Winter preparations for my home in Japan
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Overview:
This is my first winter in my home in Japan. I’m sharing my winter preparations for first timers like me.
My goal:
Do the absolute minimum and spend as little money and resources on home winterizing my home in Japan. This is basically how the locals prepare with some added luxuries of gas and heat pump heating systems.
Overall, I don’t want to over engineer and overspend unnecessarily. Instead, my preference is to find a comfortable and economical in between.
What I did in this video:
Outside
1. Clear the garden to make snow removal easier and avoid crushing my things.
2. Marked out the water and sewerage points to make it easier to find them when snow covered.
Inside
1. Added gas heaters to the kitchen and chill rooms upstairs. I found these second hand, just a couple of years old, online for just $200 which are more than $2000 new.
2. Installed new heat pumps to the bedrooms for roughly $1000 each including installation cost.
3. Added simple curtains to close the space which were surprising effective.
4. Replaced/repaired the washi paper in the shouji doors to close air gaps. I could really feel hot air entering the room where some holes existed in the paper!
5. Added a kotatsu, a heated table, which was great to snug up on a cold winter day.
6. Added an heater to the bathroom.
What I didn’t show:
1. I covered the windows with wood when the snow level increased to avoid the glass caving in.
2. I made sure I have enough shovels and snow removing equipment for the winter.
3. I took down my gutter downpipes to avoid ice clogging and cracking the pipes.
This was my first attempt to an economical approach for winterizing my Japanese home. There were a lot of lessons learned that I’ll add to another video.
About Myoko Kogen:
Did you know that Myoko Kogen is deep snow country. In fact, close to this area is one of the snowiest places in the world. The temperature is usually well below sub zero throughout the winter months.
Take a walk around the neighborhood if you have the chance to visit snow country Japan. You’ll see that locals, especially the older generations, really have incredible winter stamina. They have barely any insulation, use kerosene heaters, close off the house and only use a few rooms in their homes, and work hard to clear snow.
Feel free to give me more ideas in the comments!
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As someone who has lived in New England all my life, I've seen and lived through many many many blizzards.
When you get snowed in, and you will, make sure you have shelf stable foods. Losing electricity happens here all the time. Having a generator is pretty much the norm. But, even getting a large battery helps a lot. I have used mine to plug in a single electric burner and when you can't get out to get kerosene, which yes is very dangerous, you will have a heating source for food, coffee, tea, etc. Kerosene not only is dangerous as far as causing fires, but the fumes can be lethal. Keeping warm in the worst times? I have a sleeping bag rated for 40 below zero. A pantry stocked with shelf stable food is a must. You can get decent canned and freeze dried foods. Don't forget meds as well. Cough medicine is a life saver when you can't get out and you are sick.
Having beans, canned veggies and fruit, canned or boxes of bone broth, noodles, powdered milk and eggs, canned beef stew, beef jerky, canned or bags of nuts, and nut butters have gotten me through many winters where roads were closed and I could get anywhere.
This sounds kind of odd to me. I live in Siberia, and even during the worst month going out was no issue, electricity have never failed in my entire life during winter, same with heating. Sure, there is still idiocy when it comes to keeping roads clear of snow as if it doesn't happen every single damn year, but we don't need to be as prepared as you said.
I just found your channel and I am fascinated with your house. Are you in Japan permanently? Do you speak Japanese. Do you work there ? As an interior designer ? I have only been to Japan once. The very best vacation my late husband and I ever had. Such an impressive country ! Sorry if I am being nosy, just curious. I subscribed. Best wishes
Thanks for comment! Yup living in Japan and speak Japanese. I work in tourism :)
I like how at 13:52 when he opens the window there’s this random whimsical music playing outside
i was just gonna post about this, why is the music playing at this moment?
So that curtain is a great idea. You can also double up the curtain as well. Just put one curtain flush against the other one, sharing the single rod. More layers=less air transiting across. You can also use a couple small fans to help circulate the warm air from the living room into the bathroom, which also protects the bathroom pipes a bit from freezing.
