Dog days of summer in Japan are calling for quirky because cool stay

TOKYO - is it a scorcher of a summer in Japan, and Tokyo is bathed in sweat on behalf of the conservation of electricity. Air conditioning is set in most offices at 82 degrees when it is enabled at all. And it is not only the people who suffer.

The set brews produced energy-conservation campaign in Japan has developed an industry of quirky products to the heat-including cooling suits for hot download hit. The WSJ Mariko Sanchanta reports from Tokyo.

"He much appetite this year not because I have not been using the air conditioning," said Miyuki Mori, the ownership of the name of Merlot, one toy poodle pet salon in a suburb of Tokyo had visited. Merlot was getting his annual summer haircut. "This is, why I want to buy this for him, birthday," said she, gesturing, developed a special tank top with water from the dog sprayed cooling. "I buy him usually frilly dresses, not something like this handy."

Alphaicon, a manufacturer of dog clothing, so sales for its "summer cooling tank-top"-priced between ? 3150 (approx. $40) for the model Chihuahua and ? 6,510 golden retriever size and in five colours available - have five-fold jumped since it was introduced this summer. "Not sweat dogs." "You overheat, and we needed something to cool, keep inventing", Kiyoshi Takahashi, the Chief Executive of Alphaicon, says Dachshund has. "It took a few tries," he gave, saying that first made discover with Terry, that it links the dog sopping wet and shivering.

Includes such as Japan set brews, or electricity due to power that offline store is quite Japan, the phenomenon has led quirky products against the heat to a small industry, that are oh-so-Japanese.

The political and corporate elites in Tokyo have already taken a no suit, no-tie "super cool biz" summer uniform with hot Office, but simply shedding clothes to deal with is not enough with the repressive, 100 degrees to cope with summer heat. That cool items to keep Japanese from splashing are asked to reduce consumption of electricity by 20%, to prevent power outages. And manufacturers and retailers ensure that they cash in on the opportunity.

Zug Corporation A package of "cool" leggings.

IIDA industry co. is a small company with about 200 employees based in Aichi in Central Japan west of Tokyo, mainly sound specialized, and rubber materials for the production of purposes. "We were looking to a commercially viable"Cool-off"to make product, and encountered a cooling substance called dimethyl ether," says Hiroya IIDA, management officer at IIDA.

And so "cool foam North Pole story" was born: a spray can, which spits cool, flexible foam. The foam is a solid gel, as soon as it is located on the skin and are discarded, can as soon as the cooling effect wears off.

The foam is main part of vinyl acetate, a connection in chewing gum, used and contains dimethyl ether, a gas and menthol, to offer, as they evaporate the cooling effect. It costs a mere ? 680 per can.

Mr. IIDA says the number of sales as the company now have exceeded the goal of the annual 10 million yen. "We think that set brews awareness promotes sales anyway."

But users say it is crucial for the instructions follow. On 28 may, someone wrote a review on Yahoo Japan shopping: "I am satisfied with the product." "But be sure to keep it because you have out a hard time of cleaning of your hair."

In Sugamo, a neighborhood in the Northern Tokyo known for its relatively high proportion of active ageing of the population, is the view of people "cool-off scarves" bear so often in these days orthopaedic footwear and hikers.

Scarves that come in an array of patterns and colors of Leopard print-to bright pink, consist of a chemically treated material that stays cool for up to three hours after it is dipped in water.

Masashi Dan, a 75-year-old man who has a fortune telling booth at the entrance to Sugamo shopping, says he is satisfied with the product, the approximately 1,000 ? costs. "That's good!" It over and over again to use, "he said."

But not all agree. Mr. Yoshida, a 73 - year old man who owns a bike shop, which rejected it, his first name offer says that the cool ties can be further improved.

"I don't care if I pay more, or if it look weird." This one costs ? 700, but it takes only 2 or 3 hours, "he said." He used a more traditional remedy: he puts it on the head with his hat and a towel in ice water sharp edges.

Mayumi Mayo, a representative of Takashimaya Department store in Tokyo, saying that cut consumers, cool-off summer goods, new in this year and much advertised search awareness of the need, in this summer again on air conditioning led. "We were already getting calls about whether we carry eludes leaves heat and gel mats awaits at the end of March,", she said.

Their most popular products were elements with the aim to keep cool as they sleep people. Takashimaya began also selling one sneak grow-your-own plant kits this year called him a "green curtain". The product was shadow in which close to create from their veranda and sold until mid-June, only a month and a half after it was on the shelf out residents for the apartment.

For women who want to stay cool, but not their character check, train Corp. introduced "cool" version of a corrective leg wear series, Onna no Yokubo (A woman wants to). The leggings and stockings containing chemicals such as xylitol, a common ingredient in mint flavour gum. Train says that demand has been five times as high as expected for the leggings ? 1,050.

The rise of cool inventions could spread overseas. Mr. Takahashi of Alphaicon says he would tank to sell top for dogs in other markets like to summer cooling. "We'd love to bring it to the United States and Europe but we're a small business only 10 people," he says.

Ms Mori, who bought a tank top, her dog, says that Japan will soon lead the world in energy-conservation techniques. "We should have done long ago." My daughter, who is five, now growing with an appreciation of how to save energy. "It is the future."

Write to Mariko Sanchanta at mariko.sanchanta@wsj.com

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