The Influence of Environmental Stimuli upon the Human Body in Summer

Green building practices benefit many users because it imposes less of a burden both on people and the environment and plays a central role in achieving a sustainable lifestyle. Covering rooftops with tall evergreen trees increases evaporation and reduces energy consumption by heating and air conditioning systems. Japan has a cereal-crop culinary culture and rice cultivation is a primary activity. According to the Biophilia Hypothesis exposure to a lush greenery environment conducive to survival facilitates more effective relaxation and recovery from fatigue than simple elimination of stress. The impact of rice paddies is not only about reduction of energy consumption, but also about mitigating the urban environment and its physiological and psychological effects on the human body. Focusing on the spread of the rice canopy and exposure of water surfaces, clarified the reaction of the human body to thermal sensory perception and outdoor thermal environments, and the correlation between them. Rice fields where the rice canopy was smaller, and where ample standing water surfaces received short wavelength solar radiation, have a high heat capacity, which works to increase the longwave length thermal radiation in the time period when the accumulated amount of short wavelength solar radiation increases. Meanwhile, where the spread of the rice canopy was greater, and the surface of the standing irrigation water covered with rice plants, a mitigation effect on the outdoor thermal environment evaluation index of ETFe (enhanced conduction-corrected modified effective temperature) through reduction of long wavelength thermal radiation came into play, and it became clear that thermal sensory perception improved through visual stimuli that engendered images of humidity. The purpose of this study was to clarify the environmental mitigation effect of rice fields in an urban environment. In addition to the physical environmental mitigation effect, it was also shown that rice fields engendered a psychological environmental mitigation effect through visual stimuli in the form of natural ground surfaces such as green spaces.

greenery environment conducive to survival facilitates more effective relaxation and recovery from fatigue than simple elimination of stress. The impact of rice paddies is not only about reduction of energy consumption, but also about mitigating the urban environment and its physiological and psychological effects on the human body. Focusing on the spread of the rice canopy and exposure of water surfaces, clarified the reaction of the human body to thermal sensory perception and outdoor thermal environments, and the correlation between them. Rice fields where the rice canopy was smaller, and where ample standing water surfaces received short wavelength solar radiation, have a high heat capacity, which works to increase the longwave length thermal radiation in the time period when the accumulated amount of short wavelength solar radiation increases. Meanwhile, where the spread of the rice canopy was greater, and the surface of the standing irrigation water covered with rice plants, a mitigation effect on the outdoor thermal environment evaluation index of ETFe (enhanced conduction-corrected modified effective temperature) through reduction of long wavelength thermal radiation came into play, and it became clear that thermal sensory perception improved through visual stimuli that engendered images of humidity. The purpose of this study was to clarify the environmental mitigation effect of rice fields in an urban environment. In addition to the physical environmental mitigation effect, it was also shown that rice fields engendered a psychological environ-

