My students, who think America does not have four distinct seasons and each area experiences a very limited range of weather, often can't conceive of the idea that I've lived in a place with an actual winter "like Japan". Never mind that Tokyo does not get very cold and sees about one, possibly two days of light snow per year, if that. I grew up in an area along the same latitude as Hokkaido and what we call "winter" is far colder and snowier than what any life-long Tokyo-ite has seen. The fact of the matter is that you really don't need heavy winter clothes, let alone fur coats. However, you not infrequently see women (especially middle-aged ones) sashaying around in fur coats.
I don't have an ethical issue with people wearing fur because, after all, I eat meat (not much, but I do eat it), but I think that wearing it in a climate in which a lot of people run around wearing shorts with tights or panty hose or light jackets is a display of ostentatiousness and I won't miss it.
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