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Answerman - Why Does Everyone In Anime Use Clotheslines?


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ultimatehaki



Joined: 27 Oct 2012
Posts: 1090
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:07 pm Reply with quote
I never thought to question this although I see it alot in anime but I questioned the use of handkerchiefs tho Laughing Glad to learn something new.
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joac101



Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 56
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:09 pm Reply with quote
I love Answerman, always learning something new about Japan every time lol
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3426
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:15 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
In anime we see people hanging clothes to dry alot of times in shows set roughly in the present. Do people in Japanese society just not use clothes dryers?

Perhaps that's an American thing? At least in this part of the world(Sweden/Finland), we often hang our clothes out to dry, especially in the summer, at least as far as my own experiences go. Heck, I don't even have a dryer...
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4410
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:16 pm Reply with quote
Even though I have a dryer, I barely use it for the same reasons mentioned. I do laundry of Friday nights, so anything I might wear the next week is dry before Monday, even if I hang it inside. Using a dryer made sense when I was younger since there were multiple people in the house, so finding space to air dry in the winter would be an issue. However, in warmer seasons we still hanged clothes outside.

Last edited by Greed1914 on Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:30 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jonny Mendes



Joined: 17 Oct 2014
Posts: 997
Location: Europe
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:22 pm Reply with quote
Never had a dryer. Most people in my country also don't have one. But now i know why sometimes tourists take pictures of my hang clothes. Maybe they are Americans, lol.

Is more energy efficient to use the air and sun to dry the clothes. Even if in winter is a little unpleasant to have to stay looking outside to see if will start raining.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:24 pm Reply with quote
meixoc there, no drier there, everything is hanged in the backyard. tho I am inthe middle of the desert so clothes dry in a few hours.
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Dfens



Joined: 08 Feb 2013
Posts: 459
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:26 pm Reply with quote
When I was in Japan my Hotel had a Washer/Dryer all in one unit in each room, I can imagine those being quite popular with it being the same size as just a single washing machine in the same limited space.

As for the dish washer most Japanese apartments are so limited on space that their isn't any room for one even if you wanted one.
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Kikaioh



Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 1205
Location: Antarctica
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:28 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Most Asian countries are like this: they tend to be very conscious about being energy efficient.


That doesn't seem to quite jive with China having the highest carbon emissions in the world.
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mgosdin



Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Posts: 1302
Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:40 pm Reply with quote
I remember the 1960's in Oklahoma, we didn't have a dryer until about '67 or so and we didn't always use it once we got one. Plenty of sunshine most of the year and to be honest the clothes just seemed fresher dried on a clothesline.

Mark Gosdin
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yurihellsing





PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:51 pm Reply with quote
Blanchimont wrote:
Quote:
In anime we see people hanging clothes to dry alot of times in shows set roughly in the present. Do people in Japanese society just not use clothes dryers?

Perhaps that's an American thing? At least in this part of the world(Sweden/Finland), we often hang our clothes out to dry, especially in the summer, at least as far as my own experiences go. Heck, I don't even have a dryer...


I get a feeling it is one of those American things cause here in GB clothes lines are a thing even to the point they sell rope labelled "Clothes line" that and it's less of a fire hazard.
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DerekL1963
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Joined: 14 Jan 2015
Posts: 1112
Location: Puget Sound
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 1:58 pm Reply with quote
Blanchimont wrote:
Perhaps that's an American thing? At least in this part of the world(Sweden/Finland), we often hang our clothes out to dry, especially in the summer, at least as far as my own experiences go. Heck, I don't even have a dryer...


Really... that's a complicated question to answer. Yes, some Americans use a dryer, but some still hang clothes too. Here in Washington our summers are relatively dry (even here on the wet side of the state), and our winters are wet - so most people who hang do so in the summer, and use a dryer in the winter. In Florida, the climate is the opposite (wet summers, dry winters) so the hanging season is the opposite. The age of the neighborhood plays into it too, older neighborhoods (even as little as twenty to thirty years) have much larger yards than newer construction (for example) and are more likely to feature clotheslines. Compared to most countries in the world, America is incredibly large and diverse in climate, geography, and culture. You can't really say "all Americans" with any degree of accuracy.

Dfens wrote:
When I was in Japan my Hotel had a Washer/Dryer all in one unit in each room, I can imagine those being quite popular with it being the same size as just a single washing machine in the same limited space.


However, those combined units are horribly energy- and water- inefficient. Doubly so if it's one of the 'ventless' designs. Both my parents and my in-laws had one, and they never seemed to get the clothes completely dry.

Quote:
As for the dish washer most Japanese apartments are so limited on space that their isn't any room for one even if you wanted one.


I've occasionally seen miniature dishwashers like these in the background of some anime. They're also quite popular in Europe I understand.
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prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2333
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 2:00 pm Reply with quote
Man, and I bitch about paying $1.50 for a 45 minute dryer in my apartment building.
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otagirl



Joined: 26 May 2015
Posts: 111
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 2:06 pm Reply with quote
Kikaioh wrote:
Quote:
Most Asian countries are like this: they tend to be very conscious about being energy efficient.


That doesn't seem to quite jive with China having the highest carbon emissions in the world.



Highest emissions due to the sheer number of people who live there, not due to bad energy practices. If you look at the carbon footprint of the average American it's 20 metric tons, for Chinese it's about 7, almost a third less.

Also, in the UK, it's normal for working class to lower-middle class families to dry their clothes out for the same reasons that are mentioned in the article. Dryers are considered a luxury for most people.


{Edit}: How about we forgo the blanket generalizations and rude insults towards people. ~ Psycho 101
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Lactobacillus yogurti



Joined: 17 Aug 2011
Posts: 839
Location: Latin America
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 2:09 pm Reply with quote
Seems to be mostly a North American thing. In Latin America, most people will hang clothes, simply because dryers are expensive as heck. Even in cold cities.
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svines85



Joined: 30 Sep 2011
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 3:00 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, this is as much one of those "cultural" things as anything......yeah, you see it in anime and manga because that's just how that culture is. Art normally reflects the culture it comes from.

And just to say it, I'm an American and grew up seeing clothes lines used to dry clothes. It may not be as common anymore, but I've personally got a couple of lines stretched out between a pair of trees in my backyard for just that even as we speak (and yes, I'm a serious pennypincher, dryers cost money to run) Very Happy
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