Introduction
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that, in order to meet global scale carbon reduction targets, land, energy, buildings, transportation, and urban areas must be sustainable [1]. Buildings are a particular problem because they are responsible for about 40% of global CO 2 emissions generated due to energy consumption [2]. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, energy consumption by heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in the U.S. account for 43% of the total energy consumption in the nation [3].
To achieve a lifestyle characterized by low carbonization, reducing CO 2 emitted from buildings is highly significant. The advancement of the green building initiative is a key issue, not only in the construction sector, but also as an environmental strategy around the world. Green buildings reduce the maintenance costs of buildings and bring tremendous economic and environmental advantages. In addition, green buildings benefit the health and productivity of users. Thus, green building imposes less of a burden on people and the environment and plays a central role in achieving a sustainable lifestyle.
Green building saves energy, cuts environmental load, and is gentler on the human body. The green building approach is easily applied to existing buildings in the form of green walls and green roofs. Roof gardens are popular in some parts of the world and perform important ecological functions if they are properly planned and maintained. Besides providing greenery, they retain water for purposes of evaporative cooling. If short evergreens are used for ground cover, plant surfaces can be maintained at about air temperature, helping to reduce building surface temperature overall.
Rooftops covered with tall evergreens increase evaporation, reduce energy consumption, and lower building surface temperatures. For example, in Ginza, one of the nation's leading high-end areas, Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. has built rooftop rice paddies known as Hakutsuru Ginza Sky Farmstead [4].
According to Nishida et al. [5], because leaf surface area is small, irrigation water temperature in the early stages of rice growth is highly impacted by short wavelength solar radiation. As the rice matures, the short wavelength solar radiation shield factor increases as the surface area of the leaves increases. During the sprouting season, the short wavelength solar radiation shield factor increases further due to the leaf the angle of inclination towards the sun, and irrigation Y. Kurazumi  Kurazumi et al. [6] are currently implementing an outdoor experiment involving human subjects to clarify the impact of thermal environmental factors on the human body. Standing water in irrigated rice fields are subjected to short wavelength solar radiation. When short wavelength solar radiation stored, long wavelength thermal radiation increases, which enhances the perceived feeling of heat, while thermal sensory perception declines. Comparing urban environments with greenery to urban environments without it, differences occur in the perception of thermal environments. The former is potentially more comfortable and therefore is an important environmental mitigation factor.
Research pertaining to the effects of outdoor summer thermal environments on the water surface of a park pond [7] and ponds used for farming purposes [8] [9] were assessed. Though results differed depending on water depth, water surface temperatures, and wind direction, areas just above the water surface and adjacent to ponds exhibited lower air temperatures than surrounding areas. However, the effect described above on the air temperature is extremely limited. Where the water surface temperature is higher than the air temperature, the air temperature on the leeward side of the pond blowing over its surface tended to be higher. The microclimate around the water surface area was consi- dered, yet at the same time, it is rare to find research on how this effect impacts the human body.
Other studies on the greening of the ground surface and its impact on the human body clarify the effects of thermal sensory perception by sophisticated cerebral processing brought on by visual stimulation due to natural scenery such as trees and water surfaces. Kurazumi et al. [10] showed that the tolerance limit of the human body was higher for outdoor thermal environment stimuli than for indoor thermal environment stimuli during the summer.
Visual stimuli brought on by natural scenery composed of plants resulted in the thermal sensation of a neutral temperature approximately 3.5˚C lower than the visual stimulation induced by artificial scenery composed of buildings and paved roads. These results point to a mitigation of heat sensations with natural greenery. This work also clarifies the fact that spaces composed of natural elements such as trees were more effective in improving thermal comfort than those made of inorganic synthetic materials such as concrete and metal, typical of urban scenes.
Kurazumi et al. [11] conducted quantitative studies of visual stimuli of plants, the effect of thermal stimuli on the human body, and the interaction between them. The indoor ETF [12] was shown to improve thermal sensory perception by visual stimuli composed of natural elements in outdoor spaces including greenery such as grass. Even in hot spaces requiring individuals to "endure" the heat, cerebrally-processed thermal sensory perception improved with greenery.
This demonstrates the significance of proactively adding visual stimuli in the form of greenery to indoor spaces. According to the Biophilia Hypothesis, exposure to an environment conducive to survival is more effective for relaxation and recovery from fatigue than simple elimination of stress [13] [14] [15]. Ulrich [16] asserts that certain natural environmental factors have a healing effect on the human body. When an individual is exposed to an environment conducive to survival, there is an additional physiological function beyond stress reduction that produces better effects and facilitates recovery.
For example, a group of surgery patients in rooms with a view of trees recovered faster than those who had no such view [17]. In addition, where the green covering factors such as small potted plants acted as visual stimuli in office spaces, both thermal sensation and thermal comfort increased from 0.75% to 4.67%.
Kurazumi et al. [18] showed that when visual stimuli lie with a line-of-sight distance of 4.5 m, the line-of-sight distance is considered the same as the perceived distance, referencing the correlation between line-of-sight distance ETF (conduction-corrected modified effective temperature) and thermal comfort [12]. With a green covering factor of 5% or less, any feeling of discomfort was improved.
Based on this concept, the impact of rice paddies with tall plants is not only about the reduction of energy consumption, but also about mitigation of the urban environment and its physiological and psychological effects on the human body. In this connection, Kurazumi et al. [6] focused on the spread of the rice canopy and the exposure of water surfaces to clarify the reaction of the human body to thermal sensory perception in outdoor thermal environments and their correlation. The goal was to evaluate the environmental mitigation effect of rice fields on the psychology and well-being of people living in urban environments.
An additional goal was to collect quantitative data on the impact on the human body of outdoor thermal environments. If we can clarify the impact of visual stimuli on thermal sensory perception by humans, it will lessen the burden on people and the environment and facilitate a sustainable lifestyle.

