Living in Japan - Ep.5: Humidity and Mold

[MastaKadaj]

This is the first I've heard of mold problems in Japan, and something important that I should look out for. Good vid!

[alexriveronava]

you seriously look kind of oriental. af first i thought you were half asian, but i read you are from colorado

[McKcriminal]

Dude your apartment is huge btw! or at least looks that way. :P

[McKcriminal]

"So it's a little dark but... " *blinding light in background* lol

Love your videos man!

[jameswray50]

dude at the end of this vid you had mold in the edges of your celing

[thelastthingwedo]

Buy a dehumidifier!

[94babylozzi]

haha u have alot of those water collecting things! must be really hot there then :/

[iaschuster]

your apartment looks huge. is that standard for where you're living or do you have some amazing scholarship?

[ITsHardstyle]

hey, how cold are the winters in tokyo?

its -20 celsius were i live now:P

btw, ty for the tips

[HelloCatkin]

Good heavens... thanks for posting this!! I am really allergic to mold, and I had problems living in draughty old buildings in Scotland, where it can be a bit wet indeed, but it's not warm / hot often. I seriously wonder if I could survive even a trip to the southern Asia, never mind live there for any amount of time... :*(

[LifeInShiga]

If you are allergic to mold, summer in Japan would not be recommended! Winter is considerably drier, but still humid and mold still grows. I have smelled mold even in restaurants in the city, so it is everywhere. Perhaps traveling more inland, like in China, would be better for you. However, it is horrible to think you couldn't enjoy Japan. Try the winter! :)

[JeremyScottThompson]

wouldnt it be cheaper to buy a humidifier...in england depending on where you live, type of house and the weather we can get bad humidity and all you need is one humidifier per room, theyre electrical so you only buy 1 and empty the water out...theyre like £30 each

[LifeInShiga]

i'm thinking you meant "de-humidifier" instead of "humidifier," right? my A/C unit has a de-humidifier function, but it uses electricity which is expensive here. the tubs of desiccant are only 100yen and last for a month. also, most people leave their windows open during the day and sometimes night. a de-humidifier would have to run non-stop to keep everything dry. it's really a matter of dealing with it and not so much preventing it. pretty much the japanese way ;)

[sivmeister]

Wow, only 100 Yen each? that's real cheap, and that's those big one's right? Gosh if you were to use the dehumidifier function on your A/C for less than 12 hours you'd be close to even lol.

I hear Japan is expensive but that's only if you keep to western ways, if you do things the japanese way your usually better of financially. Is that really true?

[Toushirou24]

Awesome vid, enjoying all of them and hope you keep them coming.

[LifeInShiga]

Thank you! I'll have a new one up tonight or tomorrow :)

[Hikosaemon]

The crazy thing is that one month from now, you will need to have humidifiers going to avoid getting sick from the extreme winter dryness. Took me a few years to get my head around that.

Peace

[LifeInShiga]

Eek! Really? I was hoping it wasn't going to get that dry.

Thanks for the heads up!

[sabrinasaures]

bleach is your new friend

;P

[LifeInShiga]

indeed!

[TeachinginJapanGuide]

Crank up that A/C!! It's not that much more. Our bill here was only 2000 yen more.

[LifeInShiga]

Yeah, I should, I'm trying to be "tough" though ;)

[wobina]

Wow that's crazy! I had no idea it was so humid there.

[LifeInShiga]

Yeah, and it's way different than Colorado, where I came from!

[norsehawk]

I know that summers in Japan can be very hot and humid, but the thing I am really wondering is how that would compare to Florida summertime. Humidity reaching 100%, being near impossible to get the humidity in the house below 50%, and temps into the 90s. I suppose I will find out when I eventually get over there. Hope things are going well for you over there. Stay dry.

[LifeInShiga]

My co-workers tell me this summer has been unusually mild compared to the previous ones. It is usually in the 90s and between 80-100% humidity. It also depends on what part of Japan you live in. Since I've been here, it averages about 30C and 80% hum. so not too bad.

[TeachinginJapanGuide]

The biggest difference is no central A/C and the houses aren't built with insulation. We (they) heat and cool rooms individually here.

[Limastudent]

Your shoes can mold! Gross.

[LifeInShiga]

Yeah, they can. Mine haven't, but I have heard from other people that theirs have. Nasty!

[Omegalux]

Thanks alot of this video. I did consider this however didnt realise alot of the poinbts you have made. Thanks again !

[LifeInShiga]

You are quite welcome!

[worldgenius]

cool, the only place i heard they would put those were in attics, since up there is mold city. especially if you made yours into a room. although its the first time ive seen the small packet ones, i would only buy thoughs for the shoe closet, other then that the big jugs are fine. great vid 5/5!

[LifeInShiga]

thanks a lot! i'm glad i don't have an attic... that just sounds like a mess.

[LIVEfromAKIBA]

Thanks man that was really helpful!

[LifeInShiga]

Glad I could help! :)

[Priest22]

Do dehumidifiers not exist in japan? Like the electronic plug in ones?

[LifeInShiga]

They do exist and also most A/C units (including mine) have a de-humidifying mode, HOWEVER, they use electricity and that is super expensive here (about twice as much as in the U.S.).

[KurzWebber]

"Sorry its been so long since I posted here." What are you talking about?:D You're always making a video, thats one of the reasons why I like you more than other Japan vloggers! :)

And holy cow, that much moisture!? thats crazy! How much do each of them cost? :)

[LifeInShiga]

Thanks!

It really is amazing how much moisture is in the air. It usually doesn't drop below 50% humidity outside. The larger tubs cost 105yen and the small flat pouches are 2 for 105yen. I spend 420yen/month for mold prevention, so it's not too bad.

[lilangel8932]

thanks for the vid. very helpful!

[LifeInShiga]

you're welcome, glad you liked it :)

[Noxp]

Okay I heard that the humidity was bad but that is just crazy, how many days/weeks were those collection containers there for? It's only dry heat around here so I guess it's hard to grasp how bad it can get.

[LifeInShiga]

It's not really that bad. I have had those containers for about a month. Typically you replace them each month. It's just another thing to throw in with your monthly "chores" that's all.

I'm from Colorado where it redefines dry, so this was a huge change for me, but I got used to it, you just have to do things a little differently.