cooling off outside the gate
Archaic term for the custom of stepping outside one's gate to enjoy the evening cool, especially in summer. Not used in modern Japanese.
It is said that people in the old days enjoyed cooling off outside the gate on summer evenings.
Compound of 門 (kado, 'gate') and 涼み (suzumi, 'cooling off'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word reflects an old custom of sitting outside the gate to cool down.