The Weather Thread.

[matsuki]

LOL, move the thermometer? Next step, redefine the scale?

[Yokohammer]

Shite ... snow on the ground and accumulating.

[yanpa]

Just had a spot of sleety stuff prassling down here on the Musashino Plain.

[wagyl]

Shite ... snow on the ground and accumulating.

Pffffffffffffft you are a week late to the party.
An extra metre on Sunday which slid off the roof yesterday evening to deposit a mountain at my front door. At least I could still open the door this time. I usually expect this in January or February, so we are a couple of weeks earlier than recent years. More cold on the way, apparently.

[Yokohammer]

Shite ... snow on the ground and accumulating.

Pffffffffffffft you are a week late to the party.
An extra metre on Sunday which slid off the roof yesterday evening to deposit a mountain at my front door. At least I could still open the door this time. I usually expect this in January or February, so we are a couple of weeks earlier than recent years. More cold on the way, apparently.

You're living on the wrong side of the island.



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[matsuki]

I am freezing my balls off...better go back in the Ice Arena, it's literally warmer in there

[wagyl]

You're living on the wrong side of the island.

If this year is an El Niño year, as predicted, the Pacific side will cop it too. Expect the unexpected.

[J.A.F.O]

I am freezing my balls off...better go back in the Ice Arena, it's literally warmer in there

I went up to the gym last night and all my space heaters were going. Was like "Come on fuckers, it only 60 degrees. It's not like it's snowing or anything" I let it slide with a few of the guys trying to cut weight but seriously it was like walking into a sauna.

I swear I'm the only guy who goes to the skating rink in shorts and a T shirt.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I let it slide with a few of the guys trying to cut weight

You shouldn't have. Sweating off a little water weight because it's hot isn't the same as breaking a sweat from a hard workout.

[J.A.F.O]

I agree, and these guys do both. They'll wear sauna suits in a sauna while running laps. Fighter's aren't the brightest lot but they're usually pretty diligent. I would be in heat stroke in about 10 seconds but I guess TIO (This is Okinawa)

[matsuki]

I am freezing my balls off...better go back in the Ice Arena, it's literally warmer in there

I swear I'm the only guy who goes to the skating rink in shorts and a T shirt.

That's me too....and before I started wearing compression suits, I used to go "boxers only" under my gear...they thought I was crazy. I told them if they aren't hot and sweating in their gear, they aren't playing hard enough.

I'm sure the cold ass weather here in Tokyo is nothing compared to what Wags is experiencing....but keep in mind what happened last year. (and probably many years before that) Snow falls in Tokyo and suddenly everything grinds to a halt. Snow plows? Tokyo ain't got no snow plows! Close the highways! Anbareeebabuuru!! It's the same with all my hockey buddies from Hokkaido and up north....where they're used to the snow. They're the biggest samugari pussies ever because they're used to heating up everything because gaman isn't and option whereas these areas that like to believe it's not thaaat cold, have zero insulation and gaman gaman gaman to the point that it's more comfortable in snowland Hokkaido/Niigaata/etc. than it is in snowless and less cold Tokyo.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I agree, and these guys do both. They'll wear sauna suits in a sauna while running laps. Fighter's aren't the brightest lot but they're usually pretty diligent. I would be in heat stroke in about 10 seconds but I guess TIO (This is Okinawa)

I thought you were talking about fatties like me. Fighters are a different story. That water can definitely make a difference if you're trying to make weight.

[J.A.F.O]

It definitely can. But these guys can only so sweat so fast. I mean, it doesn't have to be 50°Celsius and two steps away from hell ... an even 30° would be more than enough. Nope nope nope "moto ondo takakushite kudasi"

[IparryU]

I agree, and these guys do both. They'll wear sauna suits in a sauna while running laps. Fighter's aren't the brightest lot but they're usually pretty diligent. I would be in heat stroke in about 10 seconds but I guess TIO (This is Okinawa)

I thought you were talking about fatties like me. Fighters are a different story. That water can definitely make a difference if you're trying to make weight.

Ya weight cuts suck ass... had to do it for wresting and judo. Fuck all that... shittiest feeling to have when you are jogging in plastic bags with rubber bands on your wrists and ankles. That and then having to dump all your sweat out every few minutes so you dont get poisoning or whatever that is.

