皆さん, こんにちは! Minasan, konnichiwa! Hello everyone! 🌸
It is getting cold in Japan. ❄ Winter usually lasts from December to February. The average temperatures in the urban areas are between 2 and 10 degrees. In rural areas, temperatures can be as low as -6 ° C and it gets even colder on Hokkaido! 🥶 If you travel to Japan in the winter months, you should definitely make sure to keep warm. Here are a few methods I use to fight the cold. 💪🏻
1. The vending machines
Vending machines can basically be found everywhere in Japan. In summer they provide you with cool, refreshing drinks, but they are also very practical in winter, as the range is then supplemented by hot drinks. Warm soups can also be found in many machines at this time of the year. Apart from warming you up when you drink them, it just feels good to hold something warm in your hands while for example waiting for the bus.
2. Kairo
Kairo (カ イ ロ) are pocket warmers and very popular in the colder months in Japan. They come in different styles, but the way they work is mostly the same. Pressure and air trigger a chemical reaction with the iron sand it contains, causing the Kairo to warm up. Most of them warm up to a comfortable temperature of around 40 degrees. This temperature sometimes only lasts for a few hours, but sometimes the whole day. As I said, there are different types. My favorite: shoe warmer! Despite layers of socks, my feet get extremely cold in winter, which is why the shoe warmers are a good way for me to prevent this.
3. Heat tech
Thermal clothing in Japan is among the best in the world and the most popular type in this area is Heat tech, which I heard about here for the first time.
It is a Japanese technology from the clothing company Uniqlo and they have a wide range of Heat tech products, such as short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts, pants and tights, as well as gloves, scarves and more. The fabric was specially developed to provide warmth in winter, and since it is very thin, it can be easily pulled under everyday clothing.
5. Air conditioning
In Japan, it's not just cold outside in winter. Even in most houses, it doesn't really get warm. This is because the houses and apartments here are rarely insulated and there isn't something like a central heating. Typical methods for heating the own home are small oil stoves, electric or gas-powered radiant heaters, electrically heated carpets or, as in my case, the air conditioning. In contrast to summer, in winter, of course, the system's heating is used instead of the cooling function.
6. Electric blankets
This is my absolute favorite for cozy, warm nights! The electric blankets (also called Denkimoufu) are very popular in Japan and are perfect for sleeping. These blankets heat up as soon as you connect them to a socket and the temperature can be adjusted via temperature control. In this cold season, these blankets are really a blessing and just super warm and cozy.
If you spend Christmas in Japan in the future, hopefully you are now well prepared and will not freeze to death. Here in Japan there are also a few special features regarding Christmas but I'll tell you a more about that later. 😉
次回まで! Jikai made! See you next time. 💕
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