Thermal Environment Evaluation Index, ETFe
The ETFe (enhanced conduction-corrected modified effective temperature) in outdoor spaces was developed by Kurazumi et al. [19]. Tests are underway to investigate the physiological and psychological impact of ETFe on the human body, which has served to clarify the efficacy [20] of the outdoor ETFe.
Outdoor sensational and physiological body temperatures were used to convert individual climate factors into temperature. These factors were: wind speed, long wavelength thermal radiation in outdoor spaces, short wavelength solar radiation, surface temperature on materials exposed to parts of the human body, and relative humidity. These factors were converted into temperature and added to air temperature, enabling standardized on-axis quantification of individual climate elements and the collective impact of outdoor spaces on the human body

Experimental Procedure
The same experimental methodology described in Kurazumi et al. [6] was used to collect and assess data on a quantitative basis. These experiments were conducted during the first half of August 2019 in Fukuoka, Japan, corresponding to the maturation of the rice fields. At the same time, experiments with human subjects were conducted twice a day, before and after 12 noon. The experiment began when the subjects started walking and ended just past the 2-hour mark.
The thermal environment of outdoor summer spaces has, in some instances, deteriorated so much that fatalities from heat stroke have been reported. For this reason, it is best to avoid staying outdoors in direct solar radiation at high temperatures or strong winds at low temperatures for long periods of time. Naturally, it can be conjectured that the human body response will differ the longer the exposure time of the subjects, and the experimental period was determined with consideration for the safety of the subjects.
Measurements of the human body response and the hot environment were taken for 10 min after setting up the measuring equipment, the subjects waited in a standing posture, and the time required for the Assmann Psychrometer to measure the relative humidity. The longer the subjects were exposed to the environment, the more their reactions were likely to differ. For safety, exposure time was limited.
After maintaining a seated position for 60 min or less indoors in an HVAC controlled room, subjects were moved to the first observation point by foot. The experiment staff instructed the subjects that the psychological reporting was thermally specific thermal sensation and thermal comfort, and that they should report the average sensation during the exposure time. The subjects' speed of movement was about 0.7 m/s. Upon arriving at the various observation points, the testers installed devices to measure the thermal environment. They waited standing up after the measuring stage was finished. Later, as noted above, they were exposed to the thermal environment for a 10-min period as they stood. The subjects were situated around the thermal environment measuring devices located in the center of the group.
Because the experiment concerned the environment surrounding the observation stations, subjects were not limited in terms of a gazing point. After exposure to the environment, the subjects reported the average whole-body thermal sensation and the average whole-body thermal comfort for the whole body that they experienced for the time exposed at the observation point.

Overview of Observation Points
Observation points are shown in Figure 1 and Table 1 provides an overview of these points. The testers worked with barren land including conditions such as surface gravel and earth, asphalt-pavement, areas of natural covering factors such as greenery and water bodies, and sky factors. For example, the green covering factor is defined as the ratio of green surface solid angles to the celestial globe solid angle. The water covering factor is defined as the ratio of water surface solid angles to the celestial globe solid angle. Three rice paddies where the growth and canopy were widespread, plus two asphalt-covered areas were selected, for a total of five observation points.

