった。
そののは・・・ｗ
はわったのであ～る
どうか、さんなどおをつけて
=
“The 41.1-degree temperature in Shizuoka’s Hamamatsu is crazy
A long time ago, there was a story with a Kamen Rider Shocker wanting to create an artificial sun and steam and kill people in Tokyo!
The temperature at that time was… 38 degrees lol
The times have changed
Please, everyone, be careful not to get heatstroke”
Blessed be A/C
Heatstroke is no joke. With hot temperature days and nights, we dehydrate fast and can easily get summer fatigue. With 84 deaths in Tokyo linked to the lack of A/C, not turning on the air conditioner during this heatwave is very dangerous. Japanese homes are poorly insulated and their rooms quickly become fatal boilers.
To avoid temperature shock each time you leave your home, try to set your A/C on the recommended 28°C.
、をエアコンでにすると、どうなるか
がれます
=
“What happens if you set the AC at 18°C when the temperature is 35°C?
The window breaks”
Wondering about whether you should leave the A/C on each time you go out? Seems like if you’ll be back after an hour or more, better turn it off.
3000RT：【なるほど】な暑さ、エアコンのコツとは
https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/18735979/…
にするが「」なららない、「30分」なら切るのがおすすめ。は、「」にするのがおすすめだという。
=
“3000RT: [I see!] How to save money on air conditioning during a string of dangerously hot days
If you’re out for 30 minutes or less, don’t cut (the AC), but if for more than 30 minutes, better turn it off. When you go to bed, set it on automatic.”
The Japan Meteorology Agency warned that the heat will last till the end of the week at least, so everyone should take appropriate measures—drinking water, staying away from direct sunlight, and turning on the A/C.
Also, check our essential products for surviving the Japanese summer guide!
How to say “I heard …” in Japanese
Here’s an easy JLPT N4 point for you to review. The combo particle と \+ verb 聞く allows you to say that you heard something whether it’s a discussion or simply a noise. When you are using the past tense (聞いた/聞きました) you’re merely stating a piece of information.
暑くなると聞きました = I heard it’ll get hotter.
したと聞いた = I heard they got married.
If you use聞いている / 聞いています (the “non” past tense), you’re referring to something you have heard and you believe that it’s still true now, i.e. the situation hasn’t changed.
すると聞いた : I heard they’re getting a divorce (you don’t know if they did divorce—that’s just a FYI and the speaker is not psychologically involved in what they’re saying)
離婚すると聞いています: I heard they’re getting a divorce (and I believe that’s the case unless proven otherwise—the speaker is somehow psychologically involved and has a strong belief that’s true/ongoing)
Ready to go out and practice Japanese at the beach? We’ve got one word for you: SUNSCREEN (サンスクリーン剤).
きょうも、ところによっては最高気温が40度に迫る危険な暑さとなる見込みです。こうならないように十分に注意してください。
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“Today too, the maximum temperature is expected to reach a dangerous 40°C in some places. Please be very careful not to end up like this.”