[kurogane]

Allowing that an Okinawan 17 is about a mainland 11...............yeah. The comical down jackets have appeared with a vengeance (with shorts or capris and thongs, natch), and the bus from the airport had the heaters on full, as did the taxi after that. I thought I might puke. I had quite forgotten how stuffy that is. No wonder everybody gets a cold at once. Yeck. Wear a sweater you turds.

BTW, I found Hokkaido-oids to be the biggest pussies I have ever met when it comes to both cold and heat, and I am pretty seriously pussed on both fronts. Like Choko said, they heat their houses like they're feckin' Canadians even though it's only really Vancouver cold. The house I lived in in Sapporo was 90 years old so the wind whipped right through, but it had a central wood stove system that worked like a charm. Chink up the gaps and get it fired up and you had a nice even 18 all day.

That weight loss thing sounds horrible. I tend to wear 2 Ts when I play indoor soccer but that's just because I hate that chill until you and the gym warms up. Those sweat training suits the baseball players and such wear always make me laugh. That and the bouncing stretch technique we gave up when I was still learning the alphabet. And people say Japanese tradition is dying off...............

[IparryU]

BTW, I found Hokkaido-oids to be the biggest pussies I have ever met when it comes to both cold and heat, and I am pretty seriously pussed on both fronts. Like Choko said, they heat their houses like they're feckin' Canadians even though it's only really Vancouver cold. The house I lived in in Sapporo was 90 years old so the wind whipped right through, but it had a central wood stove system that worked like a charm. Chink up the gaps and get it fired up and you had a nice even 18 all day.

I hate the cold... but i can tough it out with some sweaters and a blanket at home. just sucks having to get to the office and it not be warm yet. But Hokkaido? Vancouver... fuck all that. way too cold for me.

No problem with the heat, love it. just open the window and have the fan blowing on me. humidity is another topic though...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Tokyo ain't cold. Except inside.

[kurogane]

The thing that gets me here is the extremes: quite cold outside and walking around, freezing upon first arrival at home or office.......all interspersed with a bus or train ride that puts a Finnish sauna to shame. Neither Vancouver nor Hokkaido are particularly humid, though Van gets a sort of Seattle wet cold. The humidity in Okinawa is freaky. I avoid summer just because of it.

[matsuki]

I hate the cold... but i can tough it out with some sweaters and a blanket at home.

Fuck yooooooooou! Heaters on while I'm home!!! (though I don't bitch out when it's time to sleep...which is not the best motivation to get out of bed in the morning.)

[kurogane]

Japanese heaters are bad ferya. I hate that dry stuffy air. Anything down to 10 or 12 and I stick with sweaters and socks.

Mind you, aren't you and IPU both Cali boys? Unless it's Redwood country, that only makes sense. I laugh a bit but I don't begrudge the Okinawans their wussiness; anybody that can last through that summer heat gets a pass on feeling cold below 20 degrees. And they think I am a golden god because I'm still swimming in the sea. Either that or they think I'm nutso.

[matsuki]

I have a humidifier going so we don't dry out but the non-insulated windows and such end up soaking...fuuuu

It was minus 3 degrees the past two nights...I'm fine walking around the ice arena nude but when at home, I want to be comfortable. Set the heater to 18-20 and let it go

[IparryU]

Japanese heaters are bad ferya. I hate that dry stuffy air. Anything down to 10 or 12 and I stick with sweaters and socks.

Mind you, aren't you and IPU both Cali boys? Unless it's Redwood country, that only makes sense. I laugh a bit but I don't begrudge the Okinawans their wussiness; anybody that can last through that summer heat gets a pass on feeling cold below 20 degrees. And they think I am a golden god because I'm still swimming in the sea. Either that or they think I'm nutso.

Ya we both Cali boys... I am from NorCal and he is from SoCal. I never been to SoCal for longer than a few hours, so I can't really comment about the weather year round. Mind you, it dont get Tokyo-like cold where I am from despite it being "NorCal", which is why I fuckin hate winters in Japan.

But ya, if it is 10 degrees, I rock the hoodie (typical NorCal) but the SoCal pussy gets down to his chones and blasts the fuckin heater...

It does feel awesome to walk in to a nice warm house though...

[yanpa]

"Cold" is when waterways freeze over enough to be able to skate on.

The Kanto area does a particularly nasty brand of cold, persistent rain which sucks the spirit out of you.

[Samurai_Jerk]

"Cold" is when waterways freeze over enough to be able to skate on.

The Kanto area does a particularly nasty brand of cold, persistent rain which sucks the spirit out of you.

