So how hot is it? And why is the heat so oppressive?

It is not yet noon today, and it is 35 C,  which is 95 F.  By afternoon they say it will be 37 C (98.6 F) (same as yesterday).  The weather reports do something like we do for winter wind chill -- they say what it feels like when you take the humidity into account.  The humidity is always over 50%.  So the report for today says that it will feel like 46 C!  I am not even going to put that into the converter to see what it will be! 

This matters so much because it is not an automobile based society -- we, and the Japanese, are out in this sun.  For me it is a 15 minute walk to the grocery store, and a 10 minute walk from the bus stop to my office.  To go from the office to the gym/pool is a 20 minute walk, or a bit more.  And it can take 10 minutes of waiting to get a bus mid-day.  And, of course, visiting all these temples and shrines involves walking.

Sometimes we take a great interest in what is in the little shops that we pass -- just to enter and enjoy a few minutes of air conditioning.  

30 = 86
35 = 95
40 = 104