Surviving the Winter

A (nonexhaustive) list of things I miss from the US:
*Central Heating
*Double-paned windows
*Insulation

It’s still autumn here in Miyagi-ken. But it is getting colder and people keep warning me about the severity of the winters. I’m getting mixed messages about how bad the winters generally are. I’ve heard that there will be a lot of snow, that there won’t be a lot of snow, that it will not be nearly as cold as Illinois, and that it will be much colder than back home. I don’t think the outdoor temperatures (or wind chill) will be as bad as back home, but only time will tell.

The problem comes in with the indoor temperatures. You see, Japanese homes are not built with the sort of energy-conserving techniques we have in the US. The walls are very thin and there is no insulation in them. The windows let drafts through. And the Japanese heat using kerosene space heaters.

That’s right. Kerosene. The heaters do work via electricity, so it’s not quite the pioneer days lifestyle. But it still involves filling up a container of kerosene from a tank outside my house. And it smells bad. Of course, the fumes can’t be good for you, so it’s important to air the heated room out (thereby letting all the heat escape—genius!).

I bought bubble wrap to attempt to insulate my house. That might help a little.

On the other hand, I don’t have to worry about putting things in the refrigerator because it’s just as cold in my kitchen.