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Winter in a Japanese old house
Many older Japanese houses were built for humid summers rather than cold winters: thin walls, single-glazed windows, gaps around sliding doors, and no central heating. Rooms are heated one at a time with kerosene heaters, air conditioners or a こたつ, a low table with a heater underneath and a quilt over it. Corridors, bathrooms and bedrooms can be very cold, and the sudden temperature changes are a known health risk for older people. Traditional remedies remain common: a padded 半纏 jacket, a 湯たんぽ hot-water bottle, extra layers, and mandarins eaten in the kotatsu. Even in Kōchi, known for its mild coast, mountain towns can freeze hard. The grammar of this lesson is the grammar of feelings too strong to bear, and of advice: てたまらない, てしょうがない, てならない, っこない and ものではない.