Marc here.
For those of you who don't know, it's still actually quite warm here in Japan, at least during the day. Walking in the warmth of the day's sunlight, it's not hard to break a sweat. Windows are still open all over, allowing cooler wind to come through and cool off the otherwise sun-warmed houses. Make no mistake, though - fall is in the air. No leaves have turned, but fall is upon us.
The average temperature during the day as of late has been about 21-26 degrees Celsius, which translates to about 68 - 78 degrees Fahrenheit; yes, it's still that warm here. While people back in our home state of Michigan are anticipating snow with their furnaces turned on, we are still cracking windows and using fans to keep cool. Jealous? Don't be. Soon winter will be upon us, and we'll face only slightly warmer temperatures, but with one catch: no central heating!
That's right, virtually no homes in Japan have central heating, except for the far north (from which we are very distant). There are no heating ducts, no way of circulating hot air throughout our home. Instead, we have to focus on directed heat. If we want to be warm in the bathroom, we'll have to make the water hot. If we want to be warm while we eat or watch TV, we'll drape a blanket over our kotatsu. A kotatsu is a low table with a heating element built in, so you drape blankets over it and then cuddle up beside and underneath it (your legs are underneath, not your whole body). We also have two electric heaters, about the size of the ones that you probably use to warm your feet up. I've included a picture of it for all of you that are curioius; the picture shows it being used as a desk, with no blankets.
Our KOTATSU in all its glory
Our greatest ally for keeping warm, although not necessarily the one we'll use most, is the kerosene gas stove. I know, it sounds rudimentary. If you have images of a big huge hunk of metal sticking out of the top of the house, with a huge, wood-burning stove-like contraption, think again. This is actually a pretty advanced little piece of work. You plug it in to an electrical socket, and insert a modular can of kerosene gas. Adjust the settings to your desired preference (including timed off/on), and you're good to go. Unfortunately, the kerosene stove is a stand-alone unit; there are no ducts running outside of the home for ventilation. That means we have to crack a window to keep the place from becoming toxic, which sort of defeats the purpose of the heat, doesn't it? Why run your heater if your window to the freezing air outside is open? Getting used to the Japanese way of life takes some time!
And, in case you were starting to think it's not so bad, you have to realize that we cannot sleep with the heaters going. Although some people may use a heating blanket, most actually fall asleep in a cool room and awake in a cold room, the temperature no different from that outside. Yes, it's common to awake from your peaceful slumber to a 38F room! Contrary to popular belief, we probably won't die, although our Japanese friends sometimes think we might.
But, for now, it's not that bad. In fact, I was feeling quite warm earlier today while eating my lunch; I opened the windows more. I'm currently at work, although there is little work to do now (all the students went home after they finished mid-terms).
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