Awesome! Thanks :)
I am Brazilian and have never seen snow in my life, but here I am, taking notes. 🙂
Hahahaha one day 🏂🎿❄️
you could always put a very heavy curtain across the front door having two layers of curtains would help with winds and the cold
We did this to separate our mud room from the rest. It was not insulated and was so cold but the curtain made a huge difference.
I’m curious, what do you do for a living? What made you choose Japan for your home?😊
Following 😊
Love the channel, just found it and binged through everything. I take it these are reuploaded from December? What has happened in the past 6 months any updates?
Thanks!! Spent the winter snowboarding and took time off renovation. I’ll put more time into it now and make more effort in documenting it for the enjoyment :)
I wanted to understand how the house performed during the winter before making big changes. Seems like the smarter and more economical approach
Hey Matt, Canadian here, heat pumps are a solid choice, but oil (kerosene) or Natural gas (and propane) heating are perfectly safe, and are used in millions of wood framed houses here in Canada, where we get very similar winter
a man still passionate about fossil fuels.... yeah boy
@@samuelhowell7364 haha I'm not, its just theres no sense in making it out that using either fuel will 95% likely you will die in your sleep or your house will burn down.
@@samuelhowell7364heat pumps are fine, however, an alternative in case of power outage or an extreme weather event can be a wise investment.
Absolutely...use natural gas and it's the most efficient way to heat your home...I'm in Ottawa and have almost identical winters as what he would experience in Japan...no issues with natural gas...
Heat pumps are the way to go, although the cost of electricity is higher in Japan so the energy bills will be higher. But it is safer, you aren’t burning fossil fuels and you can air condition in the humid Japanese summers. Too bad your electrician couldn’t hide the cables going from your mini splits to the outside. Those shouldn’t be exposed inside a room-they should be put through the wall behind the mini split so you don’t see them.
Great to see another video, Matt! Your home is looking very cosy and inviting! You’ve done a fantastic job! xo
Best way to keep heat in….. like we do in freezing winters plastic on all the windows works awesome
Regarding your entryway. I used to have windows that allowed ALL the wind in, even when closed. Fortunately, this was a "closed" porch. So I hung pretty shower curtains on the outside of the window and door entering from the porch to living area. Worked perfectly. I had tried cloth, but it was not as effective ad plastic shower curtains. You should try those!
The amount of work you put into this is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Matt, Regards from The Netherlands, what a fantastic house you have bought. I love Japan so like your channel very much. But the kerosine heating system…did not know that. Good that you put up a heating pump !. Nice to be a virtual guest at your house in Japan. Take care and enjoy Matt 🙏🏻☀️👍🏻💪🏻
This is fascinating content, I’m very interested in seeing how your winter there goes, love the changes to your home it’s so nice.
I’m in Tokyo Japan right now it’s hot as heck outside. What part of Japan is this house located?
It’s n the description.
You're living my dream! I want to move to Japan!! Hope it's going well! :)
It’s a fun journey :) thank you!
A very nice home. Stay snug.
Create more videos like this and do day in the life vlogs. Show us your town where you live and your house bro.
And i love your videos bro they are awesome.
Hi Matt. Joe here from the central Gulf coast of Florida. Amazing price for the house! I'm from northern US originally and winters were brutal. Glad I found your channel
Winter the bonsai in the shed.
the heat pump system is the way
The air is much fresher than gas :)
@@im.mattguy In regards to the windows, given that you've already overwintered once - get those double glazed windows and better doors ASAP. Insulation is key when it comes to saving heat and from what I know Japanese houses are very underinsulated.
Throwing out the gas and going full heat pump might also not be a bad option, just look for units that support HYPER HEAT (aka they pump out more heat at lower temperatures and are optimized for heating - very important since you're in snow country). Europe's been using them for well over two decades already, but Japan absolutely leads the forefront with these heat pumps. Mitsubishi Electric is a really good choice too when it comes to the brand. There's also a version that heats domestic hot water instead of the air, might be another interesting option if you ever opt to forego the gas heater for the water.
