SORABYCO | Life in Japan

Living in Japan has made me pay much more attention to humidity than I used to. One rainy day doesn't bother me much. But when the rain keeps coming for several days, our genkan starts to feel damp. Shoes take longer to dry, and eventually I start wondering what is happening inside the shoe cabinet. That happened again recently. I opened all the shoe cabinet doors because keeping everything shut didn't seem like a good idea. Then I wondered: Should I really leave the shoe cabinet open while it is still raining outside? The simple answer is yes, opening it can help when the inside feels damp—but you don't need to leave it open for the entire rainy spell. When the rain keeps coming, I open the cabinet to let air move through it and also try to reduce the humidity indoors. Wet shoes stay out until they are dry. Once the cabinet and the shoes inside feel dry again, I close the doors. What to Do With a Shoe Cabinet When It Keeps Raining If you want the quick version, these are t...

After taking a shower, I often look at the water still covering the bathroom walls and floor and wonder how long it will take to dry. Our bathroom has a small window, so on clear days I usually open it instead of turning on the bathroom dryer. When the air is dry, that is often enough. Rainy days are different. During Japan’s rainy season, or even on a hot but humid summer evening, the bathroom can stay damp for much longer than I expect. Sometimes the air outside feels almost as wet as the bathroom itself. The dryer is useful on those days, but it is not completely quiet, and I also think about the electricity cost when it runs for several hours. I once saw a news report about fires involving some bathroom heater-dryer units. I knew the report did not mean every bathroom dryer was dangerous, but after seeing it, I started feeling uneasy whenever ours ran for a long time. That was when I began paying more attention to how I actually use the bathroom dryer in Japan. How Long Does a Japa...