Subjects
The subjects were a group of 18 young healthy men and women.  [22], the subjects were given full information on the procedure in advance and they were required to sign an agreement to participate in the experiment. A body surface area equation proven effective by Kurazumi et al. [23] was used to calculate body surface area [24].
Tests using multiple subjects to measure the reaction of the human body in terms of both physiological and mental components are rare. It is also extremely difficult to extrapolate a small sample to a general population statistically. For this reason, this research is considered significant because it presents a novel set of data.  Green factor is green covering factor. Green covering factor is defined as the ratio of green surface solid angles to celestial globe solid angle. Water factor is water covering factor. Water covering factor is defined as the ratio of water surface solid angles to celestial globe solid angle.

Experimental Parameters
Thermal environment conditions are characterized by air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, short wavelength solar radiation, long wavelength thermal radiation, and ground surface temperature. Air temperature and relative humidity measurements were taken at 90 cm above ground using the Assmann   (0)).
Using thermal sensory perception as an explanatory variable, the following factors rendered significant impacts on physiological and psychological reactions: air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, short wavelength solar radiation, long wavelength thermal radiation, and temperature of the ground surface where it comes into contact with the human body (sole of foot).
This research takes into consideration the fact that psychological reactions stemming from the outdoor environment tend to be plagued with disturbances, a fact that can produce significant variations. As the standard of comparison between explanatory variables leading to highly effective analysis in a practical sense, the effectiveness rate was observed at 10%. The software package JMP14.3.0 (SAS Institute Japan) was used for purposes of statistical analysis.

