How Japanese keep warm in winter?

If you plan to travel to Japan in the winter, I believe you can see and enjoy the other side of Japanese culture, such as seeing snow covered mountains, eating hot foods etc.
In this case, it depends on where you stay, but relatively so cold!
There are some good ways to keep you warmed during your stay in Japan.
Let’s see how Japanese keep warmed in the winter!

How cold is it in the winter of Japan?

If you stay in Tokyo, you may not feel cold so much because there are so many buildings and transportations you can keep yourself warm. However, the outdoor is so humid and windy even in Tokyo. These elements would make you may feel colder in Japan than other dry area like US, regardless of the temperature.

Air Conditioner (AC)

I’d like to say that Japanese ACs have so many functions and they are really clever.
You see AC everywhere in buildings of Japan, they are most popular appliances make you warm.
In Japanese daily life, it is norm that each family buys an AC for each room.
That’s because a central heating system is not popular in Japan. As you are easily aware of this, since each houses and their rooms in Japan are small, central heating system is not effective.
Many Japanese appliance makers have developed AC so that Japanese family can use it more convenient and comfortable.
Major (and unique) functions of Japanese AC are as follows,

• Automatically adjustment of the temperature and the strength of wind by intelligent censors
• Remote Control application (you can control it even outside house)
• Energy saving, low maintenance cost

Sorry that it is an advertisement in Japanese (this is Panasonic’s), you can see the example that a young business person is contorting his home AC from outside by using his smart phone.
This is one of standard feature of Japanese AC.

Hibachi

This is an old type heating devise, it has been used hundreds years ago, which is often made of ceramics. It looks like “big vase” which has charcoal inside it. It is often used as a cooking tool, some foods are burned on the top of it.
Yes, you are right, the word of “Hibachi” is used as a type of cooking in US, “Hibachi” restaurant provides something burned on the grill to customers.
Actually “Hibachi” not popular as a heating devise in Japan now days. The last time I have seen it was when I went to my grandmother’s house in my childhood, decades ago.

Kairo (hand warmer)

Hand warmer is called “Kairo” in Japan, it is small but really hot, and disposable.
Many Japanese uses it to warm cold hands, mostly in outside, on the way of commuting in daily life. This provides warm through comical reaction which emerges inside. To my knowledge, it kept warmed for 5 to 8 hours when I used it in my childhood.

This video shows how to use it.