Many years ago, I taught English at several elementary and junior high schools in Japan. Often the children would ask questions about living in America. One of the biggest 「うそ！」 (uso! - You’re kidding!) responses I ever got was when I explained, “in most American houses even the toilet has air conditioning.”

Central Air is almost non-existent in most Japanese houses–although I hear Hokkaido is an exception. Most houses nowadays have a stand alone unit that cools or heats a room, but on a cold January morning, going to the bathroom can be a bit like joining the Polar Bear’s Club. (The toilet thankfully has a heated seat, but you have to get there alive first.)

Anyway, this means at night the windows are often open. My parents-in-law’s house is quite old and only one sliding glass door has a screen. This is pretty much useless since a hot day requires all doors and windows to be open. This lets both the air and the beasts of the air to come in. There was the time we had a raccoon visit, but the beasts are usually flying bugs (oh, and a few crawling slugs).

But some bed bugs bite.

The 蚊取り線香 katori senkou is a mosquito coil that when lit fills the room with a stench that scares away the mosquitoes. I’d say it is about as nice as sleeping in a room with a package of natto–opened.

So usually mosquitoes are not a huge problem. But last night while making my way to the bathroom, I felt something on the top of my foot. I kicked it off, but not before it stung me. I immediately turned on the light, but couldn’t find the beast. I still don’t know exactly what it was, but having survived the night, I guess it could have been worse. My foot still hurts a little though.