Staying Warm in Japan

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A simple diagram of a Japanese ofuro and guemonburo.
A simple diagram of a Japanese ofuro and guemonburo.
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A typical Japanese house does not have central heating as most homes in the United States. However, the Japanese stay warm through various other methods.
A typical Japanese house does not have central heating as most homes in the United States. However, the Japanese stay warm through various other methods.
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A simple diagram of a Japanese kotatsu and haori.
A simple diagram of a Japanese kotatsu and haori.

The Japanese, except for those living on one far northern island, have always — to my knowledge — lived in unheated houses. To do this, they’ve developed many beautiful techniques for keeping warm techniques which make a Japanese home quite different from what most Americans might imagine.

Japanese houses, it is said, are designed to be comfortable in hot weather while Western homes are constructed for comfort during cold weather. This may be true, but the average temperatures in Japan cover roughly the same range as those of the United States. Match degree against degree, for example, and you’ll find living in Tokyo very similar — temperature-wise — to residing in Washington, D.C.

The traditional Nipponese home and its inhabitants, in other words, have happily survived many centuries in a climate not very different from our own. And that house and the people who live in it have done so without central heat.

How can this be? Can unheated houses really be comfortable?

Yes they can. I grew up in Japan and was fortunate enough to always live in traditional homes. I love them dearly, in fact, and much prefer them to the centrally heated “ovens” so typical of our culture. Perhaps, if I describe a typical winter’s day as we lived it in our Japanese house, you’ll understand my feelings.

  • Published on Jan 1, 1976
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