[steven]

Both of your posts are very insightful and seem to back up what that website was saying (even though that website was trying to sell the idea of a basement).

The mold thing was the first thing that came to mind for me-- that's kind of why I brought up ventilation. However, what confused me is that I know houses that have basements in America are in places that are humid (similarly to Japan). At least that's what I think I've heard. Like houses in the south or in "Tornado Alley". I guess those might be considered "shelters" moreso than basements though. I've heard of a lot of basements in the midwest as well, but I can't imagine the mid-west is as humid as Japan. I came from California, and people didn't really have basements there. I think that can be attributed to good weather and earthquakes (and in my area in particular, the land wasn't very stable because it was pretty swampy).

As far as the zoning thing that you are talking about Nyororin, I was thinking there might be something like that! That is very interesting. It seems similar to the rule that was supposedly changed in 平成6年 according to that website!

I've noticed something that is brilliant about older Japanese houses-- that is the ventilation. In the summer, a lot of houses are designed to be kind of "opened up". That is to say that you can open many sliding doors (or just take them down completely and store them in their special storage spaces). I think old houses face in a direction that is condusive to getting a good breeze as well... so what you get is like a jet stream of natural air conditioning. This natural air also allows for natural light. That combination equates to less mold and a really comfortable living area. Similarly, in the winter a lot of the rooms get closed off. However, the side of the house that faces the winter sun has its windows opened during the day which heats up the house in a natural manner. Not only that! (straying from the topic with this one) but one of my friends' houses has like a natural source of water in it (the water from the mountain ice flows down from the mountains and flows under ground to be shot up in different holes all over the place... and it's very pure water that can be drank... I think this is a pretty rare thing though). But ya, older houses have some really genious properties to them. Unfortunately (and perhaps ironically) some areas of older houses that were redone 30 or so years ago do have mold as well as other problems. Their wooden floors start to "sink" in a sense.

GoNative's post is pretty informative upon review. I think Hokkaido has less humidity than the rest of Japan, right? Maybe that and some different laws allow for what he refered to as a "sub-basement" (which is what the website that I found was talking about by the way).

Edit: GoNative, your new post is spot on, I think. I forgot about the "bomb shelter" aspect of the American basement.