In this paper, outline the meteorological observation situation by public institutions in Japan and clarified the meteorological observation situation in case of Hinohara village in Tokyo. Meteorological observations in Japan are carried out not only by Japan Meteorological Agency but also by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Japan Coast Guard, Ministry of the Environment, prefectures, fire departments, etc. However, because of different observation purpose, the data release situation is different, and it became clear that cooperation among observation systems was not taken. As a result of surveying the meteorological observation situation in the case of Hinohara Village in Tokyo, meteorological observation by public institutions has been conducted at least since 1938, observation items and observation methods are different, but observation continues until now.

The purpose of this study is to derive the contour maps the lines of which indicate the same dates for starting and ending the human seasonal behaviors. The web-based questionnaire in which respondents were asked to respond if they did the 21 behaviors each day of the week, was repeated every Sunday for a year and was open until the 111 males and 111 females in Kyoto completed it. The outdoor temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and shortwave and longwave radiation were observed in Kyoto during the questionnaire periods, and the thermal comfort index ETVO was calculated based on these meteorological data. Using the regression equations from the scatter plots of the percentage of the behaviors versus the daily mean ETVO, the ETVO values (referred to 20 or 80% ETVO) on the dates (referred to first/last dates 20 or 80%) on which 20 or 80% of the respondents start/end the behaviors were calculated. The dates on which the daily mean ETVO at 836 observatories distributed in Japan correspond to the 20 or 80% ETVO of first/last dates with regard to each behavior, were defined as the behavior’s first/last dates 20 or 80% at the observatories, and then the contour maps of the first/last dates 20 or 80% were drawn. Compared with the previous study on “kotatsu” in 1950’s, it was estimated people nowadays started using “kotatsu” two weeks earlier and ended one month later in most areas.

To examine monthly variations in the thermal environment of elderly people during summer daily life, the air temperature and humidity indoors and outdoors in the surroundings of elderly people and young females, their individual clothing climates and daily activities were recorded for three days every month from May to October. From July to September, the elderly people lived with higher indoor air temperatures and humidity than the young females due to their higher room temperature under air conditioning. Therefore, in an effort to prevent heat disorders among elderly people indoors, we recommend that air conditioning be set to maintain a lower room temperature than at present, not only in August when air temperature is particularly high, but also during and after the hot and humid rainy season in July.