To reduce the environmental burdens caused by the methods used to dry domestic laundry, we undertook a survey-based questionnaire on current attitudes and practices related to drying clothes in the rainy season, in winter, and in other seasons (“other seasons” referred to as “normal seasons” hereafter) in three areas with significantly differing climates: Tohoku and Hokuriku, Kanto, and Setouchi. The results indicate that in normal seasons, people in all three areas dried their clothes primarily by air-drying outdoors. The survey also indicated high satisfaction with this method. However, during the rainy season and in winter, more households dried clothes by air-drying indoors and machine-drying. The prevalence of specific practices varied significantly by area. In Tohoku and Hokuriku, many households air-dried clothing indoors. The percentage of households air-drying clothes indoors was approximately 40% in the rainy season and 60% in winter, and survey participants in this area indicated high satisfaction with this method. On the other hand, laundry habits in Kanto and Setouchi featured less air-drying indoors by itself and more drying that combined air-drying indoors with machine-drying. The survey results indicated participants in Kanto and Setouchi were more satisfied with this combined approach than with air- drying indoor alone. The survey confirmed the usefulness of air-drying outdoors as a method for drying clothes, delivering low environmental impact and high satisfaction. However, air-drying indoors and machine-drying were seen as essential in all areas. The need to reduce environmental burdens will make it paramount to shift to clothing that offers high drying performance, to use dryers with low CO₂ emissions, and to redesign living environments on the assumption of a preference for air-drying indoors.

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The water desorption rate from various cloths humidified with humid air of various relative humidity has been measured by changing desorption time under vacuum condition. Except for initial stage of desorption, the desorption rate, which is given by the change of water content within cloth with desorption time, is proportional to water content within cloth. The desorption rate constant is small for cloth of natural fiber having hydrophilic group and large for synthesized fiber cloth especially for polyester cloth. For initial stage of desorption, apparent rate constant of desorption was determined from the change in water content within cloth, which indicates larger difference in values by species of fibers than the desorption rate constant in the following stage. On the other hand, apparent absorption rate constant, determined from the apparent desorption constant and the water content within the cloth in equilibrium with humid air, varies little with both of fiber species and relative humidity of air used for humidifying cloth, i.e., the change in equilibrium water content within cloth by fiber species or relative humidity might come from the change in desorption rate of water. Absorption rate constant for the stage following the initial stage, which is calculated with the desorption rate constant and drying rate constant reported in literature, also varied little with fiber species, and the value is about 1/3 of apparent absorption rate in the initial stage.

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We investigated the sustainability of remote suburban habitation of the residents of Haibara-cho, in Nara Prefecture, looking at the current state of community life from community activities and community life, the relationship between the workplace and the home due to changes in surrounding cities, and the cooperation between residential and rural areas.It was found that 40% of the residents in the region perform community activities. Men account for half of the retirees in the region. Interest in community activities is expected to increase throughout the region as the number of retirees rises.“Active type” people enjoy both city and local life. “Local active type” people enjoy local life, and it is they who are expected to revitalize residential areas through community activities and increased leasing of neighboring farmland. It is believed that the leasing of farmland is an indication that people want to be closer to nature. There are many open spaces in residential areas that can be used as “field gardens”, and it is hoped that they will be used effectively. In a unique living environment in a remote suburb with a natural environment, many people value their quiet surroundings. Using the surrounding environment as a local resource, it is important to consider the possibility of establishing communities with rice farming and agriculture which are not far from downtown city centers where residents can enjoy a rich local life with a rich historic environment in a quiet neighborhood.

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