The famously sardonic cat in “Wagahai wa Neko de Aru” (I Am a Cat) cannot stop grumbling when the summer heat truly sets in.

“This heat is quite unbearable, even for a cat. ... But cats, I can assure you, just like anyone else, feel the heat and feel the cold.”

Finding the swelter simply too much, the sharp-tongued feline philosopher in the classic satirical novel by Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) goes so far as to say, “I would at least be glad to slip out of my fur of spotted, palish gray” and “wouldn’t mind, just that once, soaking myself in a cold bath.”

But just how hot was it back then? According to Japan Meteorological Agency data from about 120 years ago when Soseki was writing this masterpiece, the average summer maximum temperature in Tokyo did not even reach 30 degrees.

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© The Asahi Shimbun