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The summer weather in the Yokosuka City and Miura Peninsula areas is warm and humid, and this causes some challenges for doing the laundry. The reason is that even nowadays most Japanese hang-dry their clothing, and the high humidity can often leave things damp and sticky. A lack of space, combined with expensive & lower power electricity, means that most Japanese homes are not equipped with large-capacity clothes driers. For many years, the typical (and small) washing machine would finish-up its cycle by spinning the laundry items until most of the water was removed, and then the still-damp clothes & towels would be hung-up to dry. More recently, Japanese some laundry machines now include a heated-drier function -- but the volume is still small, compared to large American clothes driers. There are, of course, coin-operated laundromats, here and there in Yokosuka, but usually there is no free parking available. But the good news is that most Japanese dwellings are designed to aid with hang-drying clothes. The best example is the balcony space, which tends to be long and narrow, and often has fixtures to attach plastic or metal poles onto which laundry can be draped or hung. So, just a reminder that Japanese balconies are basically designed for laundry, not picnics or barbecues. Also, hanging laundry outside has the risk of getting wet again if there is a sudden rainstorm, so Japanese weather reports will often include information on whether the day will be "good for drying." In case of bad weather, laundry is hung inside the house, and Japanese stores sell and wide variety of foldable racks, collapsible hanger frames, expandible poles, and other ingenious devices which can be used temporarily, and then neatly stored away when no longer needed. Finally, there is a large laundromat inside the U.S. Navy Base, and some people will take along some laundry during trips to shop at the Exchange or Commissary. If you have any questions about how to live in your Japanese home, please do not hesitate to contact us!

written by Goodfield