Kyoto Reached 39.8 Celsius

Above, the pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Considering the record heat wave that hit Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago (in Burbank and Van Nuys—temperatures reached 114 and 117 degrees respectively), Kyoto's temperature yesterday wasn't so bad.

News On Japan reported:

Temperatures in Kyoto rose as high as 39.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, tying the city's record high logged on Aug. 8, 1994, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. 

Temperatures reached 38.0 degrees or higher in the western Japan city for six straight days, for the first time on record since 1880.

39.8 Celsius translates to 103.64 Fahrenheit, which is not an uncommon temperature in the U.S. during the summer months.

When G-TOUR was in Kyoto back in August 2004, I remember the city being very hot and humid. The temperatures were a lot milder when I visited Kyoto in October 2015.

To read more, go here.

Japan In A Hot Spell

Above, the business area near Yachiyodai Station in Chiba Prefecture in February. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is amazing to see the difference that five months make.

It was only in February that Japan was socked by stronger-than-usual snowstorms (that I had the "pleasure" to experience) and seeing that Japan is now in a major heat spell.

According to News on Japan:

Much of Japan is still under a hot spell on Monday, with the mercury rising beyond 35 degrees Celsius in some cities. 

The article stated that Tokyo marked 31.4 degrees Celsius.

As we go by the Fahrenheit measuring system, 35 or 31.4 sounds cold. But Japan uses the Metric system. When you convert 35 Celsius to Fahrenheit, it tells a different story.

Metric Conversions.org converts 35 Celsius to Fahrenheit to be:

 35ºC = 95.000ºF

And Tokyo's was converted to this:

 31.4ºC = 88.520ºF

I wonder if they prefer the February temperatures to this?

To read more, go here.