Tokyo seldom goes below zero. Not cold. Except inside.

[Coligny]

The thing that gets me here is the extremes: quite cold outside and walking around, freezing upon first arrival at home or office.......all interspersed with a bus or train ride that puts a Finnish sauna to shame. Neither Vancouver nor Hokkaido are particularly humid, though Van gets a sort of Seattle wet cold. The humidity in Okinawa is freaky. I avoid summer just because of it.

Yes, this is awful, you walk, and suddenly you are smacked in the face like if you just entered a fridge. There is no smooth transition... It's bam, take it or die...

[kurogane]

BTW, anybody looking for a reasonably easy and comfortable secret weapon for winter, look no further than Merino Wool ginchies. I find it regulates temperature, and even if hot or wet it remains tolerably comfortable and much more so than fleece, and it doesn't get schtinky. Montbell has a nice variety of styles and weights. Keep in mind anything lightweight will likely be a one season disposable affair. It just seems to wear out way faster than anything else.

[wagyl]

I can vouch for the merino sheep to be companionable in all seasons, during the day and long into the evenings. Products made from their fine wool are good too, but expect them to get attacked by moths in Japan, however since these fine woollen garments are not outerwear you can pretend that those holes don't exist. I would give caution about the quality of some of the garments constructed in China, but it is hard to get alternatives here. Those with contacts overseas or travelling, I would recommend Chocolate Fish so much for that it looks like they have lost their supplier (made in NZ under contract to a supplier in the UK, and it seems ridiculous to have these products shipped to the other side of the globe and then back again); or Driza-bone (made in Fiji for an Australian supplier, but not offered online).

I quote the recommendation of a pretty hardcore recreational mountaineer, previously based in Japan:

I wear my Chocolate Fish Taranaki Mid Layer merino top all year round. Cotton is a killer, synthetics give you that “Odeur de Homeless Person” seemingly within minutes of putting them on, but merino wool keeps you warm and smelling like a summer meadow. I like black because it absorbs more U.V. Merino costs more, but lasts much longer than other tops, doesn’t lose its shape and (because it stays warm even when damp, and doesn’t smell) you only need one.

[kurogane]

I can vouch for the merino sheep to be companionable in all seasons, during the day and long into the evenings.........

and they make good companions at a weekend kashikiri onsen.............

Merino costs more, but lasts much longer than other tops, doesn’t lose its shape and (because it stays warm even when damp, and doesn’t smell) you only need one.

Yes, YMMV, and Yes, Yesssss, Yessssssssssssss.

Friends have also claimed it is more durable, and it certainly seems to vary by manufacturer. I believe Icebreaker is infamously delicate. I have found my heavyweight (HW) pieces to be durable, but my LW boxers and long johns look like a moth farm after harvest (it could well be motheaten, since we also have them in BC). Good point about those little feckers in Japan. I have found a sealed ziploc bag and some of the stinky pellets to be enough.

My main reason for loving and promoting it is that fuzzy soft odour free comfort. I have pretty much given up on my hardshell pit zips because the full wool setup seems to wick so well and feel so nice even when wet I just can't be bothered. I am currently looking for a pit zip free hardshell to complete my technological regression.

And again, Montbell Japan has a full range, though it might be made by Red panty wearing Commies.
http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/disp.php?product_id=1107583

Doesn't seem to say where it's made.

[wagyl]

My main reason for loving and promoting it is that fuzzy soft odour free comfort. I have pretty much given up on my hardshell pit zips because the full wool setup seems to wick so well and feel so nice even when wet I just can't be bothered. I am currently looking for a pit zip free hardshell to complete my technological regression.

It may pay you to go all the way back, to when extreme outdoor clothing was lighter and more comfortable, and just as effective.

Another piece of advice: don't overlook silk. Animal sourced protein fibres for the win!

[kurogane]

That's a great outfit. I could never let myself go that regressive retro but I would love a jacket like that for daily winter wear. Very surprising to hear it was lighter. I remember the old scratchy wool being leaden when wet. From the sounds of it it might have been quite posh material. I will definitely look into a gabardine winter coat after reading that, but for the North American Wet Coast nothing beats a simple Gore-tex shell set. Where I ski and jauntily tramp it is simply too wet and windy too often to think about disposing of such a simple and elegant piece.

So are you sliding much or mostly walking and shuffling? It looks like it could be a banner year for snow this winter here in Japan. Whistler and such are stinking as badly as they did last year at this time. Nothing to go home for yet.