Sunday May 27, 2012

Japanese urged to wrap up as Warm Biz gets under way

National ( 92 )

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Back to top

Order by Time Order by Popularity

92 Comments

Login to comment

  • 10

    smartacus

    Sometimes I think that Japan is becoming a nation of softies. It is not even cold yet and I see young women everywhere wearing scarves and gloves. In the office, they are already putting blankets over their knees while seated at their desks.

    Some of the suggestions in this story are ludicrous. Sleeping with a towel around one's neck?

    Toughen up ladies. A little bit of cold won't hurt you.

  • 7

    tmarie

    Exactly Smartacus! It has been in the 20s nearly everyday for the past month and I have seen more winter jackets. Perhaps they could learn to be hot or cold, rather than rely on these magically dates where they are supposed to switch over their clothes?

  • 1

    zichi

    wooly underwear and hot patches. During the winter I sleep with a wooly hat.

    better go and score them before there's a run on them

  • 4

    spudman

    Typical "nanny state" Japan. No one will make the switch without it being officially endorsed. How about just saying "we'll leave it up to you to dress appropriately"?

    As long as the ladies are wearing high boots and short skirts, roll on winter!

  • -2

    some14some

    I see young women everywhere wearing scarves and gloves.

    and long winter boots...i find it hard to tolerate :(

  • 3

    ironchef

    smartacus, i agree..and what is worse, the Japanese guys are just as bad, maybe even worse with their scarves and beanies and 10 layers.

  • 3

    Spidapig24

    Smartacus and tmarie, couldn't agree more. It's laughable the way people are rigging up already, jackets, scarfs etc yet it is still in the mid 20's. I think the Japanese need to harden up a bit, it's not that cold jeez lm still getting around in shorts ( and doesn't that elicit a few stares). It amuses me that because a date is reached wardrobes must change, l guess it is just another example of the brainless lemmings that inhabit this country they need to be told when to change from summer clothes to winter.

  • -5

    TakahiroDomingo

    in this case i disagree with most posts here: i think dress code is dictated in japan by fashion, not by what government says

  • 4

    gaijintraveller

    You need to dress up for winter now if you use JR as they still use coolers on trains.

    Why is it that in Japan the temperature always needs to be regulated? Isn't there any time between summer and winter when it is possible to manage without either heating or cooling?

  • 5

    Foxie

    Officials are telling homes and offices to set heaters and air conditioners no higher than 20 degrees C.

    That may be good advice for people living in Tokyo where the outside temperature is 6C but up here in the north with -25C outside, this would be way too cold.

    The same thing with the boots happens also in southern Europe every fall when it is still over 20C. People must be too concerned about fashion.

  • -7

    NetNinja

    For dinner, it recommends a traditional Japanese hotpot.

    You can lower the heat if you enjoy nabe with your family and friends, making both bodies and the room warm. The temperature will feel higher than it actually is thanks to steam from the pot, the ministry website says.

    > Eating root vegetables and ginger will help to warm the body up, it says, adding that getting off the train a stop earlier and walking the rest of the way to work will boost circulation.

    As an American, it's has always been interesting to live in a post-communistic country. At times though I wonder if it's really "post" and not redeveloped with a touch of capitalism and socialism all mixed into one.

    People here really love to tell you how to live. They want to tell you what to eat, what to drink, they make all these campaigns. They want you to give an inch so they can take a mile.

    It's just an article on how to stay warm and save energy.
    It's not to me. Before 3/11 they were crying that we tried Cool Biz. I remember the silk tie manufacturers being in an uproar over it. Now they they want to do Warm Biz and get us all spending more money on this and that.

    The above quote "specifically" instructs you on what you should eat. How about this? I got a 5-Alarm Texas Chili recipe that could warm you up so you could walk out in the cold winter naked.

    The title of this article is accurate in one respect. Only Japanese are urged to do these things. Just curious, what are all the other minority groups here urged to do?

    I applaud anyone who's trying to save energy but it's easy to recognize when someone isn't sincere about it.

  • 3

    minello7

    this one I like " In one region, employees were told to take a two-hour siesta after lunch"Italy wouldn't be Italy without this. It should be adopted worldwide. Strange how its used in all kindergartens for all children world, wide and then it stops just before entry into elementary school???

  • 1

    tmarie

    I'm still wearing sleeveless shirts, short sleeves and face classes of those in full sweaters, jackets... they start peeling the layers off half way and ask me to turn on the AC! Ha! Not happening!

  • 1

    Foxie

    2-hour siesta is way too short. I prefer the Greek working day. Go to the office from 8 to 13:00. Have your lunch, fun and siesta and resume work at 5 to finish off at 8pm.

  • 0

    Hategobo

    All Summer I have been walking around the house in vest and shorts, now with the advent of winter I will be walking around like a Yeti.Yes I know , I am a fashion Icon, I have done this all my life in the UK so no change there. Now all you non Brits know why British culinary delights such as Steak and Kidney pudding, Spotted Dick, Lancashire Hotpot, and well boiled vegetables became our food of choice in the winter. Not for us the tomato based pasta dish sprinkled with aromatic mediterranean herbs topped with a sprinkling of rancid cheese. My advice to Japan this winter is " Go British". :)

  • -1

    DC2020

    Once had a GF refuse to wear a nice lightweight/short dress on Sept. 1st (it was over 30 degrees still) because she said it was a "Summer dress" and Sept. 1 was no longer Summer. LOL.

