It feels like just the spring holidays (Golden Week) ended, and in the blink of an eye, that scorching hot summer is right around the corner again.
I'm really happy and excited for summer!
However, it's a bittersweet reality for us living today that we can't simply say, "Summer is the best!"
That's because every year around this time, there's a certain problem that always bothers us.
"It's summer, but my body is so cold..."
Yes, it's "summer air conditioning chills."
Outside, it's a sweltering heat, but the moment you step into a train, office, or store, you're hit with intense cold air.
At first, it's cool and comfortable, but as time passes, a chill gradually spreads from your feet, and even if you put on a jacket, your core never really warms up.
In fact, summers in Japan these days have become a "harsh season" that chills us to the core, whether we're battling the sweltering heat outside or the extreme cold indoors, as we work hard both inside and out.
This time, please allow me to tell you a little about the little-known origin of "NARAMAKI," born to gently protect the bodies of adults.
When I was a child, a "Haramaki" (core warmer) was completely for winter cold protection.
That's because every winter, my mother would always wrap a fluffy haramaki around me.
So, until I became an adult and started working at this company, the idea of "wearing a haramaki in summer" had never even crossed my mind.
However, as I got older, my body started to change little by little in the summer.
When I spent a long time in air-conditioned rooms, my body would feel heavy and sluggish by the evening, and a persistent feeling of malaise, like summer fatigue, wouldn't go away.
This made me realize firsthand that "chills" are not just a winter phenomenon, and in fact, they might be even more serious in the summer.
When you think about it, don't you agree that there are many places in our daily lives where we can't choose the temperature ourselves?
One minute we're sweating in the heat, the next we're freezing in a room blasted with AC set to someone else’s preference. Moving back and forth between these extremes disrupts our body's natural balance. Eventually, even our core—where our vital organs are concentrated—begins to cool down.
However, if we wear a common thick winter belly band, we'll get sweaty and, more importantly, it'll be too hot to wear. Plus, summer clothes are typically light, so if it shows through, we can't wear it to work or when we go out, can we?
Looking around, I realized that many people had similar concerns.
So,
"We want to gently protect the bodies of hardworking adults from summer air conditioning chills."
This was our wish, and
"I want a belly band that's so thin and light you forget you're wearing it, but still firmly protects my belly!"
To fulfill everyone's earnest wish, after much trial and error, our incredibly thin belly band, "NARAMAKI," was born.
"NARAMAKI" is not just thin.
It stretches surprisingly well, doesn't constrict the belly, and remains smooth to the touch even when you sweat.
And even though it's so light you barely feel it, there's a comforting sense of warmth gently protecting your core.
As the old saying goes, "cold is the source of all illnesses." In particular, our abdomen contains vital organs and large blood vessels that circulate throughout our entire body.
Warming your abdomen (core) leads to efficient blood circulation to your fingertips and toes, balancing your entire body.
Just as our mothers once wrapped us in haramaki to protect us from the winter cold.
Now it's our turn, as adults, to carry on that warm sentiment, to care for our own bodies, and to protect our own health.
Wearing a "NARAMAKI" in summer.
I believe it's the closest "invisible amulet" for us, living diligently every day in the harsh summer environment of recent times.
May "NARAMAKI" gently protect your belly and body today.
