Washing Clothing- This Isn't Little Italy, folks.

It may surprise you, but in Japan, most washing machines are kept outside (often on the balcony, even in apartments).  Furthermore, most washers don't have a warm water cycle, only cold water for everything.  Dryers do exist, but they aren't as common and the ones I have seen seem to be smaller than common dryers in America.  The machines have a spin cycle, but it is also a lot rougher than the machines at home (ask any foreigner living here about the condition of their clothing from home after a few washes if you don't believe me) so we also use little mesh bags for fragile items.

Futons (not the couch-to-bed contraption we have in America, but the cushion-beds that Japanese people sleep on and fold-up to put away each day) are also occasionally washed outside, or else merely hung out on the balcony to "bake" in the sun and air-out.

Personally, I have a washing machine at my home, but no dryer.  I wash my clothing outside (even in the winter) and then hang them on the balcony to dry (again, even in the winter).  I have a standard clothing line (thick cord) and a long metal pole (my balcony came with special holders to put it on and I also hang a circular, plastic-hook device that I bought at the super market from it)to accommodate this.  One thing I do pretty standardly, however, that a friend just pointed out is not very Japanese of me, is also hang my underwear and socks outside.

I hadn't noticed it before, but after my friend mentioned it this week, it really does seem like Japanese people don't hang their underwear outside.  

One reason for this - at least with many women - could be the prevalence of underwear snatching, but I do also remember hearing or reading something about people covering up underwear they hang outside as a courtesy thing.  

Either way, my apartment is not that big and I don't plan on getting a dryer anytime soon, so hopefully my apartment complex isn't too scandalized by the underwear hanging outside my sliding doors.  Maybe I'll start hanging them on the inside just in case...