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Essay

Shade and wind

With the changes brought on by global warming, the summers are likely to just keep on getting fiercer. Japan has two solutions to beat the heat that are simple, cheap, require no electricity and feel wonderfully "retro" -- the parasol and the hand fan.

In America, you almost never see a parasol, so my image of a parasol comes from the early 1900s. I imagine women dressed in long, flowing, white dresses holding their lacey white parasols over their heads as they stroll through a park whispering to each other. Every time I see a parasol in Tokyo, I feel like I'm in a movie!

Of course, in America, there are umbrellas, but a parasol is different in that it is mainly used for the sun. The word comes from two Latin words, para meaning "against" and sol meaning "sun."

Whatever the image, carrying a parasol is like carrying around your own shade. They are practical, of course, but also can be a fashion accessory more stylish than any drab rain umbrella. I love the way parasols cast people into shadow, blocking out the sun's glare, as well as the heat, so that on a bright sunny day, the people under the shade of the parasol are the only ones you can see clearly.

The other summer cooling technique also feels to me like it comes from a movie. I picture an ancient Asian teahouse with women in kimono or cheongsam, men smoking long pipes and sipping cups of tea. Both the men and the women are cooling themselves with rapid flutters of hand fans! In America, they are rare, but in Tokyo's humid summer, I often feel like I'm the only one without one.

A fan is light, compact and effective, but, like a parasol, very aesthetic. The designs can be lovely and meaningful. In old Japan, lovers could send messages to each other by the way they held their fans, and traditional performing arts like dance and rakugo storytelling still use fans as part of their technique. Fans always make me feel the person is quite nervous, since the flick of the wrist to wave the fan is always so quick and restless.

Just as a parasol is your own shade, a fan is like carrying around your own breeze. You don't have to wait for a wind, or sneak under the air-conditioner like I usually do on the train; instead, you make your own cooling gush of air whenever and wherever. Perhaps that self-regulating factor is part of their appeal. If future summers keep getting hotter, parasols and hand fans will surely become a booming industry, even if I will always feel like I'm in an old movie when I see one!

Shukan ST: AUGUST 17, 2012

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Essay Shade and wind By Michael Pronko With the changes brought on by global warming, the summers are likely to just keep on getting fiercer. Japan has two solutions to beat the heat that are simple, cheap, require no electricity and feel wonderfully "retro" -- the parasol and the hand fan. In America, you almost never see a parasol, so my image of a parasol comes from the early 1900s. I imagine women dressed in long, flowing, white dresses holding their lacey white parasols over their heads as they stroll through a park whispering to each other. Every time I see a parasol in Tokyo, I feel like I'm in a movie! Of course, in America, there are umbrellas, but a parasol is different in that it is mainly used for the sun. The word comes from two Latin words, para meaning "against" and sol meaning "sun." Whatever the image, carrying a parasol is like carrying around your own shade. They are practical, of course, but also can be a fashion accessory more stylish than any drab rain umbrella. I love the way parasols cast people into shadow, blocking out the sun's glare, as well as the heat, so that on a bright sunny day, the people under the shade of the parasol are the only ones you can see clearly. The other summer cooling technique also feels to me like it comes from a movie. I picture an ancient Asian teahouse with women in kimono or cheongsam, men smoking long pipes and sipping cups of tea. Both the men and the women are cooling themselves with rapid flutters of hand fans! In America, they are rare, but in Tokyo's humid summer, I often feel like I'm the only one without one. A fan is light, compact and effective, but, like a parasol, very aesthetic. The designs can be lovely and meaningful. In old Japan, lovers could send messages to each other by the way they held their fans, and traditional performing arts like dance and rakugo storytelling still use fans as part of their technique. Fans always make me feel the person is quite nervous, since the flick of the wrist to wave the fan is always so quick and restless. Just as a parasol is your own shade, a fan is like carrying around your own breeze. You don't have to wait for a wind, or sneak under the air-conditioner like I usually do on the train; instead, you make your own cooling gush of air whenever and wherever. Perhaps that self-regulating factor is part of their appeal. If future summers keep getting hotter, parasols and hand fans will surely become a booming industry, even if I will always feel like I'm in an old movie when I see one! Shukan ST: AUGUST 17, 2012 (C) All rights reserved