A migratory high-pressure air mass from Eurasia brought hot weather Friday to various parts of western Japan, raising temperatures to summer levels.
The temperature shot up to 32.7 in Osaka and 31.5 in Hiroshima, both record highs for May since meteorological observation begun in these cities in 1934 and 1935 respectively. Kobe registered 31.3 and Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, 30.4 the second highest on record for May. The temperature also topped 30 in Kyoto, Shimane, Wakayama and Nara. In Shikoku, Tokushima registered 28.7 while Kochi hit 29.5.
In Kyoto, where the day's high reached 32.5, hydrangeas started bloom at the Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden. Usually, hydrangeas bloom in June. In Kitahama, Osaka, where securities companies are concentrated, businessmen were seen wiping off sweat from their faces with handkerchiefs. In parks in Osaka, children played inside water fountains.