  • 1

    spudmanreincarnated

    Foxie

    Officials are telling homes and offices to set heaters and air conditioners no higher than 20 degrees C.

    That may be good advice for people living in Tokyo where the outside temperature is 6C but up here in the north with -25C outside, this would be way too cold.

    Inside temperature is the same no matter the outside temperature, thermostats are good, we even have them here in Hokkaido.

  • 1

    DenTok2009

    If I go out early in the morning, I put on a T-shirt and wool sweater. Just right! Then a bit later I feel very warm but not too warm to take the sweater off to hold it. The other day I was on a train and I felt too warm. Maybe it was the warm bodies all around me or perhaps the heater was on. Ugh. My ex-boyfriend from Chicago would go out in the icy Denver street with a T-shirt and a jean jacket and be all right. I used to marvel at that. He told me it wasn't really that cold even when everyone else would be bundled up. My house is chilly. I go outside and it's warm.

  • 1

    Foxie

    spud: Your theory works when you live in the city, nestled between zillions of other buildings but it doesn't work when you live on an open plain with the northerly blizzards ripping through the air. You would have to live in an airtight bunker for that to work.

  • 2

    moomoochoo

    I hope they turn the heating down in the shopping malls.

  • 2

    genji17

    LOL eat nabe and be warm!!! Got to admit warm biz will be much easier to deal with than cool biz....summer was horrible and the solution of eat a cucumber is absolutely dumb. Though i still have my desk fan going!

  • 3

    bicultural

    Actually, sleeping with a towel around the neck works very well when you're trying to recover from a sore throat.

  • 2

    Nicky Washida

    I went out a couple of days ago in jeansand a short-sleeved t-shirt. So many people were grabbing my arm and saying "eeeehhh? Samui desu ka??!" It was 26 degrees!

    In Yochien we had a letter around saying that from Oct 1st Winter uniform will apply - same every June (or is it May? I forget) for the summer uniform. God forbid that anyone actually use common sense to dress. No no no, cant have people actually thinking for themselves here. Who knows where it might lead? Today you wear weather-appropriate clothes, tomorrow you might start questioning those in authority. That short-sleeved t-shirt could lead the whole country into anarchy! No wonder I make them so nervous!

  • -10

    lachatamber

    lol at the gaijin on here crying because japanese people look at them weird for still wearing shorts and flip-flops in November. most people with sense are wrapping up in warm clothes and the government is giving tips on how to stay warm without using electricity. that's nice, I think, and helpful.

  • 2

    Elbuda Mexicano

    Go to an onsen!! 温泉! By golly even if it's snowing and your is frozen!! as long as your body is in the hot water you are in a virtual heaven on earth!! No cold beer etc after keeps you warm all day and night!! I love Japanese hot springs!!

  • 2

    kaminarioyaji

    As many above have testified, people have already been wearing scarves, jackets, etc for weeks whilst it's still been in the low to mid 20s.

    On top of that, I got on a train the other day that had the heater on! Totally unnecessary as people are already have their woolies on - I only had a thin jacket but started sweating as soon as I got on (thankfully it was a short journey).

    What a waste of energy. Of course, Japan being "Eco", none of the passengers had the gumption to ask the guard or driver to just turn it off.

  • -1

    Hategobo

    @Nicky Washida you are spot on about dressing for the weather at the time. Last week I was having coffee with a friend, sat outside in the sunshine. She was dressed up like a Polar bear and I was wearing a short sleeved shirt. When she started to complain about the heat I ventured the observation that she was possibly dressed inappropriately for the weather. She replied that It was ok for me because I had FUR on my arms LOL. I do hope she meant hair.

  • 3

    borscht

    lachatamber,

    lol at the gaijin on here crying because japanese people look at them weird for still wearing shorts and flip-flops in November. most people with sense are wrapping up in warm clothes

    If the temperature indicates that shorts and flip-flops are appropriate, I wear them, not if the government or a random date on the calendar says I must. That is what people are crying about.

    For example, today it's about 23 degrees. Should I wear my ski outfit because it's November 2nd? Or because the government told me to bundle up? It's 23 degrees! If the date were August 2nd, the government would tell me to wear a short-sleeved shirt.

    Schools and the government want people to dress appropriate based on a date, not the weather, which strikes some of us as weird.

  • 2

    Patrick Smash

    Interesting that traditional Japanese food is recommended rather than a nice hot curry. TIJ. This is still T-shirt weather and people are already in their woollies. My office is at 27 degrees and the lizard women who work here think it is cold. The blankets and scarfs are out in temperatures I associate with a Hawaiian beach. How about not being so ridiculously skinny and actually moving occasionally?

  • 6

    Patrick Smash

    Foxie, not that many people are recommending the Greek working ways at the moment. Good luck with that one.

  • 5

    tokyokawasaki

    Just today I was standing outside waiting for the morning train (in just jeans and a short sleeve polo shirt). All around me were Japanese ladies with full length jackets and scarves (some with gloves too). And they look at me like I am mad.

    "Samukanai" I sometimes feel like shouting (it's not #%$king cold) every time I hear them greet and repeat to one another samuii, nee! It's over 20 degrees, how is that cold? Is it because you feel cold, or because someone on TV told you it was cold and you therefore dress and act accordingly.