I used to live in a house that required wood stove heating, which can also poison you if not used properly. Just make sure you have Carbon Monoxide detectors on both floors, just to be safe.
You brightened things up !!!! So so nice you didn’t need a interior decorator at all 😂❤
We use heat pumps in GA, USA!
Love them for the fresher air! Can feel the difference
You'll have to make sure the downstairs flue is clear of snow or the carbon monoxide won't vent...
Woud be interested to see some snow removal videos later!
I’ll add a few :)
I would still get a carbon dioxide and monoxide detector anytime you have a gas appliance. Leaks are pretty common.
I am really enjoying your channel, thank you! I wish that sometime you could post videos showing what it is like in winter when the deep snow comes, and what life is like then. I live in a subtropical climate and I can’t even imagine what it would be like. 😊
WINDOWS are terrible heat loss. There was research done, that proved putting "window tint" without the "tint" acts just like double glazing. So just get some clear lamination, and that will act like double glazing.
FYI: the mini splits don't bring in any outside air at all. That's kind of the whole point. They are heat pumps, they bring in heat from the outside and use that to warm the air in the house. That's what makes them so efficient.
It also makes them inefficient as well. We call them split systems here in Australia as well. I have two in my house (bedroom and lounge room). And I live in a part (southern) that gets cold at night in winter. And if it drops to 2 or 3 degrees or lower the heat exchange coils on the outside unit doing all the heavy lifting ‘ice over’ when operating and the entire unit struggles. So I imagine in the temps in Japan at sub zero they must really struggle to maintain heat.
Lets not forget once it drops to 20 and below they no longer will work for ac or heating
I used bed comforters on my windows
Great video. By the way, not sure which country you originally come from (sounds Australian or NZ but not sure) - they are what we call split systems (combined heating/air con). Made by Daikin, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LG etc. Hence the machinery is out side and inside you have a unit on the wall with the fan unit. They are the standard type of unit used in Australia and NZ to save having individual units for air con and heating. BUT, and a big BUT in winter (I live in a cold part of Australia) they don’t work well around zero. The outside unit heat exchange coil (those lots of tiny slices of metal you can see on the sides of the unit) WILL ice up and the performance drops. I am not sure they are cheaper overall - they use electricity. I find they work best between above 5 degrees. We have two ourselves (bedroom & lounge) and we placed the outside units in the Lee of the house but relatively protected from both winds, rain and the direct sun (for summer).
By the way gas heatings or wall furnaces are also common in Australia and NZ and they are always vented outside through the roof.
I was operating them at -10 som days and they worked great. I like that the temperature can be controlled a lot easier than gas and doesn’t have the thick air feel :):) thanks for the comment!! Appreciate the advice!
You thought of everything...Looking really good!!! :))
Thank you!! 😊
Forgive me if you answered this already but, where did you Find the house? what website did you use? or was it a real estate agent in japan? :) thank you!
This house was on wwe.athome.co.jp but I also search for properties on suumo.co.jp :)
@@im.mattguy Thank you i'll bookmark these right now!
That’s a lot of snow coming… sir blessings to you
You look lonely. Find someone to share your cute home.
Looks very nice. ❤ Great new toilet. You've done an amazing job.
Thanks so much! 😊
I am enjoying your videos. Just curious, do yo feel that you need a larger refridgerator to get you through the winter months since it might be difficult to go shopping?
I learned a few years ago that locals actually turn the fridge off in winter and use somewhere outside and a space under the house. This is to save money on electricity
I have a big window in my bathroom too and it was very cold in winter then I made a small greenhouse against that window, now everything is better.
Try Bubble wrap on the window
Maybe live upstairs in winter heat rises and downstairs in summer
Snow is a great isolation. Just as long its under 0 celcius
I would keep all the wood, nice and fresh Osmo everything. Paint everything else.
