Latest / 英語で国内ニュース / 【特別回】英語でニュース深掘り2026年3月1日(日)

Transcript

【特別回】英語でニュース深掘り2026年3月1日(日) · 英語で国内ニュース

• 0:15
  I. OK, Chris, are you all right?
• 0:41
  You look a little pale today. Excuse me?
• 0:47
  Actually, Sarah, I'm not all right at all.
• 0:50
  I have a severe pollen allergy. Bless you.
• 0:54
  Oh no, you have a severe pollen allergy.
• 0:58
  That sounds really tough. Yeah, it's a nightmare.
• 1:03
  I have a runny nose and itchy eyes all day long.
• 1:06
  But the worst part is at night I can't sleep well because of my
• 1:10
  stuffy nose. I feel like I'm not getting any
• 1:13
  rest. That is awful.
• 1:16
  Not being able to sleep properly is so stressful.
• 1:20
  But you know, Chris, you are definitely not alone.
• 1:24
  According to some recent surveys, about half of the
• 1:27
  Japanese population suffers from pollen allergies now.
• 1:31
  Half of the population that is huge, one in two people.
• 1:36
  That's practically a national disease, but why are there so
• 1:40
  many people suffering from it in Japan?
• 1:43
  Well, one of the main reasons goes back to the period after
• 1:47
  World War 2. A massive amount of cedar trees,
• 1:50
  or sugi in Japanese were planted for construction materials.
• 1:55
  Now, decades later, those trees have grown and are releasing
• 2:00
  massive amounts of pollen every spring.
• 2:03
  Ah. I see.
• 2:05
  So it's mostly cedar pollen, but tell me, Sarah, is it just my
• 2:10
  imagination or is it particularly bad this year?
• 2:13
  My eyes are definitely itchier than last year.
• 2:16
  It is not your imagination. Actually, the weather from the
• 2:21
  previous summer plays a huge role.
• 2:24
  Chris, do you remember the extreme heat we had last summer
• 2:28
  in 2025? The extreme heat of course I do.
• 2:32
  It was boiling. We couldn't even walk outside
• 2:35
  during the day. Exactly.
• 2:38
  When the summer is extremely hot and gets a lot of sunshine,
• 2:42
  cedar trees tend to produce a lot more pollen for the
• 2:46
  following spring. Because of that extreme heat
• 2:49
  last summer, the pollen count this year is exceptionally high.
• 2:54
  Oh my goodness, that makes perfect sense.
• 2:57
  But it is terrible news for us. Does this mean if global warming
• 3:02
  continues, the pollen will just keep getting worse?
• 3:06
  I'm taking medicine every day. Are there any other solutions?
• 3:09
  Yes there are. Today I want to introduce some
• 3:13
  of the latest self-care trends that don't rely only on
• 3:17
  medicine. First is anti pollen clothing.
• 3:21
  Anti pollen clothing? You mean clothes that physically
• 3:25
  block the pollen? Exactly.
• 3:28
  Did you know that the material of your everyday clothes changes
• 3:32
  how much pollen sticks to you? Really.
• 3:35
  I never thought about that. According to environmental data,
• 3:38
  if we set the pollen adhesion rate for cotton at 100,
• 3:43
  synthetic cybers are about 180, but for wool it jumps up to 980.
• 3:51
  980 So my favorite wool coat catches almost 10 times more
• 3:56
  pollen than a cotton hoodie. No wonder I'm sneezing so much
• 4:00
  after coming inside. Exactly.
• 4:03
  That's why avoiding wool is the first step.
• 4:07
  But recently, Japanese brands like Workmen have taken it
• 4:10
  further. They developed jackets with a
• 4:13
  special protein reduction processing.
• 4:16
  Protein reduction. What does that mean?
• 4:19
  It means the fabric has a special treatment that actually
• 4:23
  reduces the allergy causing proteins from pollen and dust
• 4:27
  mites. And it's backed by science.
