Extreme heat in Japan

"Japan announces new name for days over 40C after hottest summer ever", by Ruth Wright, Euronews (4/20/26) They have words for it. The one that's taking the online media by storm is kokushobi 酷暑日. That literally means "harsh / cruel + hot days". I can attest to this characterization of scorching days in Japan. I remember one summer in Kyoto, which I wouldn't think of as a particularly hot city, when I stood on the sidewalk and was getting ready to cross the street, the pavement of which seemed to be melting under the shimmering heat waves. The cited article gives other currently popular words for dog days (7/3/25-9/11/26 in America this summer) in Japan. BUT, here we're talking about 40º C (104º F). Sure, that's hot, uncomfortably hot, but see below my personal account of a month of 106º F days in Austin, Texas. That's surreal heat! And when it comes to the Tarim and Turpan basins in Eastern Central Asia (ECA), you have to go hide in an underground irrigation ditch / canal to escape…