Human refrigerator offers instant relief in Japan as summer temperatures rise

The glass door closes, and a curtain of cool air spills over your head, neck and shoulders, delivering instant relief from the punishing summer heat.

This is what it is like to chill in the Do Hiemon Box, an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator that looks big enough to fit a human being, because that is exactly what it is designed to do. Trusco Nakayama has sold about 200 of the 1.5 million yen (US$9,500) booths to steel mills, construction sites, golf courses, universities and leisure facilities since it went on sale earlier this year.

As global temperatures climb, Japan’s summers have been getting hotter and more humid, with readings regularly exceeding 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The country’s weather agency has had to come up with new terminology for sizzling-hot days, while national broadcaster NHK routinely warns viewers of heatstroke risk. During the season, pharmacies and household-goods stores fill their shelves with blue-toned products promising cooling relief.

The Do Hiemon Box, which keeps the temperature at a brisk 15 degrees and blows jets of 5-degree air once someone sits inside, is designed to offer quick relief from potential heat exhaustion or heatstroke, rather than serve as a lounge to sit back and relax.

“The concept was less about providing a place to rest and more about providing equipment that could help prevent heat-related conditions from becoming more severe,” said Fumiaki Matsubara, general manager of Trusco’s product division.