    I find the ladies in my office strange too. Sitting there with blankets over their legs and shoulders. That image reminds me of survivors plucked from the icy sea following the Titanic disaster.

  • 2

    Piglet

    Since the government required a temperature of 28ºC in summer, what about 18ºC in winter? I would love to see these middle aged women in my office complaining about the cold while we had to endure in silence 30ºC during summer?

    My wife did not believe me when I told her that in France, the recommended temperature indoor is 18ºC-20ºC and 16ºC-20ºC for sleeping rooms and babies (on the contrary, babies are kept at higher temperatures here 25ºC-27ºC).

  • 0

    Piglet

    Anyway, these recommendations are typical "nanny State". How about just recommending people to save energy because of this exceptional disaster situation and let them find ways to do it?

  • 2

    Patrick Smash

    Piglet, there was an article on JT (I think) that said 28 degrees was set because Japanese ministries believed 28 degrees to be the maximum temperature that Japanese people could work in and be able to function properly. European studies show 22-24 degrees to be an optimal working temperature, as do North American ones. The 20 degrees they are talking about here for warmbiz is a little too cold, but people can always put a sweater on if they really feel freezing. I couldn't really have removed any more clothing this summer when the office hit 30 without being arrested. What you will find though is that the coolbiz was followed in our offices quite enthusiastically by skinny lizard women who never move. Warmbiz will be overruled as the definition of cold here appears to be "any temperature below about 27 degrees". Suddenly those same ladies will not act in the best interests of the country.

  • -1

    spudmanreincarnated

    Foxie

    spud: Your theory works when you live in the city, nestled between zillions of other buildings but it doesn't work when you live on an open plain with the northerly blizzards ripping through the air. You would have to live in an airtight bunker for that to work.

    I live in Obihiro! Yes my house is modern and is weatherproof. Change your accommodation if it's not up to standard

  • 9

    Nessie

    Just today I was standing outside waiting for the morning train (in just jeans and a short sleeve polo shirt). All around me were Japanese ladies with full length jackets and scarves (some with gloves too). And they look at me like I am mad.

    Tell them it's the new look: None Of Your Damn Biz.

  • 1

    Kamala Brown-Sparks

    People are laughing about the JGov dictating clothing, but in the US there still people who refuse to wear white if it's after labor day and before Easter

  • 0

    horrified

    More propaganda from big brother. Have we forgotten that they had a surplus of electricity during the summer? We are producing enough electricity for this winter. Now I have to deal with over-zealous community centre workers who'll demand we keep the heaters off all winter.

  • 1

    Foxie

    spud: and Obihiro isn't a city, is it? I just live down the road from you in the Hidaka area and my house is new with the latest isolation on the market. But 20C on my stove's thermometer is too cold. Growing up in Spain must have made me more sensible. Anyway, i think all these measures apply for people who heat with electricity and not with kerosene.

  • 1

    tmarie

    Foxie "2-hour siesta is way too short. I prefer the Greek working day. Go to the office from 8 to 13:00. Have your lunch, fun and siesta and resume work at 5 to finish off at 8pm." Yes, because that has worked out oh so well for the Greeks, hasn't it?

    I am going to start playing a game and counting how many times I get asked "Samukanai?" Light cottonn sweater today and I have had three so far! It is about 22 where I am. No you idiots, I am not cold. However, you look warm in your heavy sweater and jacket!! Enjoy Feb when it is actually cold!

  • 2

    zichi

    Coming from a place 55 deg N, I can deal with the cold better than I do with the hot sweaty summers. You can always put more clothes on but how many can you take off?

    The new style kerosene heaters are better than the old models which create more carbon monoxide. The new ones have no wicks, and instead have a combustion chamber producing very little or no carbon monoxide. But they need a small amount of power for the fan. They have timers too so when you get up the room is warm.

    I love those hot patches we buy dozens of boxes of them during the winter. Call it a fashion accessory!

  • 0

    It"S ME

    Tepco has no spare power.

    Check their site for daily usage and availability, current availability is way lower than during the summer.

    Easy reason as they buy power from other companies as their forecast demands, this power is bought daily and depends on availability from other suppliers.

    The other suppliers are also running low and there is no guarantee that Tepco can supply ebough power over the winter.

    And I agree that Japanese like it warm, heck I still wear a Polo-shirt now outdoors(granted with a thin wind-breaker to stop the draft).

  • 1

    ebisen

    Haha - lol, I come from a cold country, and experienced -35 or less degrees Celsius more than once. Seeing all the southerners (not only Japanese, Greeks, and Italians are just as bad), wearing their wintercoats when outside is still 20something makes me laugh. Women and men alike...

    Toughen up, let your body get used to the cold, and you will survive even lower temperatures. Walk a lot, drink hot soups, ginger ale... Avoid too warm clothes (especially now). Better feel the cold now, as this will make a body a bit immune to it.The (My) body has a "fattening" reaction to cold, and I always somehow gather a thin layer of fat under the skin as soon as the winter approaches :). It disappears in the next spring.

  • 0

    kaminarioyaji

    @Lachatamber. . You MAY have a point, but it's a totally invalid one when the temperature's still around 20 degrees centigrade

  • 1

    Thomas Haynes

    thermal underwear and undershirt, cotton socks, wool socks, t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, double-knee denim pants, carharrt coat, and goretex boots. blam problem solved.

