Why is there so little insulation in Tokyo homes? And why is central heating not used?
First of all, you can’t say that houses in Japan don’t take heating into consideration. The main actor for temperature control in Japanese living spaces is local heating (partial heating), as symbolized by the kotatsu — the heated table that occupies the cha no ma or living area in so many houses even today. When I think back to my childhood, I remember that everything in the house outside of the kotatsu during winter was almost as cold as outside. So no one wants to ever leave the kotatsu. We would decide by rock-paper-scissors who had to go get the mikan from the entry hall. The entry hall was as cold as a refrigerator, so we used it to store things like mikan. The corridors and bedrooms (if you weren’t under a futon) were so cold that you could see your breath. So, it was really important to warm yourself up in the bath. And it was really hard to get out of bed in the morning. A greater awareness of insulation began during to the oil shock of 1973. An idea formed that one could heat