I kept all of the wood besides the kitchen. I wanted a different feel to the rest of the house and happy with the decision :)
I just found your channel and subscribed. I really like all the renovations. Simple and tasteful. Also I appreciate that you describe everything honestly. Cheers!
Thanks, appreciate your comment and the time you took to write it!
I like to be genuine and think things through out loud and tweaking ideas as I go along :)
@@im.mattguy I think that’s the best way! Cheers and congrats on your new home!
BTW, hauling that waste across the road for the community garden would be easier if you get a plastic reinforced tarp, fill it with the waste, fold the edges over and drag to the dump areas
Looking at your shed, you should get an angle grinder and out a wire brush wheel or cone on it and knock down the rust on the corrugated steel, then go over it with naval jelly (gelled phosphoric acid) to remove and neutralize the rest, then prime and paint so it doesn't deteriorate.
Awesome heating solution! What kind of visa are you on?
He may or may not be illegal immigrant ?
Is there winter in Japan in june? isn't there summer there right now or it differs from region to region?
This was filmed in December
@@bridgwll okay
enjoy your winter!
How did you go about buying your home? Did you use a company like NTI to handle all the transactions? Does living in a rural area require a car? And if so how hard is it to obtain all the proper paperwork and licenses ? Many thanks
Just out of curiosity, do you work remote and is the internet good in the town where you live?
I was working remote and internet is high speed optic cable
Matt your accent sounds like a mix of Aussie and South African
So heat pump technology is NOT designed to be turned off. Find a temp you like “set it and forget it”!
If you turn the unit off “when you’re not using them and then back on when you want them” it’ll end up costing you a lot more money!
Heat pumps do what ever it takes (high draw/more money) to to bring a room to temp but it just takes pennies to keep it there
So, find a comfortable temp, set it and leave it run. This will save you money AND help to dehumidify the home (leave interior doors open for best comfort, performance and longevity of the home).
Have you thought about solar panels on the roof (including the shed?) If you angle them right, they may work decently in the winter too.
In that case you could cut down on your heating bill by warming up the whole house w/ the AC in the day time.
In the next 3 days? It’s summer in Japan. Where are you getting that sort of snow in summer?
Yeah I'm guessing the video was recorded 6 -8 months ago
Any space in the roof or under floor for batts or some kind of foil-backed foam insulation? It’s a pain in the butt to install but can be done by yourself and is a pretty cost effective way to increase heat retention.
I know Im late but your guest rooms would be soooo cool with many bonsais. It would actually be an incredible touch to have them all over the place. Like perpetual x mass trees but bonsai
That is a lot of snow! Keep us updated…
What’s wrong with using kerosene? “Not a good look” what does that mean? Are you out of your mind? If you have an inefficient furnace you can have odor / fumes. With your thinking how does not natural gas also have a a “good look”.
Your really issue sounds like your home is not properly insulated and also seems to lack central HVAC system. FYI: heat pumps get more and more inefficient if not In effective as the temperature drops.
I have fond memories of the kotatsu I lived with on my first visit to Kyoto in December, 1983.
Thanks for the follow up video. Looking good!
Wait... its already cold in japan right now? Im living under excessive heat wave warnings. 110 degrees. 😢
Food and a grill also key if power out, should have a 30 day supply food, water.
Noren is the japanese word , not curtain .
Do some Dow Chemical blown in insulation. The black out insulated curtains will help
Where are all the other people?
The shirt is from Ecuador 🇪🇨? your house is beautiful
Beautiful house you have bruh. i will visit Japan soon, where in Japan is your house ?
Great video
Those air-air ACs dom bring in air from the outside. Its the chemicals that heat or coola from the outside part to the inside part.
Looks good! I'm really happy for you😊😊 ありがとう！
I am confused, what winter? It's june and Japan is on my side of the equator, nice and toasty now.
