Japan unveils refrigerator-sized Sh1.2m cooling booth as heat wave bites

As Japan grapples with increasingly intense summer heat, an unusual solution is offering people relief within minutes: a refrigerator-sized cooling booth designed to rapidly lower body temperature.

Dubbed the “Do Hiemon Box”, the human-sized cooling unit was developed by Japanese industrial supplier TRUSCO Nakayama in collaboration with refrigeration specialist Sanden Retail Systems.

The booth is designed for people exposed to high temperatures, particularly outdoor workers and others who spend long periods in the heat, according to an explainer video seen by TNX Africa.

Designed to stop heatstroke in its tracks, the "Do Hiemon Box" delivers rapid, targeted cooling during extreme weather.

Originally built for outdoor workplaces, this personal cooling booth is now expanding to public spaces. pic.twitter.com/VOfkQVFadv

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Resembling a large vending machine with a glass door, the booth is spacious enough for one person.

Once inside, the user sits on a built-in seat as the unit maintains an internal temperature of about 15 degrees Celsius. Chilled air at around 5 degrees Celsius is directed towards the user's head, neck and shoulders for targeted cooling.

The system has three cooling modes and an automatic shut-off timer that stops operation after 20 minutes. The safety feature is intended to prevent excessive cooling while giving users time to recover from prolonged heat exposure.

The innovation comes as Japan faces increasingly severe heatwaves, with heat-related illness becoming a growing concern, particularly among construction workers and others whose jobs require prolonged outdoor exposure.

Designed for workplaces and public spaces, the Do Hiemon Box stands about two metres tall and features a stainless-steel exterior, insulation and locking caster wheels for easy movement. It operates using a standard 100-volt electrical outlet and, according to its manufacturers, consumes about half the electricity of a conventional industrial spot cooler.

However, the cooling solution comes at a steep price.

The base model costs about 1.5 million Japanese yen, equivalent to approximately Sh1.2 million (¥1.5 million), before tax.

One unit has reportedly been donated to Maebashi City Hall in Gunma Prefecture, where members of the public can use it during business hours as a temporary refuge from extreme temperatures.