Is anyone else besides me having issues with mold and excessive condensation in their vents? I've only been living here in Japan for a few months, and have never experienced anything like this before. I've tried looking for some DampRid in our stores, but couldn't find any Any tips on how to get rid of the excess moisture, besides buying an electric dehumidifier? Help!

I'm having the same problem with the condensation. At the 100 Yen stores they have something that's like DampRid. It's a pink cardboard package and has a picture of 2 blue elephants blowing bubbles out of their trunks (they even make mold and mildew cute in Japan, lol). I've got them all over, and between that and emptying your dehumidifiers a few times a day, that's really all we can do. Mine was so bad that the BCO had to come out and replace 3 of my phone jacks because there was water in them and it fried my phone line. Another idea that my husband thought of was to double check the weather stripping in the sliding glass door. If it's old, it may be letting in moisture and you won't even know it.
But I feel your pain! I'm ready to go plead with Housing for another dehumidifier if the new weather stripping doesn't work!

We got two relatively new dehumidifiers from the housing office last spring (one for each floor in the house). We didn't use them in the house last summer, and our house got terribly humid. I could tell that my clothes in my closet were starting to get mildewy from all the humidity. We decided to tackle the problem head on this year. We started the dehumidifiers at the beginning of rainy season. I was surprised how much moisture was in the air! We literally emptied out gallons and gallons of water outta the dehumidifier in the beginning. Now that rainy season is over, we probably only empty out the bucket once or twice a day. In addition, we have all our AC / dehumidifier wall units running. All of this has made a BIG difference in the humidity level in the house. But, be forewarned.......the dehumidifiers suck up a lot of electricity and run kinda hot, so it tends to make the area around it a little warmer. You can also expect your electric bill to jump once you start using 'em.

Even after using the dehumidifier, we still have mold in our closets........I agree w/ the post above about putting those mini dehumidifiers in each of your closets. They're pretty cheap and work well for small spaces.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info, ladies. I didn't know I could get a dehumidifier at the Housing Office! I got on the waiting list for one yesterday; I hope I get it soon...I did a little bit of research online, and read that binchotan is great for absorbing the excess moisture in the air. Luckily I had some on hand (for my indoor grill), so I put some in decorative bowls and placed them in my problem areas. I hope it works! I'll look for the elephant moisture absorbers as soon as I get a chance to hit up a 100 Yen Store...

Now if only I can find some way to get rid of the condensation in my clothes dryer. My clean laundry usually end up musty and stinky if I let them sit in there after drying, it's horrible!

Here's another little tip. If your a/c is set too low (cold), you're creating a large thermal difference and lowering the dew point of the air. Hot and moist air from outside is going to find every way to get into your house to create an equilibrium in the temperature and humidity. Once the hot, moist air does find your way into your home, the moisture in the air falls out and collects (condensation) on areas where the hot air is coming in. The cooler, air in your home cannot hold as much moisture, so it comes out.
Raise your thermostat up and ensure your home is sealed well, especially around windows, doors, and vents.
De-humidifiers are ok, but like you said, they give off heat in the home and suck up electricity.
Also, since we're talking about energy....change out your incandescent bulbs with CFL's (Compact Flourescent Lights), turn your lights off when not in use, and turn the thermostat up in rooms when your gone or it's not in use...or keep one running and open up your interior doors.