This article was originally posted on Reddit on August 28, 2021. I’ve replaced links with archive links if necessary (and available) and made minor formatting changes and corrections, but otherwise haven’t done any editing or updating. At least one link is broken, and a lot of the information in this post is outdated by now, particularly any discussion about specific brands or products. There are more options than what I discuss in the post today.

[Guide] Parasols (and UV umbrellas) in Japan

u/PeachBlossomBee asked about parasols in the latest Alter-Daily Help and Questions thread (here), and I thought I would do a little research in addition to what I would have written as my response to make a full post. Keep in mind, though, that I’m not an expert, and my knowledge is based on personal experience and Japanese magazine articles and the like. I would be very open to any corrections in the comments.

Background: I have a sun allergy and have been using a parasol for… probably nearly 20 years. I’m originally from the US but currently live in Japan, and I bought my first parasols while traveling in Japan, so I only know about Japanese products.

EDIT (two weeks later): Lab Muffin just posted a video titled Do Hats and Umbrellas Protect You Enough From the Sun? She mostly talks about umbrellas in general and touches on UV umbrellas briefly, but it might be good to watch if you opened this post hoping for information about their effectiveness (or lack thereof), especially from 8:14. Personally, I think they do help, but I would definitely advise against using them as your only form of sun protection.

See also the 2018 study mentioned at the end of this post (“UV protection effect for human body parts by UV protection items”).

Parasols in Japan

Parasols have been common in Japan for as long as I can remember, at least among women. I’m under the impression that parasol use is actually more common than sunscreen use here. In recent years (since around 2018/2019), I’ve seen more and more parasols (if you include UV umbrellas) with less feminine designs and larger diameters marketed toward men, as the summers get hotter and hotter. There have also been more parasols/UV umbrellas that claim to block specific (high) percentages of UV rays and visible light.

Personally, I’ve always wanted my parasols (and umbrellas in general) to be as plain as possible, preferably in solid black. When I was buying my first parasols nearly 20 years ago, it was pretty much impossible to avoid any semblance of frilliness/lace. There are so many more options now, and I hate to say that I feel like I’m benefiting from climate change in this respect. I still wouldn’t say parasol use seems to be common among men just yet, by the way, but the products are out there.

A new thing in parasol marketing is to present them as a means for social distancing (in addition to their actual properties, of course), but in my experience, it never works out that way when you live in an area with narrow sidewalks. I’ve always preferred bigger parasols and umbrellas, but that means I’ve developed the habit of lifting my parasol/umbrella up high when someone’s coming my way (on foot or on a bike), because there’s a very good chance that they’ll just walk/ride right into it if I don’t.

Parasols and UV umbrellas

There are technically three categories:

1. Parasols that are only meant to be used under the sun
2. Parasols that can also be used in rain (晴雨兼用日傘 or 晴雨兼用傘 in the stricter sense)
3. Umbrellas that can also be used in the sun (晴雨兼用雨傘 or 雨晴兼用傘)

The parasols I loathed buying nearly 20 years ago fall under the first category, with the lacey perforations and more loosely woven materials like cotton or linen. Many of them probably don’t even block sunlight all that well (especially with perforations as designs), and in most cases, they aren’t made to be waterproof at all.

As for the other two categories, it’s pretty much a question of whether they’re better suited for rain or for shine; parasols that can also be used in rain are more likely to block more sunlight, but can generally only withstand light rain (and when it rains it pours in Japan). I think umbrellas that can also be used in the sun are basically regular umbrellas with a UV protective coating, and are less likely to cut down on heat. Both are usually made of synthetic materials (generally polyester with polyurethane coatings, I think) and are usually conflated into the same category (晴雨兼用傘 in the looser sense), which I guess is often translated as “All Weather” umbrellas or UV umbrellas.

All that said, if they claim to block the same percentage of UV rays or sunlight, they can be said to provide the same level of protection regardless of which category they fall under.

I’ll try to refer to categories 1 and 2 as “parasols” and category 3 as “UV umbrellas” in the rest of this post, but realistically, I’m probably mixing up my terms for categories 2 and 3, since they’re usually both referred to by the same expression, and I’m in the habit of referring to all of them as parasols.

Size

I wasn’t going to discuss sizing because it’s pretty much the same idea as regular umbrellas (though I imagine most people would be less concerned about their shoulders poking out), but then I remembered that I come from a place where people hardly ever use umbrellas at all. This is obviously subjective, but this is how the umbrella company Lieben describes umbrella sizes (here):

Another umbrella company, Ogawa, has an article on sizing for kids from ages 3–4 to upper grades at elementary school here. I also found this 2013 article from Sun Barrier 100 showing the same model who’s 158 cm (5'2") tall holding what appears to be all of the parasols in their lineup at the time.