Results
The number of measurements taken of the subjects at the various observation points totaled 140. The weather was good on all dates and times that measurements were taken. Table 2   Ta is range of air temperature. Tf is range of ground surface temperature in the vicinity of the human body. RH is range of relative humidty. Va is range of air verocity. RSdwn is range of downward short wave solar radiation. RSup is range of upward short wave solar radiation. RLdwn is range of downward long wave radiation. RLup is range of upward long wave radiation.
Kurazumi et al. [6] [29] [30] [31] showed that thermal sensory perception of the human body due to shadows blocking long wavelength thermal radiation was improved. Nishida et al. [5] and Kurazumi et al. [6], in turn, showed that shallow standing water surfaces demonstrate strong long wavelength thermal radiation, reflect stronger long wavelength thermal radiation from the ground surface, and result in less improvement in the human body's thermal sensory perception.
The results of this research will likely prove consistent with previous studies. Therefore, reducing the impact of long wavelength thermal radiation on rice paddies is considered critical to the mitigation of the outdoor thermal environment. In other words, natural coverings, such as rice fields and water surfaces, are expected to reduce the impact of long wavelength thermal radiation.
Ground surface temperatures of 60˚C or more were recorded at observation points with asphalt surfaces. Air temperature results also indicate the impact of solar radiation absorptivity on these surfaces due to downward-facing short wavelength solar radiation. In addition, where the ground is covered in plants and where there are water surfaces, the relative impact of ground surface short wavelength solar radiation was relatively low, even when considering factors such as downward-facing short wavelength solar radiation and high air temperatures.
The work of Kurazumi et al. [20] [32] clarified the impact of heat conduction as a variable in outdoor environments that impacts human thermal sensory perception. On ground surfaces where albedo is low, short wavelength solar radiation is strong, and reflected solar radiation is weak, the contact area between the standing subject and the ground is minimal. The human body's ability to acquire heat through conduction is projected to heavily impact skin temperature at the contact area (soles of feet). The average relative humidity was 65.0%, with a standard deviation of 5.0%, a result that does not indicate significant differences in the observed results. As a result, the influence that the difference in evaporation heat exchange has on sensational and physiological temperature is considered to be weak. However, the fact that the observation points are located in high-humidity thermal environments, the environments are thought to yield additional heat and humidity. The average wind speed was 1.7 m/s, and all observations were 3.0 m/s or less. The standard deviation, which stood at 0.5 m/s, makes wind speed an environmental factor that potentially affects thermal sensory perception.
Oliveira and Andrade [33] claim that wind speed has the biggest impact on thermal comfort. Kurazumi et al. [20] [32] named air flow as a variable that affects human thermal sensation and thermal comfort in outdoor environments, in both summer and winter. The human body may incur a negative experience depending on how environmental factors change, and this change may trigger relatively positive experiences. For this reason, other environmental factors, such as those that reduce the thermal effect, may produce a negative reaction.
The ETFe is an index based on the human body's heat balance. To calculate the mean skin temperature used to calculate the heat balance of the human body, a weighting factor was applied in consideration of the convective heat transfer area [34]. The weighting factor [35] was used to calculate mean skin temperature as a physiological reaction of the human body. To calculate body surface area, this research used a formula deemed appropriate by Kurazumi et al. [24].
Human convective heat transfer area, radiant heat transfer area, and conductive heat transfer area are factors borrowed from research by Kurazumi et al. [36]. The projected area factor of the human body comes from the work of Miyamoto et al. [37]. Meanwhile, the radiant heat transfer coefficient and convective heat transfer coefficient for the human body was derived from work by Kuwabara et al. [38]. For emissivity of the human body, a factor of 0.98, derived from reflectance of electromagnetic waves off skin at wavelengths of 3 μm or greater [39], was applied.
Short wavelength solar radiation heat transfer is impacted by solar radiation absorptivity. Kurazumi et al. [40] projected the impact of short wavelength solar radiation absorptivity in outdoor spaces on perceived body temperature when sky factors and albedo are also high. According to VDI3787-2 [41], solar radiation absorptivity is approximately 0.7 for clothed skin. However, Watanabe et al. [42] claim that solar radiation absorptivity of the human body wearing black clothing is 0.76, while for white clothing it is 0.38. The solar radiation absorptivity of other clothing combinations, as well as daily wear, fall within the range for black and white clothing. The rate used in this research was 0.70 as derived from reflectance of skin of a wavelength of 3 μm or fewer electromagnetic waves by Health Hendler et al. [39] and Elam et al. [43].
Measuring skin moisture proved challenging because it was difficult to ascertain the amount of perspiration, so values were applied from the behavioral thermoregulation model of Kurazumi et al. [44]. This model was used to calculate other missing physiological values. Metabolic heat production was calculated using a correction coefficient from Kurazumi et al. [45] and the outdoor ETFe already proposed and verified theoretically from meteorological observations [19] [20], human body skin temperature, and clothing value of the human body. Outdoor thermal environmental factors such as short wavelength solar radiation and long wavelength thermal radiation, as well as air flow, were inconsistent and therefore excluded as evaluation factors. These evaluation factors have the potential to impact the human body locally despite evenly distributed heat balance throughout the body. Horikoshi et al. [46] demonstrated changes in directionality caused by local thermal reactions included in psychological reactions to the uneven or asymmetric thermal environment. Kurazumi et al. [ [6] found that the long wavelength thermal radiation was more prominent during periods in the time period when accumulated amount of short wavelength solar radiation because water surfaces are exposed as the rice Subjects at observation points 2, 3, and 4 were on roads between rice fields, in which rice stood at a height of 30 -60 cm. At point 2, the rice canopy was relatively small, and a comparison with points 3 and 4 revealed a large water surface area. Nishida et al. [5] claims that the environmental mitigation effect of the paddy field correlates with the depth and flow of the water.