Filmed last December and I just uploaded it
@@im.mattguy Yeah, had to be, thank you
you must of filmed this months ago as its summer in japan right now
Air pumps are only any good if the house is insulated up to the hilt, particularly in old houses
Where did them massive trees come from ?
The ones where you was going to park your car in the garden ?
I'm thinking manly, just cast iron woodstove and a few blankets
Maybe for the shed 😂
I recommend natural gas very inexpensive and works wonders i live up north in canada it gets -40( even colder some days) in winter and it has no problem keeping the house warm
Natural gas is more expensive than electricity in Japan
@@im.mattguy really that's crazy it's way cheaper than electricity in Canada
Actually it fluctuates here. Depends on the area and depends on the economy. Two years ago it was gas and now it’s electricity
Lovely home video yep show all the shops near your home what they sell and everything
You've made the place so nice
Soapstone ovens are very good and burns up to 8 hours you can use wood or pellets
Did you move to Japan for work? Sorry if I sound too nosy.
Great video man ❤❤
You should have a fence since the road so near
Hi Matt, do you live in a Ghost Town, there's nobody else to be seen? 🤷🏼♂️
This is how it can look and feel in Japan outside of the big cities
Just found your channel and watching your experience my first thought was...oh crap no split AC. Looks like you remedied that issue LOL. I live in Yoko we get hot and the cold those split A/C's are a god send. Though it looks like you get more cold then heat. My first place I rented only had a split in the front room it was horrible.
Why do all the places looked closed?
I looked up the weather for MYOKO KOGEN, over next 10 days high is just under 90F and low about 70. I remember could still see snow on the mountain peaks when lived in Aizu till summer, but really confused, it really is snowing where you are now, the middle of July?
Hey Matt, are you married to a local? How do you manage visa?
Work visa on sponsorship and work remote :)
So how'd your first winter go?
Did you clear your own roof? Get in as much skiing as you thought you might??
Overall it felt like it went smoothly. We had a lot of snow but I don’t feel overwhelmed and was happy to move it around. I did clear my own roof and that was a learning curve.
A lot of lessons along the way and was able to discover more about the cold spots in the house and I’ve been fixing as I can in the last few months. A lot of new improvements that I’ll share very soon.
Ended up getting on the slopes much more than I expected! Excited for this up coming season
Could you do a bit more on the heat pump? Do you have both systems installed? As you mentioned Aircon, gas heater and Heat pump. So a little confused to what systems you have. It's something we might get ourselves. Prices? construction? Any further issues with mold?
Is the cold one of the reasons they don’t do western toilets in those rural areas? I’m always worried about pipes freezing here in Seattle. I’m on the bottom story of a 4 story apartment building and the pipe bursts have forced me to move units and replace all my belongings. How do you protect pipes out there from that level of snow? ❄️
Thank you for the wonderful video.
Thank you too!!
I lived in Aizu-Wakamatsu for 5 years. We had some winters where get a lot of snow, but not like what you are describing. Is it really snowing in July? In Aizu we did not get snow till much later in the year.
Winter in June?
Can you tell us more about yourself where are you from where did you live before do you own something where you are from and travel back and forth ? Is this earthquake proof area ? What made you choose Japan ? And are you happy ?
Hopefully you can do some chin-ups with that curtain rod. Get a little upper body exercise in the winter. 🙂
Here in Finland we have triple windows, douple front doors to keep us warm in winters. Plus we have good insulation in our houses. Newer houses have floor heating that is so nice in bathrooms. Your house looks great and loving tour channel. Thank you ❤
Also by the way I love your videos, and a little side note to my previous comment another good way that I like to heat up the house is baking!! During the winter you can have some tasty treats and it's very therapeutic baking with the snow falling and the oven heats up the house a good amount!!
Wool blankets will keep the cold out and the warmth in. You could even use it to cover the window in the bathroom… Natural fiber of the wool Is an excellent insulator?