Staying warm in Japan

Not supposed to look like this!

The stereotype of Japan is that the houses are cold and drafty...annnd that's one stereotype I can confirm that's definitely true. :)

It’s cold in our house. So far our “record low” in the house is below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. How do know that? Well, first of all, I could see my breath in the kitchen. And second, the olive oil was thick and cloudy, which apparently can happen below 45-50 degrees. Yeah. Yikes!

It’s not that cold outside – above freezing, usually. However, our house is old for Japan (1975) and lacks insulation and double paned windows. Even newer houses aren't that well insulated - one of the mysteries of Japan. We can actually feel the wind blowing through the house. I’m from Minnesota, so I *thought* I was used to the cold. Ha! Well, this is a whole different story.

We have ductless wall unit air conditioners that also function as heaters. These are used in most of Asia and lots of other places around the world. Very inefficient in our house – sometimes we can’t heat the living room above 55 degrees even when we have the heater set on the maximum setting (30 degrees Celsius/86 degrees Fahrenheit!!). I envision that all the heat goes straight out the roof. Also, not all of our rooms have heaters – the bathroom and kitchen don’t, so we use a space heater or we just tough it out.

Useless air con/heater unit

The heated toilet seats in the bathrooms are awesome too. Technically, it's a "Warmlet," as opposed to a Washlet, which is the full-on Japanese bidet toilet. When we discovered we had them in the house, we thought "ooh, fancy!" No, no, not really -- more like a necessity when it feels cold as ice in the bathroom!

We also have a pretty sweet bathtub like all homes in Japan. Our furo fills up with the touch of a button and recirculates the water so it stays warm. It’s nice and deep, which I love.

Don't you love the color scheme?

Lots of people use kerosene heaters. Kerosene is cheap, but you have to make sure to have proper ventilation or the fumes will kill you! Also you have to siphon it in there from a tank and risk spilling it all over the place...and well, thanks but no thanks.

Kotatsu are pretty popular as well. They are low tables with a heater underneath covered by a thick blanket.  Back in the day, they used to be heated with coal, but now they’re electric. They even have heated electric carpets too.  I’m sure Hashi would love one but Igor and I aren’t big fans of sitting on the floor Japanese style  :-/ They even have heated electric carpets.

Here's a kotatsu cover for sale at Nitori (Japanese IKEA)

So most days you’ll find me wearing my heaviest wool sweater and Uniqlo HEATTECH clothing, sitting under my electric throw blanket with the dog, drinking tea. :)

He's a snuggler :)

Setagaya Boroichi

We visited the Setagaya neighborhood in Tokyo to take in the Boro-ichi street fair there. It has taken place every Dec. 15-16 and Jan. 15-16 for the last 400+ years. It's named for the rags (boro) that were sold to bind sandals way back when. Now they sell just about everything but the kitchen sink.

For mochi pounding

Masses of green tea

Anyone in the market for a naked baby statue?

Grilled rice snacks

Furry shoes that look like...well, I won't say it ;)

Sturdy teapots

Used obi (kimono sash)

Chopsticks of all kinds

Tiny dried flower arrangements

Kokeshi and other dolls  (we bought the red one)

Used geta (Japanese clog sandals)

Tiny cacti

Yuzu Cha

We found out we got yuzus from the grocery store and not oranges when we tried to eat one.Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit usually used for its juice and fragrant peel. They look very similar to oranges (see left), but they are very sour, like a grapefruit and light green inside with lots of seeds.

Well, I didn't want to waste them, so I had to figure out wheat to do with them. I found a recipe for yuzu cha (tea) that I had had at a coffee shop. I juiced and chopped up the rest of the yuzus for that--delicious and smells heavenly!

Boiling sliced yuzu peels, juice, and sugar--reduces down to a jam consistency

Making the "tea"