A silhouette wandered through the open old Japanese house

Interior of the main building of the former Arai Family Residence — Silhouette walking in an old house

Whenever I visit an old Japanese house, I wonder how cold traditional Japanese houses are compared to houses built in modern Japan. The only thing separating the inside from the outside of the building is a flimsy paper screen. No matter how much you warm up the inside of the house, you can't compete with the freezing air that immediately surrounds the house. Since the house cannot be sealed, drafts can enter the house as much as they like. It must have been very cold inside the house in the winter.

The main house of the former Arai family residence, built around the end of the 18th century, was the residence of a family that served as the village doctor in the late Edo period (1603-1868), so the house is magnificent, but at best it is open and at worst it is full of gaps. Although there is a wooden door at the entrance, only a paper screen separates the outside from the inside of the house. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine how hot it must be in summer and cold in winter. The cold might be bearable with heavy clothing, but the heat would be unbearable. In this sense, in the past, rich and poor alike may have been equally exposed to the summer heat without protection.

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