Live from Japan!

Initially I thought that this would be another one of those things that I would miss. At the beginning of the winter last year, I thought that I would be desperately anticipating the return of a warm home, a home that is warm in each room, especially the toilet room. But now, after two winters of adapting, I feel a bit differently.

This past week we spent a few days in Tokyo. A little pre-baby, Valentine’s getaway. We stayed at a really flash hotel in Shinjuku that had a few luxuries that we have become accustomed to doing without – a bed and central heating.

One of them I really like, the bed. I really like sleeping in the same bed with Aaron and miss that. In our apartment we have our own futons and, even though they are placed side-by-side, we tend to remain in our own spaces throughout the night. There isn’t a whole lot of opportunity for unintentional snuggling in the middle of the night. Sleeping on a bed is different. Perhaps it is because I am a bit of a bed hog, but it is nice to roll over and bump into one another, to be reminded that the other person is there. So, I definitely look forward to sleeping full-time in a bed once we return.

The second amenity I am not such a fan of. The central heating. The hotel had forced-air heat and the room had a thermostat that allowed us to control the temperature. Even when we turned down the thermostat, it still felt exceedingly hot and dry in the room. I found myself waking up any number of times to get a glass of water because I felt totally parched. I really missed the cold, refreshing air on my face as I slept that we experience each night in our apartment.

I know that central heating won’t be optional, most likely, when we return. The winter weather is much more extreme in most of the areas that we are considering living, but I am not really looking forward to it. It sucks all the moisture out of the air, it is expensive and wasteful to heat rooms that are not currently being used. So, for now, I will enjoy my little space heater and my super thick down comforters knowing that this central-heat-free era of my life will be coming to an end sooner rather than later.