Sendai is such a beautiful place to be during the autumn time. As the city is full of trees it is amazing how the different coloured leaves brighten the scenery. The air is extremely fresh so as a family we have thoroughly enjoyed going for long walks every weekend by the Hirosegawa river or along the streets of Sendai. There is always something happening - some sort of festival somewhere most weekends :). We have lost count on the various festivals we have attended were we have enjoyed some good food and seen some amazing performances (especially the Ichibancho area).
Although autumns are amazing in Finland, here, they just feel a bit more spectacular. Maybe it is the considerably warmer weather, as daytime temperatures may reach up to +20C. So although it is the middle of November we are still enjoying t-shirt weather occasionally (while the locals are in their winter jackets..). Patrick went back to Finland two weeks ago for 10 days where it snowed heavily - so he was very happy to be back in Sendai :). Although daytime weather has been pleasant, night time temperatures have fallen to +2C-+7C. This means that we have woken up in the morning with an inside room temperature of only +14C... So we have realised that the Japanese houses are not so great during this time of the year.
Autumn for us, therefore, has been a time of preparation. To prepare our apartment for the winter ahead of us... We read several stories before coming here about the Japanese houses/apartments being cold. But nothing can prepare you for it, you need to experience it first handedly to fully understand what is meant by it... And having lived in Finland, where houses are extremely warm, this has definitely been a huge shock.
But the internet is full of good tips how to make your Japanese house warmer. After a small bit of research we went to our local home improvement store (Viva Home) to buy few of the items that many people recommended - the bubble wrap and insulation tape/weather strips.
Although autumns are amazing in Finland, here, they just feel a bit more spectacular. Maybe it is the considerably warmer weather, as daytime temperatures may reach up to +20C. So although it is the middle of November we are still enjoying t-shirt weather occasionally (while the locals are in their winter jackets..). Patrick went back to Finland two weeks ago for 10 days where it snowed heavily - so he was very happy to be back in Sendai :). Although daytime weather has been pleasant, night time temperatures have fallen to +2C-+7C. This means that we have woken up in the morning with an inside room temperature of only +14C... So we have realised that the Japanese houses are not so great during this time of the year.
But the internet is full of good tips how to make your Japanese house warmer. After a small bit of research we went to our local home improvement store (Viva Home) to buy few of the items that many people recommended - the bubble wrap and insulation tape/weather strips.
Here are some tips from Patrick how to prep your house for winter in Japan. He will write more about this in a separate posting :).
The bubble wrap is an extremely cost effective way to help keep your place warm. The idea is to stick it to window panes to add an extra layer of insulation. It is extremely easy to apply as one side has an adhesive covering that when applied to wet glass becomes activated. Cut to size, spray on some water and start lining it at the top and work your way down - easy as that. But it is not the whole solution as if the windows are drafty then this should be taken care of as well. Buy some weather stripping and really make the windows (and doors) snug - may take a bit of force to initially close them once you applied but well worth it.
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