Japanese firms unveil cooling products as summer heat looms
Rakuten forecasts stronger demand for wearable cooling gear, portable fans and ice slurry makers as Japan braces for above-normal temperatures.
- In anticipation of a hotter-than-average summer, 29 Japanese companies showcased new cooling products at a Tokyo exhibition.
- Innovations include wearable technology like a backpack-style cooler that blows chilled air and a portable fan with a mist-spray device and a skin-cooling plate.
- The product push is driven by forecasts and consumer demand, as a recent survey found one in four people felt their previous heat-protection measures were insufficient.
- Other new items include an ice cream maker that produces sherbet-like slurry drinks from a user's favorite beverage.
Cooling gear took centre stage at a Tokyo exhibition on June 5, where 29 companies presented products designed to help people endure Japan’s expected summer heat.
The push comes as the Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts above-normal average temperatures across the country from June to August.
Rakuten Group, Inc. said in a summer trend forecast, based on purchasing data from its Rakuten Ichiba online marketplace, that clothing with cooling functions and portable fans with multiple features are among the items attracting attention.
At the event, Tokyo-based Mechalink Inc., a maker of fan-cooled clothing, displayed a backpack-style cooling product.
The item uses a proprietary cooling unit to help lower body temperature by blowing air as much as 14 degrees Celsius cooler than the outside air.
"It's completely different" from conventional air-conditioning wear that only blows air, said Kiyotake Sugita, Mechalink’s chief executive.
The company says the design is intended to protect people working outdoors from the heat, while remaining suitable for everyday wear.
SharkNinja G.K., a Tokyo-based electronics manufacturer, showed a portable fan that can be fitted with a mist-spray device and a cooling plate.
The plate can reduce skin temperature by up to 9 degrees.
Life on Products, Inc., a household goods company based in Osaka, western Japan, presented an ice cream maker that produces ice slurry, a sherbet-like drink.
Users can make it by placing their favourite beverage in a cup-shaped container chilled in a freezer and pressing a button, according to the company.
A survey conducted in April and May by organisations including Rakuten Group, Inc. covered 1,000 people and found that one in four respondents felt their measures against last year’s summer heat were "insufficient".
Demand for heat-protection goods is therefore likely to grow further.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
