[Edaily Reporter KIM YOON JI ] As the glass door closes, a curtain of cool air pours over my head, neck, and shoulders, instantly cooling me down from the heat caused by the scorching heatwave that has pushed temperatures close to 40 degrees.
According to Bloomberg on the 5th, Trusco Nakayama, a Japanese manufacturer specializing in industrial products, has sold approximately 200 units of the “Do Hiemon Box”—a device dubbed the “human refrigerator” that the company unveiled earlier this year—to steel mills, construction sites, golf courses, universities, and leisure facilities. Resembling a large stainless-steel refrigerator, each unit costs 1.5 million yen (approximately 13 million won).
The unit takes the form of a tall, wheeled box equipped with a window and a bench, and can be plugged into a standard electrical outlet. It was designed primarily for use in locations where access to air conditioning is difficult. Following the earthquake that struck Kumamoto last week, the company also delivered the product to evacuation shelters.
The Tohiemon Box measures 2.13 meters in height and 1.19 meters in depth. It maintains an internal temperature of 15 degrees Celsius and blows 5-degree-Celsius cool air when a person sits inside. Rather than serving as a comfortable resting area, it is designed to rapidly cool the body when there is a risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Fumiaki Matsubara, General Manager of Trusco’s Product Business Division, said, “Rather than simply providing a resting space, the concept is closer to providing equipment that can prevent heat-related symptoms from worsening.”

Trusco primarily manufactures machinery, tools, and equipment for home and office use. General Manager Matsubara noted that inquiries about the Dohiemon Box are coming in from countries such as Germany and the United States.
As heat waves become more frequent, the company anticipates demand will also emerge at shopping malls, summer festivals, and other crowded venues.
Tighter government regulations aimed at preventing heatstroke are also contributing to the rise in demand. General Manager Matsubara said, “In recent years, demand for our overall workplace cooling products has roughly doubled every year.”
Japan is suffering from its worst heatwave on record. As days with maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees have become an annual occurrence, leading to a surge in heatstroke cases and deaths, a new meteorological term—“extreme heat day” (a day with a maximum temperature of 40 degrees or higher)—has even been coined. Public broadcaster NHK is frequently warning viewers about the risk of heatstroke.