Cool streets

Picture of the Day ( 22 )

Cool streets

Waitresses dressed in maid costumes sprinkle water on a street, a custom known as “uchimizu,” to cool the street temperature in Tokyo’s Akihabara on Saturday.

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22 Comments

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  • 1

    CrazyJoe

    This is called 打ち水 (uchi mizu) in Japanese. It's the principle of evaporative cooling.

  • -1

    sensei258

    Similar to the lesser-known custom of "kiniro mizu '

  • 1

    CrazyJoe

    Would you please tell me how "kiniro mizu" is written in Japanese?

  • 1

    Serrano

    Very nice.

  • 1

    CrazyJoe

    @Serrano

    Right on.

  • -3

    my2sense

    As tribes in Africa pray for rain. But I see the point.

  • 1

    supermonk7

    This is a good thing.

  • -2

    Daijoboots

    What a bunch of geeks. This whole french maid thing has been going on for a good seven years now. It's very old and tired, but there is nowhere to go from here.

  • -5

    kwatt

    Drinking water should not be wasted like this. Water is very important for life and many people still can't drink water in many countries.

  • 1

    facebook

    those legs are beautiful.

  • 0

    NeoJamal

    Drinking water should not be wasted like this. Water is very important for life and many people still can't drink water in many countries.

    so we should bottle our heavily chlorinated water and ship them to Africa?

  • -2

    sensei258

    @ CrazyJoe, its my poor Japanese interpretation of "golden shower", an attempt at wry humor.

  • -7

    smithinjapan

    And how much fresh water did they waste in the process? How about the electricity it took to pump the water? I've always been baffled by the logic of watering your drive-way for half an hour like so many people here do. They don't realize they're helping to create the effects that bring on the heat in the first place. Pouring a bit of water on a dusty road, okay... I can see that a bit. But turning on the water pumps to spray the cement in front of your house, no.

  • 0

    CrazyJoe

    @sensei258

    Okay.

  • 0

    Realistic

    If I am not wrong its ice cubes!

    Faces are good but fishnet stockings could be a good choice!

  • 2

    CrazyJoe

    Actually a lot of Japanese use water from the rainwater tank or from water left over in the bathtub, so as not to waste tap water. It's most effective if done early in the morning or late in the evening.

  • -8

    smithinjapan

    CrazyJoe: "Actually a lot of Japanese use water from the rainwater tank or from water left over in the bathtub..."

    Rainwater tank, maybe. Bathtub, no. They've only JUST started in the last few years using bathwater for doing laundry, and you have to buy a special hose and pump to do so. But the people who water the street outside their house usually use garden hoses, and then go on to actually water their garden.

  • 0

    cleo

    They've only JUST started in the last few years using bathwater for doing laundry, and you have to buy a special hose and pump to do so.

    Not true, smitty. I've been here over 30 years and I've always used the bathwater for laundry - copying the locals. I started off transferring the water using a bucket like my mil taught me, then I bought one of those pumps cos it was easier, now most washing machines come with the pump and hose built-in.

  • 0

    cwhite

    Japanese do not waste much water on the whole considering most people don't even have gardens to hose. Most Japan do not wash their own car (kind of hard it you live in a high rise) and so you use the water efficient automatic car washers. Washing machines for the last 15 years have had a built in water pump with filter to extract water from your bath tub and before then people used the bucket which is actually much faster, but with no filter. Uchimizu is much more economical and better for the environment then turning on the A/C. JT loves to do articles on how efficient Uchimizu is http://www.japantoday.com/search?q=uchimizu

  • -2

    ReformedBasher

    @smithinjapan

    Are in still in Japan or did you just fly in for the weekend?

    We used a bucket to carry the bath water to the washing machine back in the early 90s. No "special equipment" required.

  • -1

    BurakuminDes

    bathwater for laundry

    Now that's just gross!

    I like these girls. What a pleasant surprise it would be as a man to come across them on a hot day in Tokyo! I'm sure they could also sort me out with an Asahi Super Dry Extra Cold for a price! Bless these girls.

  • 1

    Bogart

    What a pleasant surprise it would be as a man to come across them on a hot day in Tokyo!

    I too would like to come across them.

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