It’s officially winter here in Japan, but if it weren’t for the temperature, it would actually be hard to tell. This part of Japan doesn’t get cold enough for snow, bottoming out at just above the freezing point, so the chances of getting snow are pretty slim. Christmas decorations are rare, although the few houses that do put up lights go completely crazy with them. Since it doesn’t get cold enough for snow, there’s no hockey or winter sports on TV because there’s nowhere to play them. In fact, it’d be easy to mistake it for a particularly chilly autumn.

Until you go inside.

Despite all of Japan’s technological advancements, there are two things that they haven’t integrated into their daily life yet. One is insulation, which means the temperature of the average household is only a few degrees off the temperature outside. The other is central heating, which means if the temperature drops you have to improvise a heat source. In the winter, both of these combine to chill the entire population to the bone with little to no break. And I live near the south end of the mainland; I can only imagine what it’s like up in Hokkaido.

Being from Canada, I’m no stranger to cold temperatures, and I actually find it quite nice outside in this temperature. My mom sent over all my winter gear a few weeks ago, and the fact that it was all made for -30 degree weather means I stay nice and toasty here. On the other hand, I’m also used to being able to go inside to get away from the cold, and I most certainly took that for granted until I got here. Bundling up in layers and turning on miniature heaters just to be comfortable in my own apartment is a big step from flicking a switch and heating the entire building.

Since this problem comes up every winter, Japanese people have come up with a few ways to stay warm:

• Space heaters – By far the most common method of heating. They aren’t strong enough to heat more than one room, they have no setting between off and full, and they either suck up incredible amounts of electricity (for electric heaters) or make the room smell like kerosene (for gas heaters).
• Kotatsu – These things are pure money. A kotatsu is basically a low table with a heating element inside it. Remove the top, spread a blanket over the element, replace the top and turn it on. This heats up the area under the blanket, and you can stick your legs under while you do whatever you do at the table. The people who have them love them and use them religiously; sadly, there is absolutely nowhere in my apartment to put one.
• Warm clothes – I didn’t notice it because it came on so gradually, but if I look around now, everyone is wearing suits to work. I thought they were just being formal, but if you’ve ever worn a heavy suit jacket, you know how hot they can get. I only own one jacket so I’m reduced to wearing the few work-appropriate sweaters I own.

What strikes me is that Japanese people, despite all their complaints about how cold it gets, never seem to be that bothered by it. Walking around the city I still see women in miniskirts and men in short-sleeved shirts. The other North Americans and I can’t wrap our heads around that mentality; if you know it’s cold, why wouldn’t you wear clothes that keep you warm? Clearly they have no problem with sacrificing their comfort for the sake of appearance, something that seems to be a common trait of a lot of Japanese people. And even if they wanted to put on something warmer, the school uniforms require skirts for the girls when even private schools back home gave girls the option of pants in the winter.

Of course, this brings up an obvious question. If the temperature is such a problem, why don’t houses have heating and insulation? Well, it’s not a technical limitation, as Western-style houses here are built with modern heating systems. I’ve asked a few people and most of them have given me one of two reasons.

1. Japanese people are trying to prove their strength to the world by putting up with their discomfort without complaining.
2. Most Japanese people have grown up without heating and never left the country, and the idea of having a heated house has simply never occurred to them.

They’re both pretty cynical, but there’s no way that Japanese people actually prefer their houses at near-zero temperatures, and considering that Western-style houses are most popular among people who have actually lived outside of Japan for any period of time, my money’s on the second reason. It’s odd that such a basic concept of North American life would get lost somewhere over the ocean while all of our pop culture seems to make the journey safely. I hope it does eventually, because frankly, I’m tired of starting every conversation with a comment about how cold it is.

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