[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by RobinMask

On a side note, can I ask why the Americans make such a huge deal over air-conditioning? Here in the UK our climate/weather is pretty similar in tempreture to Japan (or so I've read). We use central heating in winter, but I've never known a single English person to use air-conditioning, not even in many places of work, and we all survive fine. I find it hard to believe living in Japan is so much more difficult without air-conditioning, or is it simply a matter of beng used to luxuries and then enduring shock when that luxury is taken away from you as you move abroad?

I think it depends on where you're from in the US. For example, I'm from Central Virginia. Our house faces the sun all day and our summers are hot and humid, similar to Japan's, so I've heard. Our highs can get up into the 90s (about 30 - 40 Celsius I think it would be) so without the air, it can get into the 25 - 30 (80s, I think this would be) range inside the house. Not using air conditioning in our house would be extremely uncomfortable and miserable, even with the windows open. Reminds me of that one year when our air conditioner broke down and the temps were getting into the mid 90s outside. It was so bad, we had to check into a hotel, especially for my grandmother's sake. Anyway, the only time we felt any kind of relief was at night, but it still felt stuffy because there wasn't a breeze.

Now, a person up north might not use the air conditioning much because it's cooler overall. Now places like Texas, Florida, or California, I couldn't imagine them living without air with the high temps they get, especially the parts of California that may suffer from wild fires because of the high temperatures.