  • -2

    Disillusioned

    20' is too cold!

  • -3

    NetNinja

    Tell you what. I'm NOT going to be cold in my own home. Lets get that straight, RIGHT NOW. I don't expect you to be cold in your own home either. You pay the rent, you pay the bills. From sun up to sun down you deal with the daily BS and drudgery.

    That BS stops at my door. This is my home. It's my sanctuary, my place of Zen and tranquility.

    If somebody knocks at my door asking me to turn off my heater, I'm slamming the door on their foot.

    Our power issues need to be resolved with the people that caused them in the first place....TEPCO. Go tell their boss to turn off the power in all of his houses and condominiums, plus sacrifice his salary.

    This is ridiculous. Who's going to pay your medical bill when you get sick with the flu? Who's going to pay if you die of pneumonia? Who's going to cover your salary loss if you can't go to work cause you nearly froze to death in your own home trying to appease some bureaucrat?

    No people, I think I'll keep the heat on and I'm putting up Christmas lights too!! I'm not sacrificing my health or culture to these frigid grinchs. You shouldn't either. Take care of yourselves, please.

  • 1

    namabiru4me

    Haha! Thanks for the comment @NetNinja! I agree with you, except for slamming the door on someone's foot! Instead I would go to "I don't speako Japanese" act. ;-)

  • 2

    Nicky Washida

    most people with sense are wrapping up in warm clothes

    In 26 degree heat. Thats what you call "sense" is it??! Those of us more able to think for ourselves call it blindly following what they are told to do because they have no sense.

  • 1

    Rogerrabbitt

    This is Japan, a very pragmatic country. As soon as the government say its winter the summer clothes are put away and the winter woolies are brought out of storage, regardless of the tempereture. It's winter!

  • 2

    Johannes Weber

    We all know that there can be quite a big difference between the temperature you feel and the real temperature. Each and everyone can toughen herself up by daily spending about half an hour outside. Admittedly, there are quite some temperature gaps even in Kanto and there are some places colder than the average weather station.. However, there is a large span in comfortable temperatures, depending on physical condition and activity, clothing and ingested food.

    Regulation of body temperature actually isn't strongly related to body fat, if you're not a penguin or a marine mammal. Heat is generated in the most efficient fashion in muscles, which are put to use. So it is not the surplus body fat of foreigners, but it is our muscle tissue and our willingness to use it for moving our bodies that keeps us warm. Which is why I pick stairs instead of escalators quite often in the colder season.

    They say in my country that there is no bad weather, just wrong clothing. I wonder whether this adage exists in Japanese, too.

  • 1

    Nicky Washida

    I have heard actually that caucasian bodies are naturally slightly warmer than Asian bodies, by about 1/2 - 1 degree. Is that true? It certainly seems to be the case with me. I dont feel the cold nearly as much as my husband does, and when I was pregnant I was hot hot hot! (in the non-sexy sense of the word! Well, mostly!) but many other pregnant women around me were wrapped up like giant presents in the Summer.

  • 0

    JapanGal

    It is not cold out at all. God, after we get out of the water surfing, we roll down our tops and just wear the bikini top. I am so surprised at all these people gawking at us with their winter gear on. Strange place some times.

  • 5

    Ivan Coughanoffalot

    This is absolute nonsense. I had to buy a thermometer for my desk so when the lipless crones sitting around my office started squeaking "samui, desu ne" as their stuck-needle mantra, I had empirical proof that it wasn't. These harpies had blankets on their legs even in the summer time, in case somebody walking past their desk caused a momentary draught. Now they've got the heaters on and I'm drenched in sweat all winter again. We Japanese live in harmony with nature? My ringpiece you do. You're afraid of being less than toasty-hot.

    How did these people get so soft? They've been wearing hats and scarves for weeks, and it's unseasonably warm. How is it possible to think 26 degrees is cold? Have they never experienced February? I suppose if you bundle yourselves up like a premature baby all year round, you're bound to find it cold when some air reaches your skin.

    Really, there are things worth telling lies about - and whether or not 26 degrees is cold is not one of them. I was speaking to a lady from Hokkaido a few weeks ago, and guess what they think about this nonsense? Direct quote: "Tokyo people are very weak for weather".

    When it IS cold, put a sweater on. I learned to do that when I was two years old. I don't see why the huddled masses here need a government edict before they consider the idea. But to start bundling up because it's nice and warm (as opposed to oppressively hot) is mass delusion.

    But I'll tell you what - there is more chance of Elton John becoming Playboy Centerfold of the Year than there is of the witless, titless harpies in my office setting the heating at 20 degrees.

  • 4

    LFRAgain

    NetNinja

    As an American, it's has always been interesting to live in a post-communistic country.

    Umm... Japan has never had a communist government, much less been a communist society. In it's entire history, it's seen feudal monarchies and military dictatorships, and of course, it's current form of democracy. But that's pretty much it. In fact, much of Japan's motivation for invading China in the 1930s was in fierce opposition to the communism that was spreading from Russia.

    Perhaps you're thinking of some of the more socialist elements of Japanese society, or rather its collectivist traditions versus American individualist traditions. But it's never been about communism.

    But I will agree with you that it becomes a bit tedious to have to listen to an almost daily dose of how it's so much better for me to do A, B, or C, with the benefits of eating natto almost invariably being included in that mix somehowe.

