After finishing the Golden Week, my office work made me busy, so I could not update any new topic for a while. Well…June has come, which means half of the year has almost passed!! Time flies by so quickly! And the climate in Tokyo has completely changed in a few weeks and it seems like almost a mid-summer!! It sometimes recorded more than 30℃ even Hokkaido where is the biggest northern island.

How can we protect our skin from strong  sunshine in summer?

Actually, I really hate “disgusting” summer season in Japan and I can’t stand its terrible heat and humidity as well as strong sunshine. Summer season in this country seems hotter and got longer year by year, I am always worrying how I can spend the horrible season more comfortablely. As I told you before, I had suffered from chronic eczema for a long time and it will get worst in summer season due to strong sunshine and my sweat. I would like to avoid both of them, however I don’t want to put sun protect cream on my face and body, because it leads itchiness more. You may think I should wear a hat, but it makes my head sweaty quickly in this humid climate, so it doesn’t work well. I really need something to block sunlight without touching my head skin directly. Then, one solution I found is to use a parasol, an umbrella for protection from strong sunlight. My parasol with a function of cutting ultraviolet rays has worked well so far. When I go out without it at daytime, my body gets hot and I sweat very soon so that I cannot let go with the parasol any longer.

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A parasol is a common tool to keep white skins for Japanese women

I just read some articles on web news that it is only Japanese who use a parasol in the world and it seems very wired for foreigners. Do you think it true that nobody use it in any other countries?? According to web news, parasols are seldom used by young ladies and it is just for elder women in other countries. However, you can find so many women who are using parasols from younger to older on the street in Japan and it seems like universal in this country. The main purpose for the most women who are using parasols is for keeping their skin white and avoiding to get suntan. White skin of women are considered to be more valued in this country, and of course not everyone, but most Japanese men prefer to women with white and clear skin. In addition, Japanese women hate to have any stains and freckles on the body and face, so that they are making great efforts to protect their skin so as not to get suntan. You can find easily strong sun-protect creams with SPF 50+ and even supplements for whiting skin at drug stores. Anyway, a “myth of whitening” is still living persisted in Japanese people’s mind.

In addition, you can find lots of women wearing long sleeves or arm covers. Especially for women who ride on their bicycles, arm covers and sun visor/hat with deep brim are mandatory items. Of course, the color of the items must be black, which does not transmit ultraviolet rays the least compared to other colors. From my point of views, it looks a bit strange that women are covered almost all their skin other than face even humid mid-summer… (I can understand their feeling partly, it is too hot to keep covering all my skin with cloths all day long.) If you have a chance to come to Japan in summer, please observe the appearance of Japanese women.

Whitening also attracts attention from young Japanese men

By the way, not only for Japanese women but also men have becoming more sensitive for keeping their skin white, especially among young generations. Some cosmetic companies are selling a series of whitening skin care items for men and we can find men’s parasols at department stores and retailer shops now. There are still few men who are using parasol around me, but it reminds me that one of my male friend accepted the new custom a few years ago, because he didn’t want to get suntan and prefers to keep being a “whitening boy”. I guess the time which is normal for men to use parasols will come in the near future… How about in your country?