JTG: How to prevent from heat stroke

YokosoNews Japan Travel Guide (JTG) is the traveler's tip from YokosoNews.

Albert Espinosa and Katz were sweating like a waterfall, but still enjoying Kyoto's summer day

Enjoy the summer in Japan with enough preparation

We never say you should not come to Japan during summer. Japan has all kinds of event: Obon festival, fireworks, dancing, beach, climbing or camping. However, Japan is very humid and hot during summer. Certain preparation is necessary to survive this hot humid Japanese summer.

If you are coming from the region with dry or cooler climate, you should pay extra attention to the following advice.

I wish you enjoy the stay in Japan. At the same time, be heathly!

This article may be boring. But it's for your health.

Curcumstances

Watch out under such circumstances

• The tempreture increased drastically compared to the previous day
• High humidity although the lower tempreture
• The people, who are usuallty staying indoor, started work exterior (including traveling)
• Statistically, the first hot day or the first several days of the hot environment
• Statistically, 10am, and 1~2pm tends to be "dangerous time zone"

How to prevent from hyperthermia or heat stroke

• Sleep well
• Eat breakfast
• Drink water and small amount of salt before you get thirsty
• Or have sport drink before you get thirsty
• Take a break frequently

This is no joke. The summer climate in Japan tends to be very humid. Even if it's 30 celcius (86 F), you would feel like 35 C (95F) of dry region. Also when you are traveling, you tends to be outside longer than usual.

Make sure to take more break than you think you need. Japan has a lot of nice resting spot like this...

Katz enjoying tea break at Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan

The tea break at Kinkaku-ji was peaceful~.

Travelers' tips against heat stroke

In addition to the previous tips, when you are traveling:

• Make sure to keep bottled drink all the time
• Make sure to take a enough tea break at the coffee shop
  • Lucklily, Japan has a lot of great cafes or coffee shops
• Make sure to keep extra 100 yen coins or 1,000 yen bill to buy drinks for the vending machines
  • 750 ~ 1,000 yen per person per day
• Stoop by nearby cafe and or tea house

Types of Hyperthermia

There are mainly four stages of hyperthemia (heat sycope, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke). (Quoted from Wikipedia article)

Heat Sycope

(熱失神 = Netsu-shisshin) = 1st degree hypeethemia

Cause

Sudden loss of consciousness due to the dehydration.

The symptoms

• Unconciousness
• A lot of sweating
• Normal body tempreture
• bradycardia (lower heat beat. The less than 60 beats per minutes).

Treatments

It requires body cooling and Intravenous therapy (IV therapy).

Heat Cramps

(熱痙攣 = Netsu-Keiren) = 1st degree hypeethemia

Causes

After sweating a lot, drink large amount of water, but not enough salt or mineral (unbalanceness)

Symptoms

• Cramp (Sudden body shake with pain)
• Ankylose (Sudden tense and stiffness of body)
• Normal body tempreture
• A lot of sweating

Treatment

Drink salt water

Heat Exhaustion

(熱疲労 = Netsu-hiro) = 2nd degree hyperthemia

Cause

Dehydration of the body due to sweating more than drinking water and taking enough salt and mineral

Symptoms

• Various symptons such as dizzyness and feeling cold.
• Skin tempreture tends to be colder than normal
• Sweating a lot

Treatment

Intravenous therapy (IV therapy) and body cooling

Heat Stroke

（熱射病 = Nessha-byo） = 3rd degree hyperthemia

Cause

The heat damages hypothalamus (the part of brain) and the body is no longer able to control the body tempreture.

Sympton

• Servere lack of consciousness
• Body tempreture insreases over 40 C (or 100 F)
• No sweating
• Dry skin

Treatment

Call for ambulance (Call 119)

Japanese Travel Guide Language Quick Tip Sheet #1

The following is the PDF contains a several Japanese sentences in case of emergency. We hope you should not have to use it. But just in case.

Happy and safe traveling!

##

####