Even though August is coming to an end, the intense heat continues day after day. On the 28th, temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius during the morning hours. The misting systems installed under the large canopy at the west entrance of the building (commonly known as the "Umbrella") are operating at full capacity, and the sprayed "water curtain" of fine mist has now become a familiar summer tradition at the building.
This summer's heat can be said to be even more severe than usual. In light of the extreme heat in recent years, the Japan Meteorological Agency in April this year coined the term "extremely hot days" for days when temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius or higher, surpassing "dangerously hot days" of 35 degrees Celsius or higher. In July, the Tokai region recorded the nation's first five consecutive extremely hot days (July 21–25), and on July 27, Kyushu also recorded its first extremely hot day in observation history.
In Tokyo, the heat is expected to continue early next week, and the late-summer heat seems likely to remain severe into September as well.