Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

The Japanese are taking some unusual approaches in order to keep cool during this steamy summer. Since the earthquake and tsunami in March, foremost on everyone’s minds is “setsuden,” or energy conservation. This means using less air conditioning, making it necessary to find creative ways to beat the heat.

For example, there is a bitter melon called the goya used in Japanese cuisine that is now receiving attention for its cooling effects. Currently people are growing them in window boxes or backyards as they are said to help keep temperatures down. The Skylark restaurant company is cultivating the goya to create “green curtains” outside the windows of several hundred Tokyo locations. The plants should form a natural shade to cool the interiors, reducing the business’s reliance on air conditioners. The clothing chain Uniqlo is also cooling people down with its “power conservative biz” line. This includes products like the Drylux undershirts and underwear, said to absorb sweat and dry quickly.

Hotels are also capitalizing on customers’ desire for setsuden, unveiling special packages with titles like “Setsuden Cooperation Appreciation Plan.” This deal debuted in July at Mitsui Garden Hotels and it rewards clientele for their setsuden efforts. A discount is offered if they check in after 8 p.m., as this enables hotels to avoid electricity use during peak hours. Other hotels are appealing with taglines such as “You can save energy more than being at home,” and slashing group room rates by as much as 60%. Motivation for this effort largely comes from making up for the loss of foreign visitors whose amounts have greatly declined post-disaster, but hopefully setsuden endeavors will continue even when these numbers rebound back to normal.