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Tiny hot carpets and long frozen delays

Hachiko

後輩
17 Jan 2004
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Amy Chavez of the Japan Times gives an interesting description of how the Japanese carpe diem Old Man Winter.:)

For those of you rolling your eyes at the prospect of reading my annual column whining about the lack of central heating in Japan, wait. This one, I promise, will be different. Because things are changing in Japan.
I knew something was up this winter when I walked into the university teachers' room and the secretary had the heat on so high I had to open a window to keep from getting heat stroke. I never thought I'd be complaining about tropical weather in wintertime in Japan.

Japan Times
 
This really gave me a kick.
This has got to be a big differnce from america.

Most all american's keep the temp at around 72-76. We don't even think about it, We just tell the thermastat thats the temp we want it and it will eaither turn the heat or AC on to get it to that point.

I couldn't think of NOT haveing places I goto at a temp other then 72-76

I got a real kick out of "sleeping with the heat on so they can wear sexy negligees."

Who sleeps without the heat on? =0 I know people who will turn the AC on high to make it like 50 so they have to have a blanket lol.

America is not the number one consumer of fossile fuels for no reason, When it comes to feeling comfortable we will do what ever it takes to change the enviroment around us to accomadate us. Some homes actuly have thermal sensors built in that see when a person enters a room and adjusts the heat / ac for them.

Ironicly the more we hurt our enviroment because of this the more the GOV is trying to limit it and restrict things "such as car emissions"

while this isn't a good comparision, If the japanese start to use fossile fuels at the rate america does they would have MASSIVE problems, america is huge and we have a ton of enviromental problems from our useage which is only 50-80% more then japan. Yet america is 24X larger. Let japan have the same useage in 1 24th the area and you will have one BAD place to live.

Of corse this is just me rambleing on but heck, I just like to give alternate views "EVEN if I do not agree with them, just to spark some conversation." Heck I am no role modle, My car wouldn't meet even the lowest emission tests.

For a comparison..

USA
290,342,554 (July 2003 est.) people
roduction:
3.719 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 71.4%
hydro: 5.6%
other: 2.3% (2001)
nuclear: 20.7%

Thats a total of an average of 12809 KW per person.

Japan
127,214,499 (July 2003 est.) population
Electricity - production:
1.037 trillion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 60%
hydro: 8.4%
other: 1.8% (2001)
nuclear: 29.8%
8151 KW per person useage.

So you'r average USA resident uses 50% more power then a japanese person each year.

All the info I listed is quoted from the CIA / NSA world fact book.


Also some interesting things related to oil useage.
JAPAN
Oil - production:
17,330 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
5.29 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
so .04158 BBL per person a day
approx 14 BBL a year per person.

USA
Oil - production:
8.054 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
19.65 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
.0676 BBL a day per person on average.
Thats approx 24 BBL a year

So americans use approx 50% more power and allmost 80% more oil.

While some japanese may think turning the heat up isn't a bad thing, Cheak out the enviormental issues in the USA due to our over useage of fossile fuels. Namely look up houston texas. or parts of LA. Even in parts of LA with no industrial factorys the smog and acid rain is insane from the cars and LA is one of the FEW places in the USA to have emission limits.

the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html

Also any one who sites stats / facts ect. You should also site where you got them. People who don't are just useing assumptions and that doesn't help.
 
I really miss our old open fire back home! We lived in a 150 year old villa in NZ and it was sooo cosy and romantic to sit in front of the fire, with a glass of wine watching the light dance on the walls.....

Here we have hot carpet and the A.C. Despite what that article said, I find the carpet does eventually heat the whole room. Thankfully we also get alot of sun.

Kerosene heaters are also getting popular. Very economical although you have to change the air in the room every 2 hours. They heat up a room nicely ;)

Can't wait until next month when things start to warm up here in Kagoshima! Winter wasn't too cold though... and the food is great!
 
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