air conditioning

[chinablueyes18]

In recent years, in your homestay experience, did your family have air conditioning? I was looking at Kanazawa's weather report (where I will do a homestay starting mid-july) and it was 100 degrees including humidity. Thanks

 

[Mandylion]

Be ready to sweat!

Yes, my families did have air conditioning, but usually only in the family room. It is not like back in the US where we get air pumped through ducts in the walls. Air condioning in Japan almost always comes from wll or ceiling mounted units. Your room may or may not have air conditioning, but portable electric fans are in abundance. However, your host family might ask you to turn it off when you are asleep. Electricity is not cheap in Japan.

You will be hot, drink water, dress for the weather, and bring a hat.

 

[Glenn]

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that electricity is expensive, but how expensive? Are apartment (or manshon) bills usually more than $200 US (that's already expensive to me; I pay nowhere near that)?

By the way, you're from Texas, right, Mandylion? How does the heat there compare to the heat in Japan? Did it prepare you at all for Japanese summers?

 

[Mandylion]

Well, it is not that expensive, but I pay about 100 USD for electricty in the summer and winter (my hot water is also electric) for a family of two. And it is only that low because I really watch my energy usage. I might be hyper sensitive from when I lived in the Pacific Northwest were you could get electricty for a song (all them big dams made things really cheap if you lived in the state).

You only pay 200 for all utilities, Glenn, or just electricty?

On balance, electrictity it is not that expensive for one person, but if you have 5 people in your family (including your new rent-a-child ) things can add up fast.

I'm not in Texas, just have roots there (more southern actually since my family didn't get to TX before about 1870). I haven't been to TX since I was about 4 years old. But to answer your question, no, I hate hot and humid summers. Hot, yes, humid, not on your life. I'll soon be moving back to the US and staying above the 45th, in Seattle, where it is hardly ever sunny, let alone humid

 

[Glenn]

Ah, that's good to hear. I pay around $100 US a month on electricity. Other utilities aren't that much more expensive, though. I try to watch energy consumption as well, but it can be hard with 4 people living together.

Alright, I thought that I had seen that you were originally from TX in your profile. I've lived most of my life in Louisiana and am there now, so I know what hot and humid are like. I wonder how my experience in Japan would be, assuming that I ever make it there. Just for reference, the kind of hot and humid that I'm talking about would be mid-90s with 70% humidity on average, I guess. Of course, sometimes the weather says that it's 45% humidity, but it certainly feels like 100%. I'm not quite sure why that is, though. Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

[shiroma]

Air condioning in Japan almost always comes from wll or ceiling mounted units.

Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toshiba, Sanyo, Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu General and Daikin are the major manufacturers there.

 

[DoctorP]

I've lived most of my life in Louisiana and am there now, so I know what hot and humid are like. I wonder how my experience in Japan would be, assuming that I ever make it there. Just for reference, the kind of hot and humid that I'm talking about would be mid-90s with 70% humidity on average, I guess. Of course, sometimes the weather says that it's 45% humidity, but it certainly feels like 100%. I'm not quite sure why that is, though. Anyway, thanks for the info.

I live on one of the southern islands and it is routinely between 90-100 deg with 80-90% humidity during the summer months. I don't think that the temps get as high in Tokyo, but it is a "concrete city" not many trees, not much grass, and not too many breezes to cool you off. Add to it the # of vehicles on the roads, trains, etc...and the heat rises pretty good there too. I have been there 3 different times in the summer and it can be really bad! (on a side note, I know what you are going through and you shouldn't have it too bad. I'm from south Alabama and used to fish and hunt in La!)

As for the bills? During the summer when I run my A/C pretty often, my bill creeps into the $150 range. (i have seen American's that get reimbursed run their bills up to $300-500/month by running the A/C's all day long! )
Water can be very expensive here too. I average about $80/month for a family of 5, and I am a miser! But my wife became accustomed to those looonnngggg American showers when we lived in San Diego! You can cut electric costs by using Kerosene to heat your water instead of electric, or use natural gas too. I use kerosene, it burns hotter/faster and is very cheap. I think I spend about $30 every 3 months! Well enough for now...Hope that helped! :?

 

[chiquiliquis]

*Cracks open his bill for July*: 3,019ﾂ･ = a little less than 30 dollars. I live by myself... and yes, it gets plenty hot in Tokyo. The average summer day here hits low 30's and up... (that's high eighties into the nineties). The other day it was 33 (91) just in the workroom at school (no air-con). It's really the humidity that does you in though.

Actually, Kyoto gets a special spot in Chiquiliquis' top 3 hottest places on earth. I've never been to Okinawa, but Kyoto (you can ask around on this one, too) is just plain hell...

PS: the only time I ever ran my electricity bill up to more than 150 USD was when I first got here in the winter, and it was but-cold (but I live in the yama-yama just beyond Tokyo in Yamanashi-ken... and it's just plain colder): I did leave the heater on all-day... and that is prolly why.

PSPS: Can't wait to go back to Seattle in August; I miss normal weather. Thank god for the PNW.