Umbrella and parasol sizes are defined by their rib length (in Japan, at least), but bear in mind that the actual diameter when it’s opened is going to depend on the shape. Obviously, larger parasols/umbrellas will cover more of your body but will also be heavier. Parasols/umbrellas with more ribs would be rounder when open and more durable (e.g., in strong winds) but, again, heavier.

Color

In a nutshell, black parasols are more likely to be better for UV protection (but in the case of parasols that fully block 100% of UV rays, the color probably doesn’t make a difference), and white parasols are more likely to be better for cutting down on heat. This comes from the basic principle that black absorbs light (and heat) and white reflects light (and heat). There are increasingly more parasols that come in different colors on the outside (or on the top) and in black on the inside (or on the bottom), to avoid reflecting back light that reflects from the ground.

There are also parasols with silver coatings that supposedly block more heat. I actually bought one once, but found that the silver coating was prone to fading off and the black fabric underneath began to show more quickly than I’d expected (but maybe the UV protective coating—discussed later—fades just as much, and it’s just not as visually obvious). This could be because I tend to chuck my parasols into my bags and backpacks without always making sure to put them in their cases first, which I’m sure would help with reducing friction and making them last longer. I also used it regularly as an umbrella in rain, and didn’t always dry it out properly afterward. A supposed potential problem with silver coatings is that they could be too reflective to the point where it might bother anyone near you, but I doubt that would be a real issue unless the coating is shiny. The one I had is better described as a metallic gray than, say, polished silver.

Anyway, ideally you would have white (or silver) on the outside and black on the inside to get the best of both worlds (in theory), but personally I prefer just black all over for aesthetic reasons. Also, I think black parasols would probably be more likely to offer some small degree of UV protection after the protective coating has started to wear off. But again, the color on the outside in particular wouldn’t really matter if the parasol/umbrella blocks 100% of visible light.

In my experience, white parasols are bound to be soiled by pollution etc. and black parasols eventually build up white residue from your hands (sunscreen, sweat, etc.), so I wouldn’t say one is necessarily more likely to get visibly dirtier than the other.

UV rays and visible light

More and more products have claims related to light (by which they mean visible light) in addition to UV rays. The level of protection against UV rays is probably more significant in the context of this sub; the ability to block visible light is associated with how much heat it can protect you against, if I’m understanding this correctly.

Regarding visible light, light-blocking fabrics (like blackout curtains) are graded according to JIS L 1055 (based on this and this):

(The above is for curtains, but umbrellas/parasols use a system based on this.)

I don’t think there are any legal regulations around these claims, but Japan Umbrella Promotion Association = JUPA allows their members to use the light-blocking symbol for “light-blocking umbrellas/parasols” that block at least 99% of visible light and “grade 1 light-blocking umbrellas/parasols” that block at least 99.99% of visible light. (There is also a heat- and light-blocking symbol that certifies that the product blocks at least 35% of heat in addition to the same criteria for light.)

Regarding UV rays, it might be easier to think of it in terms of UPF ratings, for those of you who are more familiar with those:

(Table for ASTM Standard for Sun Protective Clothing and Swimwear lifted almost directly from the Wikipedia article for Sun protective clothing.) Uniqlo’s popular UPF clothing is generally (or all?) UPF 40, for reference. I doubt that UPF ratings would exactly work the same way for parasols as they do for clothing, though, given how there’s clearly more of a distance between parasols and our skin.

Also, the protection provided by parasols in general are bound to be affected by things like how exactly you hold your parasol. They also may not necessarily take into account any sunlight that might pass through the stitches on the fabric. Personally I would recommend that you take all claims with a grain of salt and make sure to use your parasol in combination with other measures like sunscreen.

How long do they last?

This depends on whether the parasol has a UV protective coating on the surface (which I believe is how most parasols work these days) or whether it’s actually made of a fabric that fully blocks all light.

The former is said to last up to 5 years, but assuming you wouldn’t want to keep using a parasol with extremely faded UV protection, you should replace it every 2–3 years. This can vary however depending on factors like how often you use the parasol and whether you also use it in rain or not. There are also sprays that you can use to try and maintain the parasol’s effectiveness, like this spray from Scotchguard, but I really doubt you would be able to attain truly full coverage, and there would be less protection if the fabric itself is worn down at all anyway.

The latter are usually very expensive, but this means they can also come with warranties and repairs. Their effectiveness in terms of sun protection will last as long as there are no tears in the fabric itself. They’re also bound to provide more even and thorough protection than parasols that rely on UV protective coatings.

