It's hot here

Japan is quite hot in the summer for your average Canadian. And, especially for this Canadian. I have to break my employer's dress code every day here, as long pants would surely cause me great distress. So, I am constantly in a pair of shorts and a light shirt, and a pair of Japanese thongs (called zouri or ぞうり if your computer displays Japanese fonts).

I am utterly amazed when I see the average Japanese man, wearing a full-length black suit, or woman, wearing a long-sleeved shirt with bonnet. (Well, perhaps these aren't your average Japanese people, but I do often see very old women, rice farmers I think, wearing these bonnets around their heads.) Are they being punished? Who is forcing them to wear such heavy, un-summerish attire?

I have contemplated buying a portable fridge simply for the storage of my underwear, as well as buying ice packs to sit on as I drive to and from my classes.

Random details on the hot weather:
-convenience stores sell frozen ice tea and other drinks to keep cool on those hot days at the beach
-most women walk and ride bikes here holding umbrellas or parasols to protect themselves from the sun
-both young women and young men can be seen fanning themselves with Japanese fans (uchiwa or うちわ)
-cars idling for a very long time are often seen in parking lots containing sleeping men waiting for their wives to finish their shopping
-outdoor vending machines (which truly blanket the streets here) are available at every 5 footsteps to quench your thirst