    Still, I don't think the government is so much mandating that people keep their homes at 20 degrees and dress more warmly as they are suggesting it as a way to cooperatively deal with potential energy shortages during the coming winter.

    It's not a whole lot different from communities in the United States during WWII asking the public to conserve certaqin raw materials in order to help out with the war effort. Not so much a command as a request for the common good.

  • 0

    tokyokawasaki

    @LFRAgain: Umm... Japan has never had a communist government, much less been a communist society.

    I beg to differ. The Japanese government says Japan is a democracy, yet it runs the country and treats it's people just like a communist government. Where is the democracy in Japan? What voice do the people really have? Is the government voted for and elected by the people? Do they truly represent the needs of the people? NO, NO and NO.

    Hence the Japanese government is a communist regime trying to portray itself as democratic.

  • -1

    Ivan Coughanoffalot

    Here's an idea that might kill two birds with one stone.

    Any worker between the ages of 23 - 40, instead of sitting in your super-heated office until the last train, doing nothing, go home to your spouse at 6pm, have your dinner and go to bed. Getting people pregnant is a known good way to warm up, and it will go some way towards addressing a REAL problem this country really has - 25% of the population's over 65, and they're not getting fewer or younger. Get some babies made, Japan! That's what you need to worry about, not whether or not you're cold when it's not cold.

    Work up a sweat with the little lady - you never know, she might take a couple of layers of cardigans off next week.

  • -2

    tokyokawasaki

    Just to clarify - A Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all the people have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.

  • 2

    zichi

    In Kobe, I'm still sweating and still using a small fan on my computer table. My wife is still dressed in summer clothes, but I've prepared the kerosene heaters for when the temp drops.

  • 4

    Patrick Smash

    Ivancoughalot, oh so true. Hell will freeze over long before my office does. In fact, the chance of this office ever being anything other than oppressively hot is somewhere between zero and fak-all. One of the crones in here is wearing a woolly jumper and a scarf and it is 27 degrees celsius. She has a blanket on her lap and a hot green tea by her side as she freezes away in her corner. I have been here for 11 years and she has never once arrived later than me or left earlier than me. Of course she has no children and no life beyond these 4 walls, which are draped in blinds all day so that no daylight will ever penetrate. There is no chance at all of warmbiz in here beyond me being too warm as I go about my biz.

  • 3

    BlueWitch

    @Nicky Washida

    I went out a couple of days ago in jeansand a short-sleeved t-shirt. So many people were grabbing my arm and saying "eeeehhh? Samui desu ka??!" It was 26 degrees!

    I wear whatever I feel like. Mostly 紬着物tsumugi kimono with 半幅帯hanhaba-obi(husband loves it!) during the hard winter, even when so many people look at me and mumble: ”えぇぇ、面倒くさいじゃないんのか？” Then, during the summer/autumn I like wearing Indian clothing like cotton long skirts with short-sleeved Choli and Sari, which is a very beautiful 500cm+ length cloth that goes wrapped around the body like a skirt. Those too make people stare at me and ask me:　”旦那さんはインド人ですか？"（笑）I just laugh. Why can't a Japanese woman wear Foreign clothes?! Is that against the law? Anyway, Sari is the traditional dress in India by the way, don't ask me how I get them here in Japan, LOL! (Long Story!) The thing is that no matter what this rotten/ridiculous government tells you, you and ONLY you ultimately decide what to wear. It's your body, not the government's. period.

    In Yochien we had a letter around saying that from Oct 1st Winter uniform will apply - same every June (or is it May? I forget) for the summer uniform. God forbid that anyone actually use common sense to dress. No no no, cant have people actually thinking for themselves here. Who knows where it might lead? Today you wear weather-appropriate clothes, tomorrow you might start questioning those in authority. That short-sleeved t-shirt could lead the whole country into anarchy! No wonder I make them so nervous!

    They still have those ridiculous rules. Zero common sense when it comes to the actual weather. I dress my children according to the weather outside. They can't expel them. Because of my "strict character and irritated-looking face" they do not dare to challenge my decisions. It might sound harsh by that's something I learn in my years fighting the "system". The more people fear you, the better. Fear equals respect in my books. Some of my fellow posters won't agree but then again, we are all different in how we do things. If we were the same, the world would be unbearable and boring, right?

    @lachatamber

    lol at the gaijin on here crying because japanese people look at them weird for still wearing shorts and flip-flops in November. most people with sense are wrapping up in warm clothes and the government is giving tips on how to stay warm without using electricity. that's nice, I think, and helpful.

    The gaijin crying?! What makes you think that everyone here is Gaijin? Look at my avatar. I do not look weird at any Foreign person for dressing lightly or even off-season. I actually ENVY their free spirit. I wish my country was based on individualism rather than a corrupted government dictating people what to think or do. Get a clue...and a life as well.

  • 3

    Foxie

    BlueWitch, you are from beautiful Okinawa, right? Many years ago, I went there and got this kind of yukata that only goes right below the knees. Do you know what this is called in Japanese and where I could order one as mine is getting old?

  • 1

    BlueWitch

    FoxieNov. 02, 2011 - 06:18PM JST

    BlueWitch, you are from beautiful Okinawa, right? Many years ago, I went there and got this kind of yukata that only goes right below the knees. Do you know what this is called in Japanese and where I could order one as mine is getting old?

