It is dai kan (大寒), big cold today, which is one of the nijyushi sekki (二十四節気). The last one was sho kan (小寒), small cold on Jan. 5 and the next one is risshun (立春), the first day of spring on Feb. 4. So this is the coldest season now.
What do you use for heating in your country?
We use oil, gas, and electric heaters, but there is a very unique electrical appliance in Japan. It is called kotatsu (炬燵). It is a low table with an electric foot-warmer underneath, covered by a blanket and a futon or thick quilt. It is warm and comfortable, therefore once you enter the kotatsu , it is very hard to leave.
According to Wikipedia, there are similar things in Iran and Afghanistan, but I have never seen them by myself. I saw the similar table in Granada, Spain in the winter of 1993, but they used chairs too.
Since the latter half of 2007 hot water containers called yutampo (湯たんぽ)which was imported from China in the 14th century has been becoming popular again because of the jump in prices of oil.
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