Of all the features below, air conditioning has been the biggest difference we have experienced the past few months. Because the a/c is not constantly on, we have experienced summer more acutely than ever before. Here is a full list of home features you will find in Japan:
1. Gas/Hot Water
In our home, and in most Japanese homes, you have to manually turn the gas on to turn the hot water on. It is simply a matter of pressing a button, but it is nonetheless an extra step, so we use hot water far less often than we did in Chicago. Before showering or bathing, I turn on the gas, and can use hot water right away. After I am done, I turn it off. Gas, electricity, and water all costs significantly more here than it did in America. It's possible that this is a way of limiting use.
On a related note, Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History aired an episode on the most eco-friendly way to do laundry, which is to do laundry with cold water. So the most eco-friendly detergents, therefore, are those that work most effectively with cold water. I recently listened to this episode and wondered if using less hot water in general is also more environmentally friendly. I suppose it uses less gas (i.e., energy).
Another interesting feature is that the control panel for the gas and bath is in both the bathroom and the kitchen. Although the hot water becomes available immediately, the bath tub takes some time to fill. This way, you can start filling the tub with hot water after dinner, right from the kitchen.
2. Balcony
Laundry is usually line-dried in Japan, so balconies are a necessity. You can always see people's clothes drying on their balconies.
Our balcony is unique in that clothes-drying is prohibited. I'm not sure why this is, but it is a pain because balcony-drying is surprisingly effective. We have a powerful dryer fan that converts the shower room into a clothes-dryer. It is very loud, and I imagine it uses quite a bit of energy. It sounds like an airplane engine. While it is nice to have this option on rainy and very humid days, balcony drying is, surprisingly, just as effective on most days. Never underestimate the power of crosswinds.
It is a rainy day, so there is no laundry drying, but you can see plenty of balconies.
3. Room Air Conditioning
Central air conditioning is rare in Japan. Our apartment building, though a new building, has no central a/c. Instead, we have room air conditioning. It took getting used to, but I prefer having this kind of unit a/c. This way, we can customize the temperature of each room at night. And when you have to turn the air conditioning on in every room, you naturally become more aware of using air conditioning and use it only when you need it.
We have an open concept living and dining room. Since it is a large room, there are two air conditioning units in that room.
4. Dedicated Toilet Room
Besides the multi-functioning Japanese toilet, the toilet room itself is a unique feature of a Japanese home. Toilets are separate from the shower room and main vanity sink. For example, we have one bathroom (with shower and vanity) and two toilet rooms (with a small sink but no shower). This makes sense for Japanese people, who love soaking in the bath at the end of the day. This is a family affair in the sense that everyone takes their turn soaking. With a separate toilet, all that soaking can continue uninterrupted. Also, multi-bathroom homes are far less common here.
5. Floor Heating
Just like the air conditioning, floor heating is not centralized. Each room has its own floor heating system. Large rooms like the living room are divided into two sections with their separate controls. It works well. And since we don't wear shoes indoors, it keeps your feet extra cozy. I imagine my dog would have loved this feature. Here is the control panel for floor heating:
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