Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyororin
Although I lived without any heating for a while in the US before coming here, the lack of central heating made me raise my eyebrows at first... Now I loathe it every time I encounter it in the Japan or the US. It`s like you`re in a bubble all year round and have little connection to the seasons. I`m a happier and healthier person now that I really notice the seasons and feel some sort of connection to them. Before, cold weather or hot weather was just inconvenience between the house and car - which is sad in a way. Not to even mention the incredible waste of electricity heating/cooling a whole house year round is.
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I want to put in that I love your mindset on the seasons! While I was growing up, I often did not have a place to stay and found myself returning to my Grandmothers' home. Beginning her adulthood in during the Depression, she is a frugal and constructive person. Very different from many of the young Americans I know today (I, too, find it difficult to go without). When staying at her house for long periods of time, I always felt the weather. She and my Grandfather built the house from the ground up and insulated it themselves. But it was damn cold in the winter.
There's something very good about putting on a sweater and sitting under a blanket while doing work, or reading.
There is also something rewarding about harshing the environment to get from point A to point B.
I think that living conditions will be the least of my worries if I can find a good education in Japan. My greatest concern is school and the social construct. What is life really like there, I wonder.
You can not get a real feel for a place by visiting there for a matter of weeks or months. I think it is a great mistake to pretend that you are any authority on a country, having only visited it. We are arrogant. None of us are so smart as to avoid culture shock entirely.