Life in Japan: Surprising First Impressions

When I first came to Japan, I had some expectations. I thought I knew what I was going to see. But I was pretty surprised in many ways. This week’s question comes from moldydaisy.

What were some of the things that really surprised you when you moved there? What things stood out in your mind that you would never have thought of before your arrival?

The very first thing that surprised me was before I even landed. From the airplane, I could see the rice fields near the airport. From the air, they weren’t a uniform shape. No grid, no squares, no rectangles. They were very organic in shape.

After landing, I was on the Narita Express to Yokohama, and I saw so many houses that were different than anything I’d seen in Canada. They were small, built close together, and everything was so dense.  Yet there were pockets of green. Very dense green trees and plants on hills. And bamboo!

Around my new home, I was surprised by the smells. I could smell a lot of ramen. There were many ramen shops near my home at the time. That first night, I also went shopping at the supermarket. What surprised me was that salt was with the oil and soy sauce, not the spices. The packaging also surprised me. They used far too much packaging for everything.

But probably the biggest surprise was my apartment. It was small, and it had very poor insulation. It was April when I arrived, and the nights were still pretty cool. It was cold inside my apartment.

All of these things I’m used to now. They seem normal. Having been here for ten years, not much surprises me anymore.

If you have any questions about living in Japan, please see the original post and leave your questions in the comments.

The Reason I Hate Winter

Let me tell you a little story about what life is like in winter in Japan.

There is very little insulation in apartment buildings and houses.  The windows are drafty, the doors are drafty.  There are open vents to the outside in the bathroom.  Sure, you can heat a home in winter, but it costs a fortune to use the air conditioner, and an oil or electric heater could be dangerous for my daughter to be around.  It’s incredibly cold inside.  The only warm place is in bed or while taking a shower or bath.  All other times, my fingers are cold, and in a constant fetal position when I’m sitting down.

Central heating would be nice.  Insulation would be nice.  Double or triple glazed windows would be nice.  That’s what I miss about Canada.  It may be cold outside, but at least you can keep it comfortably warm inside.

Colonising a World: Shelter

When establishing a colony, it’s very important to have some kind of shelter ready.  However, permanent shelter takes some time to build, so something temporary needs to be available from the beginning.  But for a colony of 15,000 people, how can it be done?

Assuming we’re using the initial settlement for Ariadne, it’s on a generally flat coastal plain with grasslands and forest nearby.  Building houses takes quite some time, but construction can start soon after settlement.  In the meantime, the colonists may have to camp.  One option is tents.  Depending on the climate and the possibility of extreme weather and dangerous animals, this may be a risky thing to do.  But in a stable situation, it may be the easiest.

The transport shuttles could also be converted into temporary shelter that could hold a few hundred people, albeit in cramped conditions.  They could be outfitted with kitchens that could feed everyone, though that may be a difficult thing to do.

Another option is to build large structures with easy to assemble prefabricated parts that were transported on the ship along with the colonists.  This may be the best and safest idea.  Although it would likely look like they live in big warehouses, they can be kept safe from the elements, have some conveniences such as industrial kitchens, washrooms with toilets and baths (once connected to a water supply), and some entertainment.  It may be like a huge dormitory, but at least they have a place to stay.  It’s temporary, though.

Over the first few months, a large amount of construction will be taking place, including housing, power facilities, water facilities, schools, hospitals, public gathering places, and more.  But the houses are something that people will really look forward to.

What would they make the houses with?  They could use local trees, though they wouldn’t know if they’re similar to Earth trees.  They could plant bamboo and use that.  It’s strong, fast-growing, and quite flexible, not to mention a source of food.  If the area is seismically stable, using stone or brick is another option.  As the settlement is located near a major river, clays should be abundant and very useful.

Larger apartments may also be constructed, and these would require strong metal frames.  Thankfully, iron should be abundant, and concrete should be easy to make.

In the 22nd century, construction techniques would likely be much better, more energy efficient, and use more environmentally friendly materials.  New technologies and materials may be developed for the colony, as well.  These may be an option, but it’s likely that early colonists will go with the simplest and easiest ways of building homes.

If you could build a house on another planet, how would you build it?