Winter's here! Winter's here!

I forgot how cold it was in Japan in winter. Not outside, inside. Most homes have no central heating, and very little insulation. So each room is a different wintery environment. There's the winter bathroom and winter shower. There's the winter bedroom. And the winter kitchen. Each room needs its own heating setup. In my home, it's portable heat fans or kerosene heaters, but many homes have wall-mounted all-season air conditioners (cool in summer, warm in winter) in well-frequented rooms.

The winter shower is the coldest room. Standing naked on cold tiles in a freezing shower room is not fun. If you turn on the water to heat the shower room a few minutes before you enter, you're greeted with fog and can't find the soap, or walls for that matter. In the winter bathroom, you may be lucky enough to find an electrically warmed toilet seat. Mmm...

The winter bedroom is kinda fun if you're a couple. Snuggling and so forth.

Anyhow, I can't wait to go back to the central-heating of Canada and the warmth of my parents' home. Two weeks!