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Japan begins 'Warm Biz' campaign

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20, are you kidding? It should be a personal choice. I bet Abe's house, and that of the Emperor, is nice and toasty. Our mansion is at 22 now with no heat, and my granddaughter is already complaining about how cold it is. She has to wear a blanket at the table, and we have to crank it up to 25 or 26, and it's not even winter yet.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Let's have some regulations to ensure that buildings are properly insulated.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

So they want to ration heating? People in their own homes should not feel guilty about trying to keep warm. Japanese houses have thin walls and I'm not sure how many have double-glazing on the windows. This is the 21st century - people should not be encouraged to wear thermal clothing at home.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

No way in hell am I "gamaning" through a Japanese winter at 20C in my house. If they want people to do that, try building decent houses with thick insulation and double-glazed windows. Japanese housing stock is little above the 3rd world in the main.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

If homes were built with proper insulation this wouldn't be such problem.

Fortunately it's not cold here yet, but not long now until we have to go back to the ridiculous ritual of using dirty and very flammable kerosene to heat the flat.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

I have solar, so heaters are not a problem. But my living room is very big...so, kerosene heater. Hate the smell and cost, and having to go miles to the home center to save a few yen. Every few hours have to open the window to expel the fumes, back to cold.

abe inc doesn't have to walk twenty mins from the train, after standing on the platform for 10min to change in 0 degrees weather. It is nice to come home to a warm house.

on tv this morning, a very fashionable tv presenter instructed Japanese which food to eat depending on the outside temperature. Maybe that is next "warm Biz food"?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Thanks daddy government for telling us plebs to do some "setsuyaku", while the industry and government buildings continue to crack the heat at max.

Also, I know we get ignored all the time, but people in Hokkaido actually do not use electric heaters, not only because thanks to the shutdown of our only nuclear plant that provided more than 30 % of the prefecture's energy the evergy prices are the higher in the country, but also because an electric heater wouldn't be able to heat a house when outside is at -15 degrees, even with perfect insulation.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Don’t really care about all this. I set my ac at home to what is comfortable. It’s the damn necktie that suffocates me. Anyway it’s almost 18:00 and the top button has been eased.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Lol, never gets old, year in year out.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

make sure to let all the heat escape out of the uninsulated drafty rooms maximizing money loss. Brilliant!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Yeah right. I say this at the beginning of every season: Like I'm going to allow the Government or my employer make suggestions like this. LOL.

Agree with those above...and can anyone tell me how did Japan manage to miss out on the concept of insulation?

9 ( +9 / -0 )

They missed out because Japan is special and the cold weather is unique to these Islands. So what if Korea has had triple glazing insulation for decades, insulation ha we don't need that, thicker paper will suffice? And manufacturing is not geared for products that improve life. But don't tell the people, a blanket over a small table is traditional, since electronics anyway.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

fashion tips from the japanese government, this will be successful like premium friday

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Where do they come up with this crap "warm biz", why do they always need to try to create some catchy English phrase or slogan. "Cool Japan", "Mello Drama", "WaPro", "PlusAlpha", it goes on and on. You're Japanese..... sometimes it irritates me when I'm thinking I'll learn a new Japanese word and all I get is GaiRaiGo.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

When will Japan begin ''Free Biz'' campaign?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

For those who have been living a long time in Japan... are the newer houses better insulated that the older ones? Are things changing?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

cucashopboyNov. 1  04:31 pm JST Let's have some regulations to ensure that buildings are properly insulated

Japan has had this for at least 20 years now. However, most Japanese don't live in houses or apartments or work in buildings built in the last 20 years.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

IME, yes it has improved but isolation, etc is still an option so cheap equals none to less.

There are Sweden, etc houses now also available, newest house on the block had tons added.

But, IMO, insulation is not the only factor see house facings, designs, curtains and more which check local weather, etc factors.

Current ap is facing east ergo morning sun she thus cooler in summer as next floor gets the brunt during the mid-day sun/heat. Spend this summer sans aircon., Bit more in winter but I also motorbiked to work in winter in SA(Johannesburg) at minutes 5c.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Modern Japanese houses are better regarding insulation and draughtproofing, but what you get depends on the builder you use as much as on how much you pay. You can still pay a lot and still only get cheap insulation (fiber batts, possibly poorly installed) and aluminum windows. Choose your builder wisely. Spray insulation is done by dedicated contractors in Japan, so you can take that job out of your builders' hands if you are worried about installation quality.

If your house is well insulated and heated with radiant heat (e.g., sunlight, underfloor heating, woodstove), 20C probably won't feel cold. The problem with Japanese houses is that the poor insulation means a 20C air temperature (from a convection heater like an air con or kero fan heater) will come with a 14C floor and 14C walls. The lack of IR from the floor and walls will make the house feel much colder than one with an even temperature. Draughts will make it feel colder still. A poorly insulated home will need a much higher air temp to feel warm.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Current ap cheap, had a few probs when I moved in, yeah I move plenty incl. Countries.

Current ap, entrance door is metal full of leaks.

So I bought draft insulation strips (100yen shops) and voila drafts gone added a string Curtain on inside for extra insulation.

Happy so far.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The sad thing is that there are plenty of Japanese that want to be good little soldiers and do what ever they are told to do. So you will have tons of people simply miserable and suffering all they think its their duty. Then you have plenty that want to follow this suggestion but will creep their thermostat to, God forbid, 22C and will feel guilty about it.

Marching orders are in people. Time to suffer and sacrifice for the good of the country. I am sure 1/100th of the money they are wasting on fumbling and bumbling of Fukushima and keeping nuke reactors idol would cover all the cost of heating in Japan. Instead we are expected to sacrifice for their mistaks. For slowness of their actions whivh costs millions every week that nothing is done.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Here's a novel idea. Have the gov equip all workplaces and residences with solar panels. Then people will be able to keep both cool and warm and not use too much electricity.

Don’t really care about all this. I set my ac at home to what is comfortable. It’s the damn necktie that suffocates me.

Oh man, I hear you loud and clear. All I ever wished for was for a law to be passed that says it is illegal to require ANYONE to have a tie.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Never understood the hate about ties. Make sure you got enough room on your collar, basic rule you need to comfy fit one finger between collar and throat.

Still looks ok.

Same rule for helmet straps.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

For those who have been living a long time in Japan... are the newer houses better insulated that the older ones? Are things changing?

My house was built in 1991 by Daiwa House, one of those companies that boast about the high quality of their houses. Ha! The temperature has been as low as 2.5 degrees in my bedroom on winter mornings when it was about -3 outside.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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