Autumn/Winter in Japan
It is now November, the time when it starts getting colder and we have to adapt to make sure we don't turn into popsicles! And since it's started snowing here in the mountains, where one of my schools is, I've decided to give some info on cool weather in Japan. You see, the methods for adapting to colder weather in Japan are quite different from what I've experienced in America.
First off, the heaters. Japan doesn't do central heating or cooling, and most buildings do not have insulation. This makes it very difficult for a single room to retain heat, let alone an entire building or house. And many buildings, like schools, have lots of windows, which doesn't help. In Japan, you will need space heaters for each room if you want to use them throughout the fall and winter. Luckily there are many types of heaters to choose from! I go for the electric heaters even though they'll increase the electric bill because the other main option is kerosene heaters. Yes, kerosene. They're cheaper to run, but you can't leave them running. And, of course, they produce dangerous fumes! So you have to open your windows and let those fumes outside every couple hours if you don't want to get sick, or get a pipe attachment and a hole in your wall to release all the fumes outside. To me, that's just too much work. So we'll stick with the electric. You also probably shouldn't leave electric heaters on when you're not home, but a lot of them have timers so you can set them to start warming up a room a couple hours before you expect to be home, or a couple hours before you wake up in the morning.
It's also recommended that you invest in an electric blanket and/or an electric carpet. Plus, everyone recommends kotatsu, a traditional piece of Japanese furniture present in most homes. This is a small-ish table that you sit at. In the warmer months, it's just a table, but once it gets cold, you can whip out the attachments. A carpet piece to go under the table, and a heavy blanket that fits between the legs and top of the table so that it hangs down to the floor. And the plug. The kotatsu has a small electric heater attached to the bottom side of the table top so it will heat up. You turn it on, put your legs under the blanket (or more of yourself if you can) and never ever leave.
Stores and restaurants will usually be pretty well heated, so those buildings aren't a problem, but if you go into a school building, you'll probably be cold. As I said, insulation and central heating aren't things in Japan. So in a school building, each classroom and the teachers room have their own heaters that get brought out and turned on at the appropriate time. This is usually December 1st. So in the autumn, students bring fleece blankets to school and wrap their legs, and teachers walk around the teachers room with their coats on. The classrooms aren't too bad because of all the students, so there's natural heat from all the bodies, and the teachers room will produce it's own small amount of heat because of the teachers and the many computers. But it's nothing compared to actual heating. Oh, and there's no heating in the hallways or the bathrooms. Those will always be cold.
Students in senior high school wear uniforms. The guys wear pants, but the girls wear skirts. Even in the autumn and winter (hence the fleece blankets). And they tend to not wear coats over their uniform, though they do sometimes have large scarves around their necks. Rather than piling on the outerwear, many students and teachers adopt layers of underwear. This is mostly seen in the various lines of heat clothing available in most stores. Uniqlo, a popular clothing store, sells Heat-Tech clothes that are designed to keep you warm in the cold weather. How effective this stuff really is is something I have yet to determine, but I think I'm slightly warmer thanks to the pants and shirt I bought. Male teachers will also wear heavy fleece-lined suit coats to classes. They keep a professional look while keeping warm.
Really, adapting to the Japanese winter can be difficult depending on your living situation before Japan. For me, I took insulation for granted. Oh how nice it would be if my bedroom would stay warm for even 5 minutes after turning off the heater!
First off, the heaters. Japan doesn't do central heating or cooling, and most buildings do not have insulation. This makes it very difficult for a single room to retain heat, let alone an entire building or house. And many buildings, like schools, have lots of windows, which doesn't help. In Japan, you will need space heaters for each room if you want to use them throughout the fall and winter. Luckily there are many types of heaters to choose from! I go for the electric heaters even though they'll increase the electric bill because the other main option is kerosene heaters. Yes, kerosene. They're cheaper to run, but you can't leave them running. And, of course, they produce dangerous fumes! So you have to open your windows and let those fumes outside every couple hours if you don't want to get sick, or get a pipe attachment and a hole in your wall to release all the fumes outside. To me, that's just too much work. So we'll stick with the electric. You also probably shouldn't leave electric heaters on when you're not home, but a lot of them have timers so you can set them to start warming up a room a couple hours before you expect to be home, or a couple hours before you wake up in the morning.
It's also recommended that you invest in an electric blanket and/or an electric carpet. Plus, everyone recommends kotatsu, a traditional piece of Japanese furniture present in most homes. This is a small-ish table that you sit at. In the warmer months, it's just a table, but once it gets cold, you can whip out the attachments. A carpet piece to go under the table, and a heavy blanket that fits between the legs and top of the table so that it hangs down to the floor. And the plug. The kotatsu has a small electric heater attached to the bottom side of the table top so it will heat up. You turn it on, put your legs under the blanket (or more of yourself if you can) and never ever leave.
Stores and restaurants will usually be pretty well heated, so those buildings aren't a problem, but if you go into a school building, you'll probably be cold. As I said, insulation and central heating aren't things in Japan. So in a school building, each classroom and the teachers room have their own heaters that get brought out and turned on at the appropriate time. This is usually December 1st. So in the autumn, students bring fleece blankets to school and wrap their legs, and teachers walk around the teachers room with their coats on. The classrooms aren't too bad because of all the students, so there's natural heat from all the bodies, and the teachers room will produce it's own small amount of heat because of the teachers and the many computers. But it's nothing compared to actual heating. Oh, and there's no heating in the hallways or the bathrooms. Those will always be cold.
Students in senior high school wear uniforms. The guys wear pants, but the girls wear skirts. Even in the autumn and winter (hence the fleece blankets). And they tend to not wear coats over their uniform, though they do sometimes have large scarves around their necks. Rather than piling on the outerwear, many students and teachers adopt layers of underwear. This is mostly seen in the various lines of heat clothing available in most stores. Uniqlo, a popular clothing store, sells Heat-Tech clothes that are designed to keep you warm in the cold weather. How effective this stuff really is is something I have yet to determine, but I think I'm slightly warmer thanks to the pants and shirt I bought. Male teachers will also wear heavy fleece-lined suit coats to classes. They keep a professional look while keeping warm.
Really, adapting to the Japanese winter can be difficult depending on your living situation before Japan. For me, I took insulation for granted. Oh how nice it would be if my bedroom would stay warm for even 5 minutes after turning off the heater!
Comments
Post a Comment