Maintenance

Obviously you should follow the instructions given by the manufacturer for your specific parasol, but in general, it’s said that you should dry out parasols in the shade if it’s gotten wet at all. Some say you should spread the parasol to keep the UV protective coating and/or the waterproof coating from sticking together, and some say you shouldn’t spread it fully to avoid stretching out the fabric. It’s also said that you shouldn’t leave it in your car, to avoid extreme heat that could potentially affect the coating as well. If it gets dirty, you can probably clean it with a detergent with a neutral pH and lukewarm water, but this may or may not affect the UV protective coating. Again, you should refer to the specific product’s instructions for this.

Honestly I’m pretty bad with this part, though. Generally I get something relatively affordable that has pretty good UV protective claims and use the hell out of it (in combination with sunscreen and other measures), and then replace it when it starts looking worn down (usually in the form of holes from friction with the ribs when folded up). I did however recently splurge on an expensive one, which I will actually have to take care of.

The hardcore brands

The expensive parasols I’ve mentioned a few times now are in reference to brands like Sun Barrier 100 (サンバリア100) and Ashiya Rose Blanc (芦屋ロサブラン). Both brands sell parasols that are made of fabric that fully blocks 100% of UV rays and visible light, and the difference between 99.99% and 100% can be a lot when we’re talking about the sun—at least for those of us with sun allergies. (I’m sure 99.99% is plenty protective enough for the vast majority of people, and that 0.01% difference is surely negligible in most cases. Also, it’s not like the fabric is going to envelop your whole body. Conversely, you could also argue that every little bit helps.) As I mentioned, they claim that their sun protection will last as long as there are no tears in the fabric itself.

I’d been trying to decide between one or the other for a long time until I finally bit the bullet this year, and these are the main differences as far as I could tell based on the reviews I saw:

Both offer a free 6-month warranty (within Japan, at least) and paid repairs after that, and both also offer other sun protection items like hats and arm covers. Both have black polyurethane laminated surfaces on the inside of their parasols (i.e., laminating as opposed to the usual coating). Neither have auto-open/close functions.

I’ve actually been hemming and hawing between these two for several years now, and then whenever I thought I decided, the plain black one would be sold out. I finally got one just recently, from Sun Barrier 100, but haven’t actually had the chance to use it yet. It’s been raining a lot where I live, and I end up reaching for my regular UV umbrella on the rare occasions when I step outside (for posterity: COVID-19 is still raging in Japan).

Sun Barrier 100 has a bunch of informative articles on their website, by the way. Obviously the content is going to be biased in their favor to some extent, but I find it useful for learning more about the kinds of fabrics/coating used on parasols in general, kind of like the ingredients dictionary from Paula’s Choice. The navigation is pretty counter-intuitive, but the articles related to how their fabric works are here, information about parasols in general are here, and their articles on UV rays and sunlight are here. They also have a whole section on sun allergies on their FAQ page with more helpful information than I’ve seen on any other website in Japanese, which pretty much sold me on their commitment toward providing better protection and education for people like me.

(Ashiya Rose Blanc also has articles about parasols here and burning/tanning here, but more of it feels like fluff pieces than Sun Barrier 100’s content.)

Other brands

I’ve looked up other brands that seem to be highly protective, and will list them along with the brands above for direct comparison. I’m going to pick the example product based on what I personally would be most likely to buy among their current line-up.

My criteria, which probably won’t be the same as yours:

• Folds up to fit in my bag (because otherwise there’s a 100% chance I’ll accidentally leave it somewhere)
• Highly protective against both UV rays and visible light, preferably the full 100%
• Can be used in rain (because the area I live in is prone to sudden downpours)
• In solid black and preferably with more ribs, mostly for aesthetic reasons
• Preferably on the larger side when open (average at the very least)
• Preferably with the auto-open/close function, though this is lower priority than the other criteria
• Ideal if lightweight, but this is lowest priority of all

The size and color/design preferences mean I tend to prefer products marketed toward men. I’m completely ignoring the plethora of parasols with cute or elegant designs that I’m sure a lot of people would like.

All specific information is for the example product I picked, and all measurements are approximate:

Other more affordable options (less than 2000 JPY) that claim to block at least 97% of UV rays:

And just for fun, another super high-end umbrella brand is the Imperial family-approved Maehara Kouei Shōten who make these cotton parasols with distinctive round handles (16,500 JPY, which isn’t nearly as expensive as I expected; they do also have a 77,000 JPY parasol, so…).

There are seriously TONS of parasol brands available in Japan, though, with many many more than what I’ve listed here. I stuck to the brands that I either already knew of or have official websites that I could find easily. If you search for parasols (日傘) on the Tokyu Hands website, there are currently 479 results; at Loft there are 1,191 (though this includes a number of bags for some reason). Both have brick-and-mortar stores and are probably less likely to have questionable products than, say, Amazon (more than 60,000 hits on Amazon.co.jp within the umbrella/rainwear category alone), so they might be better for browsing different options.

