Commuters in for a hot summer?

[gmat]

Riding the Odakyu Line on Monday at 3:00, I was caught with a heavy winter jacket in a crowded train. Pretty stifling, it was. That got me thinking. If the train lines cut down on air conditioning to save power and the new trains don't allow the windows to be opened, it might make for a very uncomfortable summer commute.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[Tecchan]

If only japanese people could learn to have a middle way with air conditioning, this could be good too!

 

They have heater on until the day they switch it with cooler. Yo go from 30°C to 15°C in a week.

In the winter, it's always too hot inside, and in the summer you have to take a jacket with you every time you go shopping, that's annoying but that's also a huge waste of energy.

[spacecadet]

In the winter, it's always too hot inside, and in the summer you have to take a jacket with you every time you go shopping, that's annoying but that's also a huge waste of energy.

 

Yikes, I've had the opposite experience.  I find their a/c usage even in the best of times to be spotty at best; if it's 95 degrees F outside, it might be 80 inside.  I'm used to walking in buildings in the US and being hit with a literal blast of frigid cold wind during summer.

 

I do have a feeling that this is going to be an uncomfortable summer.  I kind of wish I was not going in June (but rather some other time) but that's my wife's schedule.  I would rather go at least in May or something.

[Martijn Meerts]

Isn't the worst time to go to Japan usually around August, because of the fairly high temperatures and the high humidity?

 

At least, the current head master of the school of Kyudo I practice mentioned that even they are tempted to skip training during August/September, and adviced us not to go there during those months. He's in Tsukuba.

[bill937ca]

Some companies may shut down for two weeks this summer to reduce the power load.  Sony is considering this.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/13075977

[bikkuri bahn]

Apparently in the old days before air conditioned trains and when locomotive hauled stock was more widespread, it was quite pleasant (well, at least in the evening) to ride the trains in summer, as the doors were left open and the windows could be opened wide.

 

If only japanese people could learn to have a middle way with air conditioning, this could be good too!

 

FWIW, many trains have one or two carriages that have lowered levels of air conditioning, called jyaku reibosha (弱冷房車).  Anyway, comfort levels vary widely depending on the individual, and can be a function of culture (i.e. Americans prefer ice cold interiors) or body type (body fat/stature), as well as gender (many women have poor circulation, and complain about over-airconditioning).