Five male Japanese subjects, undressed, were investigated at rest and during ergometer work at 30°, 25°, 20°, 15° and 10°C and the results were compared with similar measurements on Caucasians. The metabolic rate and mean skin temperature were higher at temperatures below 20°C than in Caucasians, while the correlation curve of metabolic rate versus skin temperature was similar. The rectal temperature decreased with lowering of the air temperature in these subjects in contrast to the observations in Caucasians. The thermal conductance of the Japanese was higher at the control air temperature, but became lower or equal in cool air as compared with that of Caucasians. The lower critical temperature was around 24°C. The results indicate that Japanese men react to cold with a mixture of both metabolic and insulative adaptation which differs from the response of Caucasians. The difference may be due to the environment, living habits and bodily constitution.