• 4:30
  An independent lab called the Cuck End Test Center has
• 4:33
  conducted tests proving that this treatment measurably
• 4:37
  reduces those proteins. Wow, so the jacket doesn't just
• 4:42
  block the pollen, it actively reduces the allergens on the
• 4:45
  surface? That is impressive.
• 4:48
  It really is. And the best part?
• 4:51
  Some of these high tech jackets come with a special pocket
• 4:55
  designed just for a box of tissues.
• 4:58
  A special pocket just for tissues.
• 5:00
  That is genius. You know when you suddenly need
• 5:04
  to blow your nose outside? Digging through your bag to find
• 5:07
  a tissue is the worst. If I had a jacket where I could
• 5:10
  pull out a tissue instantly, I would buy it right now.
• 5:14
  Right, it's such a clever and practical idea.
• 5:18
  And the second solution is for your sleepless nights.
• 5:22
  It's an affordable sleep tech gadget.
• 5:25
  Have you ever heard of a smart diffuser?
• 5:28
  A smart diffuser? How does that help with my
• 5:31
  stuffy nose? It's really cool.
• 5:34
  These modern smart diffusers connect with your sleep tracker
• 5:37
  or smartwatch. Once it detects that you have
• 5:40
  fallen asleep, it automatically releases aromas like eucalyptus
• 5:45
  or peppermint, which are known to help clear your Airways.
• 5:49
  Wow, so it waits until I fall asleep to release the aroma?
• 5:54
  That sounds incredibly relaxing. Yes, unless they often work as
• 5:59
  humidifiers to keep the room moisture at an ideal 50 to 60%.
• 6:05
  The moisture in the air catches the pollen and makes it fall to
• 6:08
  the floor so you don't breathe it in while you sleep.
• 6:12
  And the best part is, they are quite affordable.
• 6:15
  You can get a good one for around 5000 to ¥10,000.
• 6:19
  That is totally affordable. I don't need to buy a huge
• 6:23
  expensive machine. I'm definitely checking that out
• 6:26
  online tonight. I highly recommend it.
• 6:29
  But Chris, if you really want to escape the pollen completely,
• 6:34
  there is an ultimate trend happening right now.
• 6:37
  It's called pollen escape trips. Pollen escape trips.
• 6:42
  It sounds amazing, what exactly is it?
• 6:45
  Well, cedar trees don't really grow in Hokkaido or Okinawa.
• 6:49
  So during the peak pollen season, a growing number of
• 6:53
  people are actually traveling to Hokkaido or Okinawa for a
• 6:57
  workation. They bring their laptops, work
• 7:00
  remotely, and completely escape the pollen.
• 7:04
  That makes perfect sense. If there's no pollen, there's no
• 7:08
  allergy. Just fly away from it.
• 7:10
  I wish I could book a flight to Hokkaido right now.
• 7:14
  Wait a minute, Sarah. What is it?
• 7:16
  Thinking about trips, March and April are huge seasons for
• 7:20
  foreign tourists visiting Japan, right?
• 7:23
  Many of them probably don't have cedar allergies.
• 7:26
  I wonder where all these foreign tourists are going in Japan
• 7:29
  right now while we are trying to escape the pollen.
• 7:32
  That is a great question and that's exactly what we are going
• 7:37
  to talk about in the second-half of today's show.
• 7:40
  Let's find out what the latest trends are for inbound tourists
• 7:44
  in Japan. Kafun shoto sono saishi instead
• 7:49
  of Ken Itzite O hana Shishimashta So So Chris,
• 8:02
  earlier you asked where all the foreign tourists are going
• 8:05
  during this pollen season, right?
• 8:08
  Exactly. I mean, Tokyo and Kyoto are
• 8:11
  always packed, but do they just stay there and suffer from the
• 8:14
  pollen? Well, some do, but when it comes
• 8:18
  to experiencing the Japanese spring, especially the cherry
• 8:21
  blossoms, their preferences have completely changed recently.
• 8:26
  It's not just about going to famous parks anymore.
• 8:29
  Really. Then where are they going?