    It depends where did you buy it, Foxie. I'm from Ishigakijima「石垣島」 but mostly I wore ankle-length ones in somber colors. You might wanna take a look at the link below. Note that the bulk of the cloth will be thicker now. Winter lined cloth or ”awase”「袷」。The light ones will be back around spring again, hopefully.

    http://www.happi.jp/Maturi.cgi?m=p&price=4000-4399 　

  • 2

    Virtuoso

    I think Japan should mandate that during the winter months, all adult males should be forced to wear the same stupid uniforms the little boys who go to private schools in Tokyo are obliged to wear: short pants, a thin jacket and a dopey Prussian hat. This will raise their esprit de corps and make them physically robust.

  • 2

    Foxie

    BlueWitch: Thanks a lot for that link. Unfortunately those are happi coats. Mine is 100cm long and like a bathrobe there are 2 strings inside to attach them and 2 strings outside, no belt. I got mine in Kumejima. I have been looking everywhere for them and nobody up here seems to have ever seen the one I have. They always show me those happi coats then but that it not what it is. The fabric is much thinner a bit like the bathrobes you get at ryokans. It is the only thing that is really comfortable to wear when it is hot, I even take it to Europe with me in summer. If only I were better at sewing... Never been to Ishigaki Island but it is on my list as my next destination. You must miss it so much. After my cancer surgery I went to Okinawa, Miyakojima and Kumejima as a treat and I really loved everything there. The people were too nice there and I am longing to go back.

  • 1

    Darren Brannan

    While we are at it let's have double glazed windows and proper wall and ceiling insulation in houses.. Oh that would be too clever wouldn't it? Save too much energy.

  • 2

    pointofview

    Why does everyone in Japan need to be told what to do all the time? Secondly, why do they do it? Thirdly, why are corrupt politicians giving advice to the rest of the nation?

  • 0

    Serrano

    ivan: "How did these people get so soft? They've been wearing hats and scarves for weeks"

    Especially amusing are the guys wearing these colorful scarves, ha ha ha

  • -1

    Tel Porter

    I never used the one heater I had in my apartment during the winter (mostly to save money) I'd just sit there wrapped up in one blanket on the futon watching my breath visible in the air in front of me. Except saturday nights, that was when I'd treat myself to the heater.

    Warm biz! If I can do it ~ everyone else can.

  • 2

    Serrano

    One thing the environment ministry is right about is promoting nabe.

    Nabe is so easy and cheap to make unless you put crab in it in which case it'll be delicious but mendokusai and expensive. I recommend chicken, maitake mushrooms and negi.

  • 0

    Elbuda Mexicano

    Serrano, if you are lucky enough to live here in the grand city of Tokyo, you can treat yourself to great SHABU SHABU and dirt cheap! Shabu shabu, those nice thin slices of meat with lots of vegetables, tofu, udon?? etc. GOD I LOVE JAPANESE SHABU SHABU!!****** Although as a good Mexican, I miss my **MENUDO!!

  • 1

    Foxie

    Serrano: I often make 'simplified' kimchi nabe in winter. So easy to do, ready in 10 minutes and that really heats you up. Just dilute 2 Chinese soup spoons of kimchi soup into 300ml of water per person. Add 1 teaspoon of Korean miso 'doenjang' (you can boil that, if you put Japanese miso inside, do it at the end diluted and don't boil it as it curdles), slice a bit of carrot, shitakes, leek and Chinese cabbage, bring to boil and towards the end add some thinly sliced pork meat. Boil some udon noodles in another pot in the meantime. Dice up some tofu and put everything in a bowl. Cheap, easy, healthy, delicious and low calorie. Shabu Shabu is great too but only with lamb meat.

  • 1

    choiwaruoyaji

    I like the way many Japanese people are "weak for the cold". It's kind of cute.

    I especially like Japanese women who are weak for the cold... I want to hug them and warm them up and hear them say "attakai"...

  • 1

    Serrano

    Foxie - Can you tell us what brand of kimchi soup to put in that nabe?

  • 5

    zichi

    Japanese are far from weak for the cold. Guess what, unlike most western homes, there's no central heating. Traditional housing is designed for dealing with the heat of the summer not the cold of the winter.

    Even at the coldest point of winter we sleep without any heat in our bedroom. In the Japan Alps the winter temp is minus 20 deg C which means waking up with frozen pipes and shoveling snow 6-12 feet deep.

    Mothers frequently leave their babies with exposed feet to make them harder for the cold.

  • 1

    Foxie

    Serrano: I like this one best http://www.ebarafoods.com/products/syouhin_details.php?hbkid=1&briid=2&shgid=17&shnid=42

  • 2

    Foxie

    Japanese are far from weak for the cold

    This is true but one thing I never understood is why they chose to live in the cold whereas the Koreans have had ondol heating for almost 2,000 years now. Those 2 cultures exchanged so many things but never the heating. I wonder why.

  • 2

    ThonTaddeo

    Ivan and Patrick, it sure is great to have some allies in the battle against the tyranny of the samugari!

    My office is also hellishly hot all year round -- yesterday it was 29 degrees indoors! The building was built in the early 2000s, just before the coming of Cool Biz oppression (i. e., it was presupposed that air conditioning would always be available), but late enough that the windows cannot open (supposedly they began to fear suicides and accidents a decade or so ago).

