Appliances & Electronics 2016 By Max Levitt-Campbell

Keeping Cool

Your air conditioner has the possibility to contribute a lot to your power bill so make sure you are using it properly. Here are some tips so you can make the most of it:

 Try and avoid choosing the lowest temperature during the summer, choosing around 24°C - 27°C will adequately cool you down even though it may not sound like it’s that much colder than the outside temperature.  Never leave your air conditioner on when you are away or at work. Coming home to an oven is never fun but apartments can cool down pretty quickly. If you want to come home to a cool apartment, some air conditioners have a timer feature (タイマー) with which you can use to automatically turn on and off your unit around your work schedule.  If you have your air conditioner on while going to sleep, you can use the countdown timer function (おやすみ). This will automatically turn the unit off after a set amount of time.  Take advantage of the layout of your apartment to get the most out of your air conditioner. If possible, use sliding doors to create a smaller and easier to cool area. This will lead to your air conditioner not having to use as much power to cool the smaller space.  During the hot Kumamoto summer, drying clothes can be troublesome. Some air conditioners have a laundry function (ランドリー) which used with the countdown timer (おやすみ) can be really useful as well.

Although all these functions seem very convenient, many air conditioners only have these four basic functions: Air Conditioning/Cooling (冷房) , Heating (暖房), Dehumidify (除湿 or ドライ) and Automatic (自動). The Dehumidify function can dry your clothes and the Automatic function is used to regulate a room’s temperature and humidity.

Besides air conditioners, fans can be a less effective but cheaper alternative to cooling your apartment. They are great for cooling a room that doesn’t have access to the air conditioner. Warming up (yes, it gets cold in Kumamoto)

We don’t live in the arctic that is Hokkaido but it does actually get pretty cold in Kumamoto during the winter. What sets us apart from Hokkaido though is that people down here haven’t caught on to the magic of insulation or double-glazing! This means that after heating your apartment, it unfortunately doesn’t stay warm for long. This can lead to very high power bills during the winter from the heating function on your air conditioner. Here are some alternatives to using your air conditioner that can save you money during the winter:

Electric Blanket (電気毛布 Denkimoufu)  Blanket that lays under your bed sheet and will keep you warm while you sleep or sit in bed. They usually have a few heat settings and a timer.  These can be a very cheap and energy efficient way of heating yourself.  Some electric blankets are made to slide under rugs and can easily heat up a lot of people sitting on it.

Kotatsu (炬燵)  A kotatsu is a traditional Japanese table with a built-in heater attached to the bottom. Slide a blanket or quilt between the two tops of the table, turn on the heater and slide your legs under to keep you warm and toasty.

Space Heaters (ヒーター)  There are a wide range of space heaters sold in Japan, many are quite economical and can be used to heat rooms. Some of the more pricy heaters are powerful enough to heat whole apartments.

Oil Heater Panel Heater Carbon Heater Kerosene Heater (オイルヒーター) (パネルヒーター) (カーボンヒーター) (石油ヒーター) Average Utility Bills (in yen)

Winter Summer Water Power Water Power High User 5000 9000 3000 5000 Low User 2000 3000 1700 3000

If your utility bills are vastly different from the above examples (especially with water) you might have a leak or problem with your apartment and should contact your contracting organisation or apartment manager.

Appliance and Electronic Stores

K’s Denki – Standard Japanese electronic store with a very wide range of products including Internet and phone services. Provides a free customer card which gives you access to their discounts and a discount on your first purchase. There are ten locations across Kumamoto Prefecture. http://www.ksdenki.com/shop/store/store_search.aspx (click on 熊本県 to find the Kumamoto locations)

Yamada Denki – Another massive Japanese electronic store with a wide range and competitive prices. There are eleven locations in Kumamoto Prefecture including one at the end of the Shimotori in downtown Kumamoto City. http://www.yamada-denki.jp/store/ (click on 熊本 to find locations in Kumamoto Prefecture)

Best Denki – Comparable to all big Japanese electronic stores except that some are drug stores (Shimotori). There are 28 locations in Kumamoto Prefecture) http://www.bestdenki.ne.jp/StoreSearchResult (click on 熊本 to find locations in Kumamoto Prefecture)

Edion – Slightly different electronic store to the above listed because Edion can either be a small local stores or a large superstore. There are 24 locations across Kumamoto and can do repairs as well. https://my.edion.jp/search/?tp=1 (click on 熊本 to find locations in Kumamoto Prefecture)

Discount Stores

Direx – Budget supermarket that also sells discount appliances. Doesn’t offer name brand products so quality varies. There are 27 locations across Kumamoto Prefecture.

Don Quixote – Stocks a small range of budget appliances but along with Direx, the quality and range varies. Only found around Kumamoto City including one close to the Shimotori.

Second Hand Stores

2 nd Street – Second hand clothing, appliance, electronic and furniture store. Quality can vary but you can usually get a great deal. Offers delivery on larger products but the cost of delivery is quite high. Eight locations in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Hard Off/Off House, Book Off – Hard Off/Off House and Book Off are part of a popular chain of second hand stores across Japan. They sell a wide range of used products at low prices. Hard Off/Off House specialises in clothing, appliances, electronics and furniture while Book Off specialises in books, video games, electronics and manga. There are eight Hard Off/Off House locations in Kumamoto Prefecture and eight Book Off locations in Kumamoto Prefecture.

For translations of your appliances please refer to previous guides on the Kumamoto Orientation tab on kumamotojet.com