Many areas in Japan have experienced extreme heat this summer. Temperature have risen to record levels around 40 degrees in many places and large numbers of people have suffered heatstroke. The death toll from heat-induced illnesses may reach historic highs. Since physical conditions affect how we think and feel, it is understandable that people lose motivation to try something new and put it off till September. However, I would suggest making the best of the extreme heat by starting your own learning process in a creative and innovative way.

According to conventional wisdom, summer is the time to relax, recharge your batteries and take up outdoor activities to build physical stamina. But the extreme heat we've been experiencing does not lend itself well to conventional outdoor activities. I recommend instead that we stay indoors (in air-conditioned rooms) and gain new knowledge and develop new skills. The number of learning programs and courses in a variety of language on the internet has been increasing and anybody, regardless of age, nationality or background, can discover a program they find interesting.

The need to acquire new knowledge and develop new skills throughout life, i.e., lifelong learning, has been recognized and advocated around the world. As jobs undergo transformation and the way we learn and work is affected by new technologies, we cannot assume that the three-phase sequential approach to life — school, work and retirement — will remain efficient and effective in the future. We need to depart from the conventional thinking that a majority of learning takes place when we are young and mainly at school, with little additional learning and development of new skills during the work and retirement phases.