Relationship between ETFe and Thermal Sensation
Rice paddies in which the irrigation water is still with low to no flow, have a high heat capacity and the temperature rises. This in turn impacts the accumulation of short wavelength solar radiation and boosts long wavelength thermal radiation. In addition, the quality of thermal radiation is expected to have an impact [47]. For these reasons, the thermal sensation levels at observation point For this reason, we conclude that the impact of the water covering factor is evident in thermal sensation. Kurazumi et al. [17] showed that when visual stimulation evokes an image of wettability, thermal sensory perception improves.
In this respect, an image or impression of humidity is more powerful than the visual information of water surface exposure in terms of its environmental mitigation effect.  to an open sky, the ETFe was high, which means they are uncomfortable thermal environments. Because the ETFe was significantly lower at observation point 5, thermal comfort was considered better here than at the other observation points.

Relationship between the ETFe and Thermal Comfort
Comparing observation points 1, 2, and 4, which had roughly the same ETFe, the discomfort rating at point 1 was 20, which is exceedingly low. Meanwhile, points 2 and 4 were somewhat comfortable ratings of 40 to 50. Kurazumi et al. [21] found that the optimum thermal comfort zone for outdoor thermal envi-  [21] on this point.
The human body may experience discomfort caused by changes in environmental factors, and these experiences are thought to elicit relative comfort.
Therefore, fluctuations that reduce heat are believed to cause comfort. Humphreys [51], Brager and de Dear [52], Nikolopoulou et al. [53], and Kurazumi et al. [21] indicate that expectations of a pleasant environment are low for outdoor spaces. They also showed that thermal sensory perception differs even under  [21], expectations on comfort are low for outdoor spaces, which differed from thermal environments reported as comfortable. Because of this factor, the tolerance limit for thermal environment conditions with a high ETFe was accepted.
The major difference between observation points 2 and 4 and observation point 1 was ground cover. At observation points 2 and 4, subjects were situated at roads surrounded by rice paddies where the rice stood at heights of 30 -60 cm. The standing irrigation water in the fields was shaded by the rice, and although the presence of potential water surfaces could be assessed, the solid angle ratio of visual water surfaces was exceedingly low. Kurazumi et al. [17] showed that thermal sensory perception can be improved if visual stimuli elicit an image or impression of wettability. As indicated by Kurazumi et al. [6] [10] [11] [17] [18], the human thermal sensory perception due to visual stimuli can shift, even when the physical outdoor thermal environmental index ETFe remains the same. Therefore, we propose that the green covering factor contributes to a thermal comfort mitigation effect.
An  0.01); therefore, it is clearly shown that improving the physical thermal environment greatly contributes to improving the psychological thermal environment (i.e., thermal sensory perceptions). However, even in such an environment, the natural landscape described in Biophilia [14], the influence of the green and water covering factors find expression in the thermal comfort of human perception.

Relationship between Thermal Sensation and Thermal Comfort
Focusing on the regression line for all the experimental results, the thermal sensation that produced a thermal comfort level of 50 (neither hot nor cold, but thermally neutral) was 61.5. A comfortable ETFe obtained from the relationship between ETFe and thermal sensation is shown in Figure 2; ETFe was 34.8˚C. As stated in Kurazumi et al. [6] [10] [11], the sense of expectation about the degree of comfort in outdoor spaces is low to begin with and not judged to be comfortable thermal environments, therefore it is conceivable that even thermal environments with a high ETFe were accepted. Kurazumi et al. [21] showed that an ETFe of 31.6˚C -38.5˚C was perceived to be a comfortable thermal environment range for outdoor spaces in urban areas.
As stated in Kurazumi et al. [6], the difference between the perceptual environment (assumed to be comfortable) and the urban environment had an effect in rural and suburban regional environments, resulting in an ETFe below the upper limit of comfort in a summer urban environment [21].  Adding the thermal velocity field TVF hta (indicating impact of wind speed), effective radiation field ERF htaL (long wavelength thermal radiation), effective radiation field ERF htaS (short wavelength solar radiation), effective conduction field ECF hta (heat conduction), and effective humidity field EHF ETFe (relative humidity) standard excluded in sensible heat transfer coefficient in outdoor spaces are a good indication of the ETFe [19]. This modification allowed us to quantify both the comprehensive impact and the impacts of individual meteorological factors on sensational and physiological body temperature using the same evaluation axis. Therefore, the adjusting value can be examined by substituting physical and physiological coefficient values such as wind speed, thermal radiant temperature, clothing level, metabolic activity, and area of heat transfer. This means that sensational and physiological body temperature improvements are clarified using temperature-corrected values and the control methodology of target-setting temperatures through environmental factor adjustment are now possible.

