Intense heat moves more Tokyo men to use parasols
Nearly half of men surveyed online in Tokyo used parasols amid high summer temperatures in 2025, including many who did so for the first time this year—a sign rising heat is eroding the strong association of the sunshades with women.
Parasols have long been popular among women to protect their skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. However, the Tokyo metropolitan government survey showed an overwhelming majority of male users saying they decided to use them to keep cool this summer.
The survey conducted in September showed that 44 percent of men used parasols this year, compared to 91 percent of women. Among the male users, 44 percent did so for the first time in 2025, 23 percent had been using them since last year, while 13 percent had started two years ago.
Among men in their 20s and 30s, more than half of those surveyed said they used parasols this year. In contrast, the lowest reported usage came from men in their 50s, at 39 percent.
Conscious of stares
Regarding the question of whether they were conscious of stares from people around them, 61 percent of men who used parasols this summer said being seen under one did not bother them, while 34 percent said it bothered them less than they had expected.
The survey aimed at users of an app for people who live, work or study in Tokyo was carried out for about two weeks in September with responses from around 8,400 people.
The Tokyo metropolitan government also interviewed 25 firms involved in areas such as parasol production and sales. Companies in four cases reported selling twice the number of parasols or more for men compared to a year ago.
Japan recorded a new highest temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius in Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, this year. From June to August, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported that temperatures were on average 2.36 C higher than normal, the highest since records began in 1898.
