Heating the Japanese House and other marvels

Japanese homes aren't insulated, so I've been told. When I moved into this house, there weren't even any heaters or air-conditioners. The housing officer suggested that it would be too expensive to install a unit in each room. Best to concentrate on heating and air-conditioning a few rooms. So we had 4 units installed - one in the kitchen / dining room - one next door in the tatami room, and upstairs one in the master bedroom and one in the guest bedroom. That leaves downstairs the hallway, bath, and toilet and upstairs the hall, middle bedroom, and toilet without heat. It's mighty cold wandering in those regions, and it's only November. And what about taking baths? It's freezing in there, till the water warms you up. Tonight, Thanksgiving, I'm leaving the doors open and seeing what it's like to heat the whole downstairs. I have Japanese curtains installed at the end of the hall near the foyer and at the foot of the stairs, so hopefully not too much heat will escape, and with the windows closed, the temperature's not bad in here. I've only got the temperature cranked to about 70 degrees, and it's colder than that because this isn't central heat, it's point heat. What Japanese do around here is supplement this electric heat with kerosene heaters. Because heating isn't the only problem. The real problem is that electricity is very expensive, can run well past $500 a month if you're not careful. So you don't want to leave things on when you're out, and you don't want to heat the upstairs when you're downstairs. When I first moved in, I polar-beared it. That got old.

When I first moved in, I was way house-poor. I didn't think I had the money to buy even a futon for the first night. I had been told that Japan is still largely a cash economy. So I went to this local store called NAFCO, which is like Home Depot, except it plays classical music, and you have to carry all your stuff down a flight of stairs, so don't buy a sofa! (I'm sure they deliver.) Then as you walk around little voices come alive and chat you up in Japanese. Anyway, I picked out a few things, walked up to the checkout, and the lady asked me if I had a card! I about fell over. Credit cards! I went back for a futon, and a futon cover, and later I bought a blanket at the military exchange. Then again later I bought another futon, and I sleep on the floor in splendor, two futons under me. They fold in three sections, weigh almost nothing, and are soft. I bought my hallway curtains there, and a whole host of hardwarey things you need when you move in. I bought my IH pots there (which make the electric stove as responsive as gas). Made in China.

Why buy a new microwave? Because the electricity is different here. I recycled my old microwave, along with my TV. Transformers cost a lot and are clunky. The electricity is 100 volts, 50 cycles. So things run slower here. If they run. Apple Computer, bless their hearts, designs Macs to run on anything you're likely to find on planet Earth. So my computer works just find. But my clipper set will hardly cut my beard (but is good at pulling it!). Electric clocks that run slow, not so useful. I spent years without a TV, and here I am again! Where will I even put it?

I haven't got a whole cooking regimen going yet. I understand the stovetop well enough, and I could broil fish if I so desired, but I don't understand the controls of my microwave / oven. I tried to warm up some tea this afternoon, and failed. The book's in Japanese. So I've been experimenting with noodles in a bowl. They have all sorts here, Korean and Japanese you can buy at the commissary for pennies, and more expensive noodles in a bowl you can buy at 7-11's, which are everywhere, but have more interesting things in them, and seem upscale a bit from America, or at my local grocery store, Marukyu. You can buy whole meals - semi-fresh noodles, chopped cabbage, seaweed, carrots, couple slices of bacon, liquid sauce in a pouch, and spices all in a bowl - at Marukyu. I try to peer past the kana and kanji for some hint of what's inside, but generally have to wait till I open it at home before finding out just exactly what I've bought. All part of the adventure. I'm learning Japanese, but I'm about 2000 kanji away from understanding much of anything.

Regarding the broiling of fish, Japanese seem to have an idea that Americans prefer chicken. My housing lady, Kaz, said I could use the broiler for cooking a whole chicken. I whole chicken! I said. Yes, she nodded. She obviously meant chopped up, because there's only about an inch of room. I told her that I might use it for fish, like the Japanese, and she turned to me and said, you like fish? Yes, I said. Huh, she said, as if it were a marvel.

The commissary is cheap, but silly as it seems, much of the Asian food sold in it was first shipped to or produced in the U.S., and then shipped here. For example, Chung King brand stars at the commissary, rather than Japanese brands. So the kimchi you buy, and everything else, is likely to be at or past expiration date. Now that's silly. But I'm sure it makes sense in some bureaucratic way.

Happy Thanksgiving!