Rice Fields and Thermal Sensory Perception
The ERF htaS at observation points 1, 2, 3, and 4 were significantly higher than point 5 because the former locations receive significant sunlight due to open sky, while point 5 is mostly shady. If short wavelength solar radiation could be shut out at point 5, the ETFe would decrease about 10˚C. Because of the regressive equation between ETFe and thermal sensation (Figure 3), and the regressive equation between ETFe and thermal comfort (Figure 4), could possibly mitigate the ETFe to an almost thermally neutral sensation of 50, if the short wavelength solar radiation is blocked at observation points 1, 2, 3, and 4 for example.
The ERF htaL at observation point 2, where rice fields remained, was roughly the same as the ERF htaL at point 1, it is considered that the influence of the ground surface cover is largely manifested. At point 2, the subjects were in a road between rice fields, the rice canopy was small, and the water covering factor was large. As Kurazumi et al. [6] asserted, the heat capacity of the rice fields as well as the that of standing water, accumulates short wavelength solar radiation, yielding a higher ERF htaL .
As the rice grew and its canopy spread, more of the water surface was shaded, consequently, the ERF htaL at observation points 3 and 4 was slightly lower. For this reason, physical environmental mitigation of the ETFe can be achieved by reducing the amount of long wavelength thermal radiation.
In addition, in the relationship between ETFe and thermal sensation, and the ETFe and thermal comfort, in cases where visual stimuli evoke an image of wettability, there is an additional effect on sensational and physiological temperature, and it has been shown that thermal sensory perception was improved.
Therefore, it became clear that the paddy fields contribute not only to the physical environmental mitigation effect but also to the psychological environmental mitigation effect by visual stimulation as the form of natural ground surfaces such as green spaces.
The Introduction noted that one example of greening a building is a rooftop garden such as the rice field above Hakutsuru Ginza Sky Farmstead [4] in Japan.
Covering building rooftops with tall plants reduces building surface temperatures and heating and cooling costs due to shading and evaporative cooling, justifying expectations for a synergistic effect. This research shows that visual stimuli, such as rice fields, impact thermal sensory perception in humans via high-level brain functions.

Conclusions
Focusing on the environmental mitigation effects, this study, using human subjects, helps to clarify the impact on the human body of thermal environmental factors in outdoor settings. Examining rice canopies and exposed water surfaces in rice paddies, we set out to prove that if we were able to show an impact on thermal sensory perception in humans, induced by visual stimuli (rice fields), it could be used to facilitate a sustainable lifestyle and benefit people and the environment.
Rice fields with smaller canopies and ample standing water receive a greater amount of short wavelength solar radiation, and the heat capacity factor comes into play. Ground cover with high heat capacity has the potential to cause deterioration of thermal sensory perception by intensifying a feeling or perception of heat.
Meanwhile, where the spread of the rice canopy was greater, and the water surfaces where irrigation water remained standing were covered in rice plants, a mitigation effect on the ETFe by reduction of long wavelength thermal radiation came into play, and it became clear that thermal sensory perception improved through visual stimuli that engendered images of wettability. In addition to the Y. Kurazumi et al. Health physical environmental mitigation effect, it was also shown that rice fields engendered a psychological environmental mitigation effect through visual stimuli in the form of natural ground surfaces such as green spaces.
This research shows that the visual stimuli of the rice plants impacts thermal sensory perception in humans.