Backpackers in Japan should prepare for some sweaty conditions, as the country experienced its hottest ever day.
At least 13 lives were claimed by the heat wave, with temperatures soaring to a stifling 105.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the cities of Tajimi and Kumagaya.
The mercury rose in thermometers across the country yesterday, with 886 people hospitalized for heatstroke.
Rail tracks were bent, fire alarms malfunctioned and an extremely loud noise was presumably heard when the sumo wrestler Takamisakari crashed through the window of his practice room, after collapsing in the heat.
Prime minister Shinzo Abe told reporters: "I'm sure this weather great for beer-lovers, though I don't drink myself."
Drink sales are expected to rise by $491.6 million, according to a study from the Daiichi-Life Research Institute, reports the Fuji Sankei Business newspaper.