• 8:32
  You might be surprised. One of the trending spots for
• 8:35
  inbound tourists to see cherry blossoms right now is
• 8:39
  cemeteries. Wait, what cemeteries?
• 8:44
  You mean graveyards where dead people are buried?
• 8:47
  Yes, exactly. Places like Ayama Cemetery or
• 8:52
  Yanuka Cemetery in Tokyo are becoming incredibly popular
• 8:56
  among international visitors. That is so unexpected.
• 9:00
  Japanese people usually go to big parks like Yo Yogi or Ueno,
• 9:05
  put a blue plastic sheet on the ground and have loud drinking
• 9:08
  parties. Why would tourists want to go to
• 9:11
  a graveyard? That is exactly the point,
• 9:14
  actually. Because it's a graveyard,
• 9:17
  putting down a picnic sheet and having a drinking party is
• 9:20
  strictly prohibited. Many foreign visitors know this,
• 9:24
  and they actively choose these places to avoid those crowded,
• 9:28
  noisy parties. They're looking for a peaceful
• 9:31
  and spiritual experience. I get it now.
• 9:35
  They see the cherry blossoms as a symbol of how short and
• 9:39
  beautiful life is, watching the pink petals fall in a quiet,
• 9:43
  sacred place that must be very artistic and moving for them.
• 9:47
  Exactly, they treat it like walking through an outdoor Art
• 9:51
  Museum. It's a completely different way
• 9:54
  to enjoy hanami compared to the typical Japanese style.
• 9:58
  That is a wonderful discovery. It makes me want to experience
• 10:02
  cherry blossoms in a quiet place too.
• 10:05
  But tell me, do they just walk and look at the flowers?
• 10:09
  Are there any specific activities they enjoy?
• 10:12
  Oh yes, active hanami is another huge trend right now.
• 10:17
  Instead of just sitting under a tree, tourists are combining
• 10:21
  cherry blossoms with outdoor adventures.
• 10:24
  Active Hanami? Like what kind of adventure?
• 10:28
  One of the most popular activities is E bike cycling
• 10:31
  tours in rural areas like Hakaba in Nagano Prefecture.
• 10:35
  Hakaba. Isn't that a famous winter ski
• 10:38
  resort? Why go there in spring?
• 10:41
  Because of the magical contrast, in late April, the cherry
• 10:46
  blossoms finally bloom in Hakubah.
• 10:48
  Imagine a clear blue sky, vivid pink cherry trees, and the
• 10:53
  majestic mountains still covered in pure white snow right behind
• 10:57
  them. Tourists rent E bikes, which are
• 11:00
  electric bicycles, and ride through the local farming
• 11:03
  villages to enjoy this breathtaking view.
• 11:07
  Wow, riding an electric bike through small Japanese farming
• 11:10
  villages with pink cherry blossoms around you and snow
• 11:14
  capped mountains in the background?
• 11:16
  That sounds like a beautiful scene from a movie.
• 11:19
  Doesn't it? It looks amazing on social
• 11:22
  media, but it also gives them a chance to interact with local
• 11:25
  farmers and see the real everyday life of rural Japan.
• 11:30
  Plus, riding an E bike is easy so anyone can enjoy it
• 11:34
  regardless of their fitness level.
• 11:36
  And here's the best part. Sarah Hakuba is high up in the
• 11:40
  mountains and surrounded by different types of trees.
• 11:43
  So the cedar pollen is probably much lower than Tokyo, right?
• 11:47
  You are absolutely right, it's a natural pollen escape trip
• 11:51
  filled with breathtaking views and light exercise.
• 11:55
  That is brilliant. Foreign tourists are really
• 11:58
  teaching us new ways to enjoy our own country.
• 12:01
  Quiet walks and historic cemeteries and E bike tours and
• 12:05
  snowy mountains. I think I just found my perfect
• 12:09
  plans for this spring. I'm glad to hear that Japan
• 12:13
  still has so many hidden charms waiting to be discovered.
• 12:32
  I. I.