TL;DR for brands

Based on what I found while picking out products for the tables above, my general picks (based on my personal criteria—I listed all those other brands because there’s no way everyone would want the same thing) would be:

1. Advanced luxury parasol brands: Sun Barrier 100 or Ashiya Rose Blanc
2. Intermediate parasol brands: UVO or macocca
3. UV umbrella brands: Wpc., -0&, or hands+ by Tokyu Hands
4. Beginner-level brands: Uniqlo or Muji (bonus points for definitely being available in other countries)

But with the disclaimer that I don’t think I’ve ever actually used parasols/umbrellas from these brands (technically not even the Sun Barrier 100 one I just bought). Possibly Wpc. and hands+ at some point but I don’t remember.

I posted the following as a comment (here) on July 3, 2023:

Addendum: Sun Barrier 100, Wpc. IZA, Bicherie, repairs, 2018 paper

So, I’m sure some people will rip me to shreds for this, but I’ve ended up buying a second Sun Barrier 100 parasol ($$$, I know). The fold-up one I mentioned in the post is really annoying to fold (as a result of being spoiled by all the auto-fold umbrellas out there), and I’m very rarely out for a full day since covid and don’t need to worry about lugging it around at night.

I’m mostly using this one (variant), which doesn’t fold up and has a 107 cm diameter. It’s not nearly as heavy as I expected it to be, and I like the bamboo handle, too. I had a major sunscreen mishap last summer (100% user error), and the backs of my hands (which aren’t covered by the parasol) had a pretty bad rash but my face was totally fine, which further convinced me that parasols (or the right ones, at least) do help for sun protection. I think it definitely helps for heat shielding, too, though it’s not like I have any objective data on hand.

If I didn’t already have the Sun Barrier 100 ones, I’d probably have tried out UVO first. It seems like they’re more widely available now than when I wrote this.

Not what you asked, but as far as updates go, I also got the Wpc. IZA umbrella I mentioned in the post. The logo is a little more noticeable than I hoped, and I have like zero muscle so I have to put the handle against my stomach and push to make it click back into place when I close it, but otherwise I’m satisfied. Not sure about heat shielding since I mainly use it when it’s raining or might rain, but I’m guessing pretty much any parasol/umbrella that blocks enough light would be the same thing as any other kind of shade. I also haven’t tried it out in a typhoon yet, but it does seem less flimsy than the Kizawa one I used to have.

Edit: I’ve also learned of another brand that claims to block 100% of light: Bicherie. The pricing seems roughly similar to Sun Barrier 100 and Ashiya Rose Blanc, so it’s not for anyone looking for affordable alternatives, but they seem to have different designs, so, more options within that price bracket. Like Sun Barrier 100, they use actual light-blocking fabric tested according to JIS standards. (I haven’t looked into them any further than this because I already have the Sun Barrier 100 ones.)

Edit 2: Oh yeah, I’ve also learned about this tip from Sun Barrier 100 that should also work for other parasols/umbrellas. If there are any small holes in your parasol that you want to patch up, they recommend these inexpensive stick-on nylon sheets from Kawaguchi (the closest thing is product number 93-048 on the page I linked to; Sun Barrier 100 specifically recommends 93-051, which is the black version—don’t get 93-048, which is the clear version) that’s meant for mending puffer jackets, umbrellas, raincoats, and other nylon materials. The caveat is that these sheets aren’t made to block light, so you would need to apply 2–3 layers to get better coverage.

Edit 3: I was running a search for something else just now and accidentally found this 2018 paper (in Japanese but with an abstract in English) about the “UV protection effect for human body parts by UV protection items,” which seems to demonstrate the effectiveness of parasols for sun protection. I’m not able to assess whether their methods seem valid &c., but just FYI.

UV protection effect for human body parts by UV protection items

Shinichi Watanabe (Daido University), Masafumi Muto (Daido University)
42th Symposium on Human-Environment System
HES42 in Osaka, 8-9 Dec., 2018

Abstract: Excessive irradiation of UV rays increases health risks. The objective of this research is to clarify the UV protection rate for human body parts as well as a whole body of combination of clothing, hat, arm-cover, parasol by experiment with two manikins. The manikin with 24 UV sensors were used for measurement. The following findings were obtained. The combination of one-piece dress, arm-cover, and parasol had the highest UV protection rate for the whole body with 60.3% at 14:00. The hat and arm-cover completely prevented the body parts covered by them from UV rays, but the effect was limited to local. In contrast, the UV protection effect of the parasol spread widely not only on the head but also on the shoulder and chest. As the sun altitude decreased, the UV protection rate of the parasol and the hat against the face as well as the whole body decreased.