Cool Japan: Human fridge chills workers in extreme heat
Cool Japan: Human fridge chills workers in extreme heat
Japan’s punishing summer heat is driving workers into an unusual refuge: a phonebooth-sized “human fridge” that blasts users with chilled air, offering rapid relief from soaring temperatures.
Warehouse worker Isao Tabuchi turned to the cooling box after feeling dizzy and unwell cycling to work. “I was really able to recover thanks to that. Once you use it, it’s very, very cool.”
The company behind it has sold more than 300 units of the Do Hiemon Box since April, priced at 1.5 million yen (US$9,400). Construction sites, factories and warehouses are among the customers.
After hauling heavy boxes, Taichi Konishi, 24, uses the cooling box about three times a day. “I’ve only been in for about two minutes, but even that was enough for all my sweat to dry up.”
