Braving the Cold!!!

Winter is officially here!

For most of us, nature has had its wicked way and has reminded us how cold winter truly can be.

In England and parts of Europe had an unusual large amount of snow dumped on them - which I believe has now mostly gone as the weather has eased up a bit (still cold though - am I right?)

In parts of America they have had blizzard conditions, especially in New York...On Youtube a few weeks ago I came across the video that hit the news about a tow-truck who had to pull a snow plough because it got stuck on the side of the road in a New York neighbourhood but the drivers had no respect for the parked cars - check out the video (Click Here).

Of course Canada and Russia are use to the amount of snow they get but its not for me, neither is the temperature that they experience.

As for here in Japan - well in varies. Japan is a very long country...in the most southern point (Okinawa) they have a more tropical climate and it's still somewhat warm there. In the most northern point (Hokkaido) they get a lot of snow. In fact I visited Hokkaido in October as part of a long weekend break with some friends. Whilst there they were preparing for the winter. They have avalanche 'catchers' (they stick out from the mountains to stop the snow from sliding - there used throughout japan where they get a lot of snow), on the open roads they were erecting 'Blizzard shields' (for most of the year they a folded away on the side of the road, in winter people go around and erect them, they look like big shutter blinds on the side of the road), they check the road heaters (yes, you heard me right...in some areas, especially corners in the mountains roads, they have big roadside heaters that use a mixture of Geothermal energy and electricity to heat water that is then pumped under the road which stops the road icing - a similar idea to underfloor heating at home) and finally they erect poles and signs on the edge of the road so that when the snow comes, and is piled up on the side due to the ploughs, you are still able to work out where the edge is (see the pic below - in this case its a big arrow (that flashes at night) because poles just end up getting buried) 

Where I live, Northern Iwate back on the main island of Japan on the east coast, the temperature averages out to about -5C during the day, with the high temps being around 3-5C...at night it plummets to about -15C

Now for most people, especially those of you who recently experienced the freak weather in England or regularly experience these temperatures in Canada may brush it off as though it was nothing.

But...and this is a HUGE BUT...you can escape the cold in you nice warm houses.

And before anyone thinks of being smart - Yes, we live in houses in Japan...read on and all will be made clear.

You will be forgiven for thinking that Japan is this highly modernised society with lots of gizmo's and gadgets that are sure to keep the house toasty, especially with a heated loo seat - well i thought that too.

Here's the reality - Yes, Japan has all these gizmo's and gadgets...but they come at a price...mainly because most japanese people dont like things that are old, they are constantly upgrading...they want that new toy that is more energy efficient that will help them have more time for family (or work)...so the companies charge more for electronic items then they do in other countries (because they have high consumer demands here).

So although Japanese people want to be all Eco friendly with their gizmos and gadget, they seem to forget about their houses, (as in the way its built)...Houses quickly devalue over the years and most houses are designed to be lived in for about 10years before its rebuilt - normally its cheaper to rebuild than to repair or add rooms - they are like prefab houses - the basic construction is similar to that in america with the wooden walls, nailed into place for the basic structure and layout - problem is to save on cost they dont add insulation, occasionally the pipes might get some sponge around them. The walls are then plastered (bare in mind, the walls are single walls, the only gap is for the cables - which is way they are described as being "paper thin" - and this is for ALL walls, the outside ones included), most floors are wooden with some rooms having tatami mats (they look nice but in winter most people cover with carpets and rugs for warmth), even the bath room is usually premade as a unit that connects into place during the construction - with modern apartments they then add the aircon (cooler and heater), double glazed windows, intercom, 'all that jazz' toilet etc etc.

So even though its a new apartment it can still get cold in the winter

But...this is where the HUGE BUT comes in again...this is for new apartments whereby you live in a city or are paying probably around 60,000yen or more - for the south or where the winters are short you're fine...but not in the north..

To make matters worst, Iwate, is one of the poorest prefectures in Japan. In the city i live in (which is relatively small, only 63,000 people) most of the houses look like big shacks with tin roofs. Some houses are the traditional wooden houses that are hundreds of years old, in the mountain areas you can still find people living in houses that use mud for the walls, the streets are narrow (usually only one way), the city center has concrete buildings (the same style of the schools) which take on the appearance of the 1960s concrete buildings you find in England.

the view from my window...the space is used as a carpark but its actually where a house once stood but no-one can afford to rebuild - which is why most people here make do and patch up the houses...there are some new houses, and inside the houses are kept looking nice...the neighbours are really friendly as well

The houses in the pics are about 30years old, the concrete one dates back to the 1950's...the house im in was an old shop built on metal stilts to allow for parking underneath and for a thruway to the house behind...the part i live in is the old living section, the part my flatmate lives in is the old shop that had a few walls knocked down and doorways blocked in - the workmanship is a bodge job...electric sockets can be found in some areas close to the ceiling rather than the floor...the western style doors are from the old door frames that got blocked up and so dont fit properly and the main door also was reused meaning all western doors have gaps... about 2cm at the bottom...we still have the old metal bath with tiles to cover the concrete floor, also its single glazed with paper window shutters and a tin roof.

Its rustic, has its charm, great in the summer.

However in the winter you get ice on the inside on the windows where condensation has built up, cold drafts from every little crack in the house, an icicle forms on the kitchen tap every morning, water freezes in all the pipes - oh did i forget there is no central heating in japan (apart from some lucky people in Hokkaido that can afford to have it installed)

 

My daily routine has changed for winter - showers first thing in the morning or just before bed cant happen (Water is frozen and if you attempt to use the boiler in the bathroom with ice in the system, you run the risk of it exploding)...at night if you need the toilet you have to dash there and back but can only go for a tinkle because you cant flush (you risk bursting the pipes)...i also have to remember to have water in the kettle at night so that i can have hot water in the morning to melt the ice in the kitchen tap so that i can have a wash (in freezing water) and brush my teeth...for my living room and bedroom i have heat/cold reflecting curtains (that resemble show curtains), sponge strips blocking most gaps, large rugs, a kerosene heater for the day (very cheap to run but cant run at night to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning), at night an electric heater, an electric blanket and 2 duvet blankets - if im at my desk i have a mini heated rug for my feet, otherwise im sat at my kotatsu (a table with a heater underneath)...

And this is just at home - maybe in my next blog i will tell you how to brave the cold in the streets and at school

So, what is winter like in your country - how do you brave the cold? - comment below

***Check out my other blogs, videos and pictures for more info on Japan***

And as they say here in japan - Stay warm and dont catch a cold

 

*sorry for the length - first day back at school, no classes and all prep done - so you get to listen to me ramble on about how cold it is...just so you know this is not me complaining, its just a blog about reality...there are ways to cope with the cold and to be honest im pretty use to it now (also sitting in front of the kerosene heater with my body snuggled under the kotatsu is awesome)

 

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