What do you think of the Cool Biz campaign?

Friday 06th June, 05:27 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 23 Total Comments Show All

Patrick Smash at 10:37 AM JST - 6th June

If they would work sensible hours they wouldn't need to superheat everyone. I am not doing one second of unpaid overtime if the temperature is over 26 degrees in my office this summer. The idiots that arrive at 8:30 and leave again at 11:00, without having actually done anything, are an enormous cause of waste. But the same old fools believs they are environmentally aware because throughout their marathon sit-downs they have sweated a lot. Just get a life, work sensible hours, and you won't need cool biz. Just go home and be hot and smelly.
Sarge at 10:44 AM JST - 6th June

GW - Get a job! Ha ha ha! I envy you, you...
thepro at 11:59 AM JST - 6th June

Crap
Altria at 12:12 PM JST - 6th June

I don't understand why the salarymen insist on wearing the suit jacket to and from work every day, even though they never wear it in the office.

Mine lives in the office during summer, only to be worn on special occasions.
Fair dinkum! at 12:31 PM JST - 6th June

The whole concept of suit dress code is a sexist scam! Women have cool biz all year round and can wear whatever they like. If a man has to wear a suit and tie, why not a woman? The 'black suit brigade' is just another false belief built into Japanese society. "If you don't wear a suit and tie you are nobody." What a load of crap! The fashion concept of men's suits is so outdated and irrelevant to success it really busts my nuts putting the stupid thing on every day - BTW, no cool biz in my office. Suits as usual, but 28' on the thermostat.
Piglet at 12:55 PM JST - 6th June

Cool Biz is not really effective... A few tips for a more effective environmental policy during summer: - Open the windows at night, if possible (on higher floors) - Early in the morning, close the windows and doors and put the AC at high speed for 1 hour (when it is cheaper to use energy to cool the building). It will cool the walls and help keep cool during daytime. - During day time, CLOSE ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS in rooms with AC (but keep a few windows open at the roof of the building to allow evacuation of warm air). - Keep curtains closed in rooms under direct sun exposure - After 6 pm, stop the AC everywhere and open doors and windows - Keep casual (short sleeves, no jacket) - Switch off (or put on standby mode) lights and computers when not used (lunch break, etc...). Keeping computers on during summer can increase room temperature 1 to 2 degrees.
Spidey at 01:18 PM JST - 6th June

It gets the "cold shoulder" from me.

S
GW at 02:31 PM JST - 6th June

sarge

I have a job, self employed, work whenever the work needs to be done, weekends golden week, whatever, but when its slow I can easily take a 1/2day or whatever I want to do what I want, sorry to rub it in but I almost always start my day at home sipping coffee do the computer thing, then its a 20-25min drive to the office around noon!!

I think I will be splitting today to go home, take the dog for a walk then get the BBQ ready, & of course I am in shorts as I type this, cool biz, hell no just common sense!
westurn at 02:52 PM JST - 6th June

Cool Biz only highlightes how archaic Japan Inc has become. The real question is why are Japanese still flooding into Tokyo day after day to sit around in offices answering phones, sending e-mails and faxes, and visiting customers. Couldn't they do that from the confines of their own homes ? Hell the states is just full of people working for major companies out of their homes... what's wrong with the Japanese ? Why all the waste ? The running in place ? Haven't they figured it out yet... the bubble burst ! Your economic model doesn't work ! Try something different !
WMD at 03:51 PM JST - 6th June

Cool Biz is rubbish! Go naked, the ladies anyway, be cool and save the planet. Or something like that.
GW at 04:25 PM JST - 6th June

westurn

As I often tell people, Japanese are great at technology & making gadjets but dont know how to use them in real life. I work from home all the time in Jpn its great, all this face to face crap is so over rated, once in a while is plenty!!
ALHQQ at 04:58 PM JST - 6th June

I'm curious to know the gender of each person submitting a response. Japan is a male dominated society; overall, men tend to be warmer than women.
Starviking at 06:09 PM JST - 6th June

Cool Biz is another excuse for retailers to sell us 'Cool Biz' clothes that don't keep us cool.

As I mentioned in another post, savings on cutting down on Air Conditioners are eaten away by increased need for washing sweaty clothes and the general lack of efficiency in the workplace.

Last year our Mottaini nuts had us ban electric fans from the workplace. I really got to focus on my work then!

Imbeciles! In Japan is it more important to be seen to be doing something than actually achieving the intended result.
Betting at 05:50 PM JST - 7th June

If you look at Japanese culture, being part of a group has always been a big thing. Being part of a group means having a uniform of some description, walk outside and have a look, you'll see housewives wearing their aprons having a chat on the street, construction workers not on site, but still wearing their hardhats, students wearing uniforms or variations of them as dictated by their peers etc etc. I think that kind of mindset needs to worked at, but it will be a gradual thing that will take time, but there are also equally or even more effective ways to help cool people down many of which have been stated here already.

Most women still have to wear stockings at work, they should be allowed to dump those. There is a stop the idling campaign, but we still see so many cars parked on the side of the road idling away, the police could be empowered to do something about this. How many times have we walked in a department store or onto a train, and it is freezing, absolutely no need for this stuff. The list just goes on and on and on ...
spotehun at 10:46 PM JST - 7th June

I'm a swimming coach, and nobody from our company does ever wear a suit. Of course, we are mostly swimming coaches, trainers and such, but even the owner of the company (who owns quite a few businesses all over Tokyo) never wears a suit. Wearing a suit each and every day, especially on those damn crowded trains, is just a waste.

Sometimes I have a white shirt and white jeans on... feels funny, among all those dark suit guys:D:D