East Asia Embraces AC Vests and UV Parasols as 20-Year-Old Heat Gadgets Boom
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 11
East Asia Embraces AC Vests and UV Parasols as 20-Year-Old Heat Gadgets Boom
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 11
Summary
Air-conditioned vests, UV parasols and semiconductor-style cooling fans are spreading across East Asian cities as a deadly August heat wave pushes personal cooling from novelty to daily necessity.
Canceled baseball games in South Korea and Japan’s new term "kokushobi" — or "cruel heat day" — underscore how the region’s hotter, longer summers are driving demand for more advanced gear.
Tokyo shoppers now face a market that has expanded beyond cheap hand-held fans to cooling sprays and wearable devices designed to lower body temperature within seconds.
Employers and governments increasingly treat those products as essential heat protection, reflecting how extreme summer weather is reshaping everyday life across East Asia.