We tested out an anti-UV umbrella to see how much it cools us down in this dreadful summer heat

Is it just a marketing gimmick or a brilliant invention of the century?

During summer in Japan, women are sometimes seen walking around holding umbrellas to shield them from the relentless sun. Mysteriously, this practice of using an umbrella to protect against sun instead of rain hasn’t spread to Japanese men. Are the men missing something, or is the humble umbrella’s function only limited to rain protection?

To determine if umbrellas actually help keep our temperatures down when outdoors, our Japanese-language reporter Ahiru Neko thought it best to try it out firsthand. He’d never used one in the sun before, as he always had the impression that such practices were part of women’s fashion.

And so Ahiru Neko bought his first ever anti-UV umbrella from Amazon, which came with a coating that blocked 99.9 percent of the sun’s UV rays.

▼ Will this thing really work?

He stepped out of the office and into a blazingly hot Shinjuku. He almost regretted his decision, but realized that this was the perfect way to test his umbrella’s powers.

▼ The sun threatened to reduce him into ash.

▼ Ahiru Neko brought with him a nifty infrared thermometer for more accuracy.

▼ The gadget was pointed to his chest, which obtained an initial reading…

▼ …of 37.6 Celcius (99.7 Fahrenheit).

Raising up his umbrella, he immediately felt the sun’s pervasive rays retreat from his skin.

▼ He was now in shade, but it still felt crazy hot.

▼ He took a leisurely stroll but quickly noticed that the
only people using umbrellas around him were women.

▼ Nevertheless, he did observe a marked
difference in temperature. Or was it all in the mind?

▼ It felt awkward, and the only way he could feel
at ease was to pretend that it was raining.

▼ Ahiru Neko arrived at his starting point and measured his temperature.

▼ 35.3 Celcius! This anti-UV umbrella protected him from two degrees worth of sun!

He was a little apprehensive about its safety though. Specifically, those spoke tips were dangerously positioned at eye level, ready to gouge out the eyeballs of the unwary.

▼ Which is no different when using them in the rain,
when you think about it.

▼ The conclusion? Yes, it does cool down its user a bit.

COK

Interested individuals should check out the umbrella on Amazon Japan here.

It’s amazing that you can shave off two Celcius off simply by carrying around some portable shade with you, something which can be achieved with the anti-UV umbrella or perhaps a sun protection mask too. Keep these handy items on you, and you’ll find Japan’s summer much more tolerable.

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