doors/windows

[jessen100]

whats with japanese people and leaving doors open all the time? (particularly at school)

they sit around and whine about being cold, while staring at me in astonishment that im not, then go and leave every door in the school open for the cold to come in. wth.

then of course the heater is blasting, right next to the wide open door.

[Otaku]

The standard answer I receive is "air-circulation". I gave up a long time ago trying to understand this concept.

One particular school I used to work at used to open the doors and windows 15 minutes prior to student cleaning, despite it being warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The teachers told me they didn't want the students to know they were using heaters/air-conditioning because we [teachers] needed to set a good example for the students. Really? Needless to say, I was glad when I left that moronic thinking behind me.

[lkelly2477]

I hate that! Mid winter my wife opens the windows sometimes and I ask what are you doing? Her response is air circulation. It doesn't make sense to me. I won't die if the window isn't opened.

[hokkaido1]

Ｉ　ｍｕｓｔ　ｓａｙ　I see it here from time to time,
but it can't be such a big thing up here in Hokkaido???

[TENGU]

It literally is to "let some fresh air in".

There is a bit of interesting history to it.

Old Japanese buildings were constructed with excellent natural ventilation, the airflow could be directed with vents and shutters in some cases. This ventilation system coupled with the construction materials helped keep the buildings warm in winter and cool in summer, similarly the moving air prevented mold from forming during the humid rainy season.

With modernization came a shift towards lower cost modern materials and design type housing. Many modern buildings up until the last few years were built almost hermetically sealed, there is no natural ventilation, rubber sealing on doors and windows stop drafts, unless there is an open window the air gets stagnant quickly.

Japanese homes get especially dusty due to tatami flooring in some rooms, opening the windows and letting fresh air in clears it out of the air. Another main reason during winter, both in school and at home, is the use of paraffin heaters, we only use them in greenhouses back home, the fumes they give off will kill you if the windows are left closed, even with the windows open, there is probably enough methane given off from them to give you brain damage (this would explain so much).

The main reason they do it in schools is, not for germ protection as you might think, but for building character, I've forgotten the term for this part of Japanese education, it is to instill "我慢　がまん" into the kids, seriously. It's the same reason they restrict drinks during hot weather.

[jessen100]

i have noticed that my apartment is consistently extremely dusty.

never cleaning it doesnt help, but even so.

[Paul]

Here in Okinawa it has nothing to do with character building, it's purely to get the damn mildew smell out of the classrooms every morning.

Oh it also helps to circulate the air out as well seeing as how here in winter, while it doesnt get that cold the classrooms get pretty warm with just 40 people and the body heat they all toss off.

Add to that one or two kids coughing and sneezing and before you know it the entire class if off of school.

[lkelly2477]

I'm thinking about getting a laser heater for this winter. It's much safer.

[Otaku]

whats a laser heater?

[lkelly2477]

Surely you have seen these. They're electric and have a built in fan and automatically shut off if there is a low level of Oxygen. They produce little exhaust. I had a small one before and I couldn't figure out why I turned off on me, but now I know. Anyway here's a link.

http://www.toyotomi.jp/english/products/laser/index.html

[Otaku]

Don't those run on gas?

[lkelly2477]

No, they run on kerosene.

[Otaku]

hhmmm...

I have honestly never heard of them.

off-topic, I want to know why no heater I've seen in Japan comes with a remote control. I can't count the number of times I've gone to bed and forgot to set the timer. Having a controller would allow to turn it on w/out having to get out of bed.

[TENGU]

They burn kerosene, but release less poisons into the air, I still wouldn't use one.

Do Okinawan's not "けじめをつける"?

[Paul]

They burn kerosene, but release less poisons into the air, I still wouldn't use one.

Do Okinawan's not "けじめをつける"?

They talk a good game about it however things here are pretty loose when it comes to kejime.

[lkelly2477]

The laser heaters have timers. They're nice.

[TENGU]

The laser heaters have timers. They're nice.

Any new ones have timers, plus automatic shut off after 3 hours.

[Otaku]

hhhmm...I'm sporting two 'old' kerosene heaters. They both have timers and shut off after 3 hours. How are the laser heaters any different?

[lkelly2477]

They are better for your health and burn the kerosene fuel at a high efficiency (almost 100%).

[mangakk]

hhmmm...

I have honestly never heard of them.

off-topic, I want to know why no heater I've seen in Japan comes with a remote control. I can't count the number of times I've gone to bed and forgot to set the timer. Having a controller would allow to turn it on w/out having to get out of bed.

I had a halogen heater and it came with a remote control. The filament went bust after about a month and so I took it for replacement, but since it would cost a lot to replace it the offered me another heater to replace it, naturally I took another one which was a little more expensive and did not pay anything for it. lol

[GETAK]

The other day I got so mad.

Some teacher came in at the beginning of my class, before the bell, and he goes "かんきしてよ (circulate the air, ok?)." The students quickly protested "さむいよ (but it's cold)!" But it was to no avail. This random teacher, who just happened to be passing by, insisted that the students bear the cold for the inane pupose of "circulation."

Why do they do this? So that the FLU viruses are cleaned out of the air!

Even if it's windy, how do they know they're getting all the viruses out of the room!?
Furthermore, if the students are cold all day, you enhance their chances of getting sick much more than letting viruses hang out on the floor.

I feel rather compelled to conduct reasearch to prove that this "circulation" business is nothing more than a rediculous sacred cow, so I can tell them to can it and let the kids warm up.

[mangakk]

The other day I got so mad.

Some teacher came in at the beginning of my class, before the bell, and he goes "かんきしてよ (circulate the air, ok?)." The students quickly protested "さむいよ (but it's cold)!" But it was to no avail. This random teacher, who just happened to be passing by, insisted that the students bear the cold for the inane pupose of "circulation."

If it were me, I could close the window after he leaves the room.

[TENGU]

The other day I got so mad.

Some teacher came in at the beginning of my class, before the bell, and he goes "かんきしてよ (circulate the air, ok?)." The students quickly protested "さむいよ (but it's cold)!" But it was to no avail. This random teacher, who just happened to be passing by, insisted that the students bear the cold for the inane pupose of "circulation."

are you sure he wasn't trying to wake them up? 喚起?

[GETAK]

TENGU: are you sure he wasn't trying to wake them up? 喚起?

Well, I know it's not his class because he teaches a different grade. So it's unlikely that he knows their usual behavior (i.e. they're normally sleepy) and was trying to counter it.

This continues to baffle me. I bet the kids would behave better if they felt phsycally comfortable and if they felt the teachers were trying to look out for their physical needs.

[TENGU]

TENGU: are you sure he wasn't trying to wake them up? 喚起?

Well, I know it's not his class because he teaches a different grade. So it's unlikely that he knows their usual behavior (i.e. they're normally sleepy) and was trying to counter it.

This continues to baffle me. I bet the kids would behave better if they felt phsycally comfortable and if they felt the teachers were trying to look out for their physical needs.

the kids would probably behave better if they had good interesting teachers instead of idiots with jobs for life.

[crustpunker]

Is education even really needed at this point in human evo?

[lkelly2477]

Isn't it funny how people tell you to go to college and get a degree, by the time you get one you can't find a job. It's becoming like a high school diploma nowadays. I know many friends who have a degree who went to others countries to work or didn't find work. What are gonna tell people to do next?

[Paul]

What are gonna tell people to do next?

Become hunter's and gatherer's?

[lkelly2477]

Perhaps so.