Cool Japan: Human fridge chills workers in extreme heat

Konoe employee Taichi Konishi takes a break in a cooling box for workers, also known as a "human fridge", at the company's warehouse, a specialist wholesaler of screws and surveying equipment, on a hot day in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture on Aug 21, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds) 25 Aug 2026 10:23AM (Updated: 25 Aug 2026 10:33AM) HIGASHIOSAKA, Japan: Feeling dizzy and unwell after cycling to work in Japan's punishing summer heat, warehouse worker Isao Tabuchi headed for his company's newest acquisition: a refrigerator for humans.The phonebooth-sized machine, where jets of chilled air ensure ice-cold comfort, only launched this year but has proved popular in a country that seems to be getting inexorably warmer."I was really able to recover thanks to that. Once you use it, it'