The days have been getting hotter lately.

Temperatures now climb above 30°C during the day, while still dropping to around 15°C at night.

As summer slowly approaches, I find myself changing my daily habits again.

I avoid going outside during the hottest hours of the day.

And whenever possible, I avoid using the air conditioner too.

A fan is usually enough.

Partly because I do not like using more electricity than necessary.

But mostly because air conditioning often leaves me feeling cold and uncomfortable.

After living in a traditional Japanese home for more than three years, I have started to understand something I completely overlooked when I first moved in.

The house has its own rhythm.

There is a surprisingly effective way to ventilate it.

By opening the windows along the engawa and the windows at the front and back of the first floor, cool evening air begins to flow through the house.

But the real difference comes when we also open the windows upstairs.

The warm air naturally rises and escapes through the second floor.

Cooler air is then drawn in from below.

A gentle breeze flows through the house almost by itself.

It is simple.

Yet remarkably effective.

The best part is that we sleep much better that way.

No air conditioner humming in the background.

Just fresh air moving through the house.

Sometimes I think these old houses contain more practical wisdom than I initially gave them credit for.

It just takes time to notice it.