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Japanese summers are known for their almost unbearably hot temperatures. They are not only hard to bear during the day. Even in the evenings and at night, it hardly cools down. A good air conditioner makes this climate bearable. Do you want to know when the best time to travel to Japan is? We described that in this post:
How are Japanese houses and apartments built?
The Japanese construction method is unfortunately not as solid as the German one! Typically, the walls of residential houses and apartment blocks are not particularly well insulated, and the windows are not particularly thick either. Simple aluminum frames and single panes of glass keep out neither heat nor cold. This is why it is usually uncomfortably cold in winter and extremely hot in summer in the living spaces. You can imagine it like this: While you need a jacket even indoors in the winter months, it has the temperature of a roof apartment with many windows in the summer. These temperature conditions are only bearable with the help of an air conditioner. This can cool, heat and sometimes even dehumidify - and it can be programmed so that it starts its work before you get home.
How do I use a Japanese air conditioner?
It is easy to use a Japanese air conditioner correctly. You need the remote control (rimo-con in Japanese). It has many different buttons, but don't worry, it's not that hard to find the right ones. First you have to turn on the air conditioner - usually with a press of the big button in the middle of the remote control.
You can see the current temperature on the remote control's display. You can adjust this with the arrow-shaped buttons up or down.
| Japanese | Japanese | Meaning /English |
|---|---|---|
| unten/teishi | 運転/停止 | On/Off |
| ondo | 温度 | Temperature |
| jidou | 自動 | Automatic |
| reibou | 冷房 | Cooling |
| soufu | 送風 | Fan |
| danbou | 暖房 | Heating |
| shou ene | 省エネ | Energy saving mode |
| joshitu | 除湿 | Dehumidifying |
Common problems
Your air conditioner isn't doing what you want it to? Don't worry, we have solutions to the most common problems.
Not cooling
Check if the "heat" setting is activated (暖房 "danbou"), indicated by a small arrow on the display
Too loud
Activate the "quiet" mode
Air is very humid
Activate the "Dehumidify" mode
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