    You can easily imagine what that means for indoor temperatures. And then they top it off by not allowing any refrigerators in the building, to conserve electricity!

    Though my building is at the extreme, the Cool/Warm Biz movement in general is ridiculously biased in favor of excessive heat, sweat, and high temperatures. 29-30 in the summer, but in the winter they only go down to 20!

    I've taken to wearing short sleeve shirts all year long. I like wearing jackets and ties and looking professional, but I basically can't -- because sweat dripping off your body doesn't look professional no matter what clothes you have on. Last week, back in the US, I spotted a sale on such shirts at a high-quality men's store ($8 apiece) and bought a bunch. "Gonna stock up for next summer?" asked the clerk. "No, this is year-round. I work in Tokyo where we keep things at 85 in the summer."

    "Oh, yeah, you lost your power plant! How about in the winter? Is it going to be like below freezing in there with no heat?"

    "No, that will never happen. It'll be eighty in there all winter long."

    "Ohhhhh my goooooodd...." (runs off to tell other staff)

    ^_^;

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    smartacus: "It is not even cold yet and I see young women everywhere wearing scarves and gloves."

    Haven't you figured out yet that it's decided you have to clean out your closets and change summer to winter clothes at the set date? I'm still, as usual, in a single T-shirt and jeans while I hear people who 'yesterday' complained about how hot it was complain about how cold it is today. It literally takes less than a few hours for someone here to complain about the opposite of what they complained about a few hours before.

    Trust me, it'll be no colder than usual; but the people will think it is because they are told they should feel colder because of 'warm biz'. Not to worry, though, 'stove day' starts in less than a month on December 1st!

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    Foxie: "This is true but one thing I never understood is why they chose to live in the cold whereas the Koreans have had ondol heating for almost 2,000 years now."

    It's called 'Panasonic floor heating' in Japan, I think.

  • 1

    Yuki Akita Canela

    And I've got a cold already!! I don't believe this LOL.. I can't even breathe normally now. Well, I've been here since 5 years ago, and I still don't get used to winter! In my country it's almost non-existent, so I guess I am one of those women wearing scarves already (still no gloves though, LOL) ;P

  • 0

    Tokyopod

    Not a nanny state but just a communist one as suggested elsewhere. Make a slogan and then there is something to live by. People cannot make up their own minds here, we know that. We "sticking out nails" are fulfilling their every suspicion by not conforming. The Japanese are also cold blooded - not just the reptilian or amphibian classes amongst them - that is why they can live with the temperatures and humidity that no person should endure and eat the raw meat, live and slimy substances that they do with glee.They have a temperature when their bodies are at 37! I often wonder whether they don't learn the meaning of words but only learn when to use them. Samui ne is a greeting as they have long lost any idea of what is samui, atsui or suzushii. The wind blows and it is ' samui'. Ever heard anyone say 'Kimochi ii"? No it's * Wind Wind blows, Samui ne? Cicada sings Atsui ne?" Got to go to a Kindergarten and confirm my suspicions.

  • 0

    Nicky Washida

    @BlueWitch - i wish we could see a picture of you in your sari. I have long held the opinion that Indian sari are the most beautiful of all national costumes. Im sure you must look fantastic in it (although with your personality, confidence and joie de vivre you could look fabulous in a bin liner methinks!)

    As for this:

    Get a clue...and a life as well

    couldnt have put it better myself but dont let her get to you - she pops up periodically to spout some anti-gaijin crap and stir things up, get a little attention for herself. For the most part she is just ignored.

    @Yuki Akita Canela - no worries on your scarf. I had a sore throat a few weeks ago even when it was still quite warm, so I went out with a scarf around my neck. Again - it is common sense. Looked pretty funny with a t-shirt though ;) !

    Does anyone know about my question to do with natural body temperatures? The more I think about it, the more I really think it IS true - thinking back to when I was pregnant and how I dressed compared to the Japanese mothers-to-be, but also just in general. Could it be that Japanese have lower body fat than we do and therefore feel the cold more? Oh no, sorry, J Weber says that only works on penguins! I dont know what it is, but I kind of enjoy pulling up to a crossing in a t shirt and exchanging mutual looks of amazement with a woman bundled up for Arctic weather on Oct 1st. Its just one of those little things that make daily life here so interesting!

  • 2

    Nicky Washida

    She replied that It was ok for me because I had FUR on my arms LOL. I do hope she meant hair.

    Hee hee hee! Japlish at its best! Consider yourself lucky! My female friend was told by her boyfriend she was lucky she had fur on her FACE to keep her warm!!! Cue major slap from the blonde chick!

  • 0

    cleo

    Could it be that Japanese have lower body fat than we do and therefore feel the cold more?

    Well I don't know about Japanese ladies, but Mr cleo is certainly not lacking either body fat or muscle, and he's always bundled up warm. Winter is a silent battle each year as he layers on long-sleeved undies, shirt, sweater and down jacket and keeps surreptitiously hiking up the temperature on the heater, while I struggle not to swelter in a single layer and not-so-surreptitiously turn the heat down again. I'm more than happy with 18 degrees, he wants 22 or higher.

    Yet he has to be reminded that wearing socks would keep him warmer.

