Hokkaido has been experiencing a recent heatwave with temperatures soaring above 30°C day after day, a rarity in the past. A conversation a colleague from Hokkaido quietly had in Tokyo about being unaccustomed to such heat has gone viral. As a fellow Hokkaido native, I can completely relate...

This was a casual conversation with a colleague from Hokkaido at a company in Tokyo, but it perfectly captures the feelings of Hokkaido residents who aren't used to the heat. The post received over 13,000 reposts, with many comments from current and former Hokkaido residents like, "For us, anything over 25 degrees feels like midsummer," "It was normal for the temperature to drop in the evening and at night," and "I guess we'll never go back to the days when we could get by without an air conditioner..."

The Conversation with the Colleague Who "Felt Like It Was the End of the World"

The person who made this post is "Mahou Shoujo Kunukunu a.k.a. Junsuke Kunugiza." We've recreated the conversation here (with some slight dramatization).

Any Hokkaido native can deeply understand this colleague. It seems their family home doesn't have an air conditioner either, so "using the AC" isn't even an option. The original poster mentioned, "I thought it wasn't far from the truth, because without air conditioning, all you can really do is wait for it to cool down." Considering that the air conditioner penetration rate in Hokkaido is still only about 40%, it seems many people might still think this way.

This Year's Intense Heat in Hokkaido. Be Sure to Take Precautions Against Heatstroke!

However, it's now common for temperatures in Hokkaido to exceed 30°C, and on some days, certain areas have seen temperatures rise to nearly 40°C. Hot days will continue even in Hokkaido's summer, so please take thorough precautions against heatstroke, such as using sun protection and air conditioning, and staying hydrated with water and salt.

*Image is for illustrative purposes.