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28 Degrees What? -
07-09-2009, 06:02 AM
So I was wondering something about Japan. Right now it's July and it's sort of hot, more humid but it can get up there. So I'm in a home stay and I enjoy it and everything except one strange thing.
My host mom will not let me use my air conditioner. I have in my room a heat/air conditioner unit and she basically told me that in Japan people do not set the heat(cold air) lower than 28 degrees Celsius. So I'm really confused and a bit frustrated. It's really hot at night and I really want to use my air conditioner. However, my host mom got a bit mad at me last night for setting it to 24 and told me that I can't set it lower than 28. She also checked my room to make sure that I didn't set the temperature lower than 28. When I asked for a fan she gave me one but told me not to use it at night because being in a cool room can make you sick. I don't really know how to explain to her that having a cool room is the only thing that lets me sleep in this heat. Can anyone tell me where this whole 28 degree thing is coming from? I've been asking my friends and none of them have experienced this and some of them even have their host parents turn on their air conditioning for them because they think their room is too hot. My host mother gives "eco" and electricity costs as the reason but it's strange. When I was using my unit as a heater all the time she didn't care at all. All of a sudden I can't use my unit anymore. Plus 28 degrees is not very cool. I could understand not lower than 25 but I'm just curious. I've never heard of a 28 degree limit thing. Anyone know about this 28 degree thing? 
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07-09-2009, 06:08 AM
There are many things that cause psychological disorders of different kinds. It would be hard to guess unless you posted a more in depth profile of this psychopath.
All I can suggest is you lock your door at night. If there is no lock then try and jam it shut with a chair or something. The eternal Saint is calling, through the ages she has told. The ages have not listened; the will of faith has grown old…
For forever she will wander, for forever she withholds; the Demon King is on his way, you’d best not be learned untold…
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07-09-2009, 06:15 AM
She might be a follower of this urban myth:
Fan death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia When I stayed with a friend in Japan in high school his mom got mad at me for leaving the cooler on all night, too. She said I could catch a cold and it wasn't good for me. Do what she says and grin and bear it.
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07-09-2009, 06:29 AM
Quote:
The eternal Saint is calling, through the ages she has told. The ages have not listened; the will of faith has grown old…
For forever she will wander, for forever she withholds; the Demon King is on his way, you’d best not be learned untold…
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07-09-2009, 06:33 AM
Quote:
When in Rome...
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07-09-2009, 06:35 AM
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You gotta admit, but, believing things like this is not healthy... The eternal Saint is calling, through the ages she has told. The ages have not listened; the will of faith has grown old…
For forever she will wander, for forever she withholds; the Demon King is on his way, you’d best not be learned untold…
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07-09-2009, 06:44 AM
The 28 degree thing is part of the Japanese government's "anti global warming" initiative- they recommend that all homes and businesses set their a/c no lower than 28 degrees in summer. I personally find this quite comfortable and anything lower than 28 to be too cold, but different people find different temps comfortable.
Your host mother is probably also concerned about her electricity bills- there is quite a difference in power consumption between 28 and 24 degrees, so you should probably respect her wishes here. The "fan at night making you ill/killing you" thing however is a complete myth- tell her you are willing to take the chance, and that not sleeping will make you sicker.
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07-09-2009, 06:47 AM
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07-09-2009, 06:54 AM
Fan death? In Japan? That`s silly. It`s a Korean thing. I`ve NEVER heard of anyone in Japan being afraid of dying by fan.
I`ll be willing to bet anything that it`s really about the electric bill. There is a smaller belief that over-cooling your abdomen will upset your stomach, but seriously - everyone uses at LEAST fans at night. I think your host mother would have a heart attack as almost everyone in this building has their air conditioners on all night in the bedroom... The biggest is a money thing. Electricity is extremely expensive, and the more degrees away from the actual temperature you go the more it uses. It is usually recommended that the AC be set to 2~3 degrees lower than the outdoor temperature - so if it`s 30~31 out, 28. Supposedly this is enough that you can feel the difference and feel significantly cooler. To give a basic estimate on electricity costs, and why your host mother is probably worried - an older AC (8+ years) can end up costing 100/yen per HOUR of use if it`s set to 24 in 30 degree weather. 8 hours of sleep a night with the AC on for a month, and that is a seriously hefty bill. That`s the real reason people dread turning the AC on. Older units also used much more electricity for cooling than heating (It`s the opposite in newer models. I let my fingers turn blue before turning on the heater...) She sort of sounds a lot like one of those women who believe in the "Save for Hawaii!" cult *cough* - I meant plan. There are countless books out there telling how you can save tiny tiny bits of money over long periods of time for the magical future "trip to Hawaii" that everyone apparently wants to take in their life. One of the big things they tell is to never set the AC over 14 in winter, and below 28 in summer. They also have hints on how to save 10 yen a month by micro-managing the exact seconds you have the refrigerator open, save up to 60 yen a month by washing and reusing plastic wrap, etc - all things that the effort is worth 10 times the monetary amount. But some older women go crazy with those things...
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07-09-2009, 07:06 AM
Quote:
The eternal Saint is calling, through the ages she has told. The ages have not listened; the will of faith has grown old…
For forever she will wander, for forever she withholds; the Demon King is on his way, you’d best not be learned untold…
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