    Pregnant Japanese ladies are are told to wrap up warm 'for the baby's sake' - apparently being enveloped in another warm human body isn't enough to keep a baby at the right temperature for growing. I was nagged all through both my summer pregnancies to wrap up warm and told dire things would happen to my child if I didn't wear layers and layers of underclothes. Who knows, maybe your average Japanese baby does come into the world craving the elevated temperatures it's experienced in its thermally-insulated womb.

  • 0

    Foxie

    @Nicky: My husband's body temperature is 1 degree lower at 35.6C but he says that it varies from person to person. I just measured my temp for you under the armpit, , I must have become Japanese over the years, it is only 36.1C compared to the 36.6 I had before coming here. I gotta run to the hospital now....Did you check yours?

    Different parts of the body have different temperatures. Rectal and vaginal measurements, or measurements taken directly inside the body cavity, are typically slightly higher than oral measurements, and oral measurements are somewhat higher than skin temperature. The commonly accepted average core body temperature (taken internally) is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F). The typical oral (under the tongue) measurement is slightly cooler, at 36.8±0.7 °C, or 98.2±1.3 °F In Russia and former Soviet countries, the commonly quoted value is 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), based on an armpit (axillary) reading. Although some people think of these numbers as representing the normal temperature, a wide range of temperatures has been found in healthy people. In samples of normal adult men and women, the observed range for oral temperature is 33.2–38.2 °C (92–101 °F), for rectal it is 34.4–37.8 °C (94–100 °F), for the tympanic cavity it is 35.4–37.8 °C (96–100 °F) and for axillary it is 35.5–37.0 °C (96–99 °F).[4]

    Apparently, at one time in the rather recent past some Japanese authors have claimed that Japanese are slightly different biologically from the rest of the human race. I can't find a cite, but IIRC it's been claimed that the Japanese digestive tract is X amount longer than those found throughout the rest of the world, with the implication that the Japanese is more "efficient" and thus arguably superior.

  • 0

    Nicky Washida

    I was nagged all through both my summer pregnancies to wrap up warm and told dire things would happen to my child if I didn't wear layers and layers of underclothes.

    Me too! I had to say to my doctor in the end "by the way, when my Mother in Law comes to the hospital and you meet her, you told me it was ok to wear high heels, drive, drink the odd glass of wine and go to Roppongi, and it was your idea for me to use body paint and go to the Halloween party as a pumpkin, ok?" All he said was "YOU WENT TO ROPPONGI AT 38 WEEKS???!" so I am assuming the other stuff was ok!

    Apparently, at one time in the rather recent past some Japanese authors have claimed that Japanese are slightly different biologically from the rest of the human race. I can't find a cite, but IIRC it's been claimed that the Japanese digestive tract is X amount longer than those found throughout the rest of the world, with the implication that the Japanese is more "efficient" and thus arguably superior.

    Yes, I was told the same thing! Apparently it is longer because their diet is SO much better than ours, hence they absorp more nutrients which - get this - is what makes Japanese smarter than other races. Seriously! Thats what I was told!!!

  • 0

    Darren Brannan

    There is a lot of divergence. My school used to have central ducted heating/AC and wasted so much power. In summer the girls would be putting on jumpers and stripping in winter. So much better we can now microcontrol the classroom climate.. Even so, you have your hieshou types and your sweaters, of which I fall into the latter category. Can't keep everyone happy. I usually layer up and find a comfy balance, but entering a train defeats it all in one hot, angry burst. I don't think any train south of Nagoya needs heating TBH. A little bit of a bum warmer to send ppl to sleep is plenty.Lol

  • 1

    Elbuda Mexicano

    Dear Yuki Akita Canela, if your country of origin has no winter and now you are in Japan?? Only 5 years?? That is still too short to suddenly make your body become like the Japanese or Europeans,Canadians, Russians etc.. I was born in Mexico and it gets cold in the winter, depending on the area, my town goes down to 20 or 30 degrees centigrade during the day in the middle of winter, so imagine when I first came to Japan! I was FREEZING in APRIL! I was wearing layers and layers of clothes in APRIL, everybody looked at me like I was crazy, I told them I just came from Southern California, which was true, so then they understood why Japan was so cold for me, and then one of my students took me to HAKONE in Kanagawa and WOW!! I fell in love! In love with the ONSENS!! 温泉！！最高！！ These are the natural hot springs here in Japan, jump into one in the middle of winter and you will be in heaven! Try to stay away from cold drinks, cold beer, cold sodas, coca cola etc..many warm soups, teas, and LOTS OF LAYERS OF CLOTHES! Hats, gloves, scarves etc..to bear your winters here in Japan.

  • 0

    tokyokawasaki

    @Foxie: Different parts of the body have different temperatures. Rectal and vaginal measurements, or measurements taken directly inside the body cavity, are typically slightly higher than oral measurements, and oral measurements are somewhat higher than skin temperature.

    I have never heard of vaginal measurements before! For what purpose would they need to take a body heat measurement in the twilight zone?

  • 0

    tokyokawasaki

    It''S ME thanks. You learn something new everyday :)

  • 1

    Nicky Washida

    For what purpose would they need to take a body heat measurement in the twilight zone?

    Hmmm.....lets think about this......well, for starters, how big a thermometer are we talking about???! ;-)

Back to top

Login to leave a comment

OR

Follow us

Facebook
Twitter

More in National

View all

View all