I got flack from my family about an earlier picture in which I appeared to be wearing two jumpers whilst the schoolchildren appeared to be wearing only shorts and a t-shirt. I let them know as I am letting you know now as well that I wasn`t wearing two jumpers, I was wearing a t-shirt, a long sleeved t-shirt, another t-shirt, a shirt and tie, a jumper and another jumper.

There is a reason why they are able to withstand such temperatures in such flimsy clothing. The first is of course that they are near super-human and feel no fear from the cold. The second (and more accurate) reason is the marathon. Two or three times a week between the second and third period, the whole school gets out and runs around the playground for ten minutes as in the photo above.

It definitely saves on the heating bills.

But it is impressive they can survive so easily in so few clothes. When I wake up I can see my breath when I exhale. When I wash my hands at home or at a school, I do so in ice cold water. I had a feeling that it`s a life of constant pain living in Japan. In the winter it`s freezing cold and in the summer it`s a life of oppresive heat and mosquito bites. No wonder there is a massive foreigner exodus out of the country at Christmas and in August.

Amy Chavez an American living in Japan who writes for the Japan Times puts it all more eloquently than I ever could when she says:

In Japanese houses, you’ve probably noticed that central heating does not exist, and instead, central refrigeration is the way of life. On one hand it’s nice because you can unplug the refrigerator and spread out all the vegetables on the bed. No more things rotting in the back of the fridge because they’re out of sight. On the other hand, you probably did not take the Eskimoing 101 elective in college, so you’ll need to learn a few things about living in a walk-in refrigerator.

Tags: Japan, Osaka, Asia, Quaisi, Kansai, Expat, English