Air Conditioned Clothing

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Japan’s hot and humid summers have led to many great ideas and inventions to try and stay cool and beat the summer heat. The latest is from Japanese entrepreneur Hiroshi Ichigaya, and is air conditioned clothing. Ichigaya is selling jackets, shirts and pants fitted with battery-powered “personal cooling systems”. Small fans circulate so much air over the wearer’s body that a 31C room feels comfortable, according to America’s ABC News, which has tested the clothing. According to ABC News, Ichigaya is selling to 1000 companies and even getting requests from the Prime Minister’s office for half a million jackets.


Japan’s residents have been asked to cut energy use, so they’re resorting to this clothing brand called Kuchofuku to save money. Initiatives such as “Super Cool Biz” encourage employees to ditch jackets and ties and turn down air conditioning, while the power saving drive has also sparked demand for cooling gadgets.

How does it all work?

The fans in the Kuchofuku jacket are connected to a lithium-ion battery pack that lasts for 11 hours on a single charge. This is only a fraction of the power used by a conventional air-con according to Ichigaya. Up to 20 litres per second of air circulates throughout the jacket and escapes through the collar and cuffs, which allows the wearer to dry off sweat and cool down.

A standard air conditioned jacket sells for around 11,000 yen about ($140).

Check out the video below to see the Air Conditioned Jacket