Why is shade cool? With the word "extreme heat day" born this year, learn how to spend hot days outdoors before summer vacation.

In Izumiotsu City, on July 4 (Sat), an event titled "Learning about Cool Summer Living from Trees and Greenery" will be held, targeting elementary school students and their guardians. The event will feature Akihiro Hata, a tree doctor and horticultural researcher, as the lecturer. Participants will walk through a park with their children to experience the coolness of shade and the effects of water sprinkling.

On the day of the event, participants will receive vegetable cultivation kits to take home, allowing them to enjoy the power of trees and greenery they experience in the park in their own homes.

Event flyer: "Learning about Cool Summer Living from Trees and Greenery"

Utilizing nearby greenery, especially in urban areas surrounded by asphalt

Summer heat is becoming more severe each year, with the emergence of the term "extreme heat day" to describe days with maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. As a measure against heatstroke, it is essential to properly use air conditioning indoors and stay hydrated.

On the other hand, as summer vacation begins, opportunities for parents and children to visit parks and spend time outdoors increase. When going outside, it is also important to take outdoor-specific heat measures, such as resting in the shade of trees and using water sprinkling to cool down the ground. Especially in urban areas, which are often surrounded by asphalt and concrete for roads, buildings, and parking lots, heat tends to build up in the ground and buildings during the summer.

This is a familiar living challenge for Izumiotsu City, where the entire city area is urbanized. Therefore, it is important to recognize the "coolness" found in familiar places like park shade and home greenery, and to apply this perspective to how we spend our time outdoors on hot days.

Experience shade and water sprinkling by seeing, measuring, and feeling

In this event, after learning the "secrets of heat and coolness" indoors, participants will walk through Shinonome Park with their children, paying renewed attention to the shade of trees and water sprinkling, which they often take for granted.

"Why is shade cool?"

"Does sprinkling water really make it cooler?"

Children will hold thermometers to actually see, measure, and feel the mysteries of heat that they know but have never truly considered.

They will explore how the feeling of heat differs between direct sunlight, shade, and asphalt. How do leaves soften sunlight? How does sprinkling water change the heat of the ground? While confirming these points together, parents and children will search for hints on how to spend time outdoors effectively even on hot days.

Lecturer: Akihiro Hata, a tree doctor and renowned gardening researcher

Mr. Hata, the lecturer, is not only a tree doctor with specialized knowledge of trees but also a gardening researcher knowledgeable about home gardening and enjoying nearby greenery even in urban areas.

On the day, he will explain in an easy-to-understand manner for parents and children about "transpiration," the process by which trees release water from their leaves to dissipate surrounding heat, and the role of park trees and street trees in mitigating urban heat.

He will help participants re-examine trees not just as "scenery in the park" but as familiar presences that support our summer lives. As a "guide to trees and life," he will consider together how to utilize shade and greenery in daily life.

The vegetable cultivation kits distributed this time are intended for participants to grow and enjoy the power of greenery they experience at the event in their own homes. Through growing them together as a family, it will also foster interest in their local environment.

Event Outline

Date and Time: July 4, 2026 (Sat) 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Location: Shinonome Park, 9-252-1 Shinonomecho, Izumiotsu City

*Meeting place: Izumiotsu City Hall, 3rd Floor, Large Conference Room

Target Audience: Elementary school students and their guardians

Capacity: 20 parent-child pairs *First-come, first-served basis

Participation Fee: Free

Application Deadline: July 2, 2026 (Thu)

Content

Learn the "secrets of heat and coolness" indoors

Walk through the park with parents and children to find cool spots

Temperature comparison between direct sunlight, shade, and asphalt

Observation of leaf functions

Experience the change in heat due to water sprinkling

Distribution of vegetable cultivation kits to participants

Schedule

Time

Progression

Main Content

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM

Lecture

Let's learn the "secrets of heat and coolness" indoors

10:20 AM - 11:25 AM

Fieldwork

- Let's find cool spots in the park

- Let's compare temperatures in direct sunlight, shade, and asphalt

- Let's observe the functions of leaves and the effects of water sprinkling

11:25 AM - 11:30 AM

Summary

Review

Distribution of vegetable cultivation kits