Futon
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48)
Thu 2007/11/15 02:39
Like most folks in Japan, this household has hung their futon out to bask in the sun. For those who dont know what a futon is, the best description I can give it is "Japanese Mattress" ^^;
The futon is usually hung over a balcony to absorb the suns rays for many reasons - killing of fleas, maintaining original shape, getting rid of sweaty smells or to dry any other liquids/solids discharged from your body.
When the sun has gone in, the futon is usually beaten with what looks like a flat bat - you can see the woman in the video below about to beat the futon to get rid of the dust. The announcer says its bad for the futon though ^^;
I used to have a futon back in the UK too - personally felt more comfortable sleeping in the floor. Do you sleep on a futon?
Below: How to maintain a futon.
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Wed 11/14 01:47 comments (46)
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Sun 11/11 01:04 comments (16)
I sleep on a bed but I should get a futon lol. For I sleep on the ground many times and having an extra bit of comfort would be nice ^^.
(ID #63604) Posted on 2007/11/15 02:34
i slept in a futon until i moved to the basement, simply too many bugs to be sleeping on the floor.
(ID #63606) Posted on 2007/11/15 02:45
Writer.
I have a mattress which lies on the floor (and is propped against the wall when I'm not using it), but it's the kind made of beds, so no, not a futon.
(ID #63607) Posted on 2007/11/15 02:47
I heard futons are very rigid and it's difficult to sleep on when you're not used to them. I recently bought a mattress when I moved in about a week and a half ago and the so-called "firm" bed is already too rigid for me... so a futon in comparison... would be like me sleeping on a brick wall. you see what I mean, right?
(ID #63608) Posted on 2007/11/15 02:48
Japanese Student
Futons are great. I used to have one, too. But I only had the spring/summer one. I heard there are autumn/winter versions.
(ID #63609) Posted on 2007/11/15 02:48
I used to have a "Western" one when I was small, it could turn into a couch and stuff.
(ID #63611) Posted on 2007/11/15 02:58
No futon for me, I'm way to used to the bed. ^^ I also doubt it's easy to get futons here in Holland.
(ID #63612) Posted on 2007/11/15 03:01
I bought just the matress for around $200 when I first started sharing an apartment, but it didn't take long to notice the crazy amounts of dirt and nasties it would pick up from the floor, so we went to the Home store and I bought a basic frame. o longer had dust along the edges of my matress. *yuck* It didn't bother me too much, but it made the sheets kinda itchy, plus well, imagine the ladies when they see a matress on the floor... with dust on it... Not cool. :( So yeah, I would recommend, even if you like having a simple bed setup, at least buy a basic frame of some sort to lift the matress off of the floor.
(ID #63614) Posted on 2007/11/15 03:09
That looks like a blanket...
(ID #63616) Posted on 2007/11/15 03:10
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
I would sleep in futons, if I had a proper tatami floor under it. In fact, I slept in some ryokans while in Japan, tatami floors and futons. It was pretty nice. But currently here I sleep on a king sized orthopedic foam mattress. I guess it's the highest density you can get. So it's pretty similar...
(ID #63617) Posted on 2007/11/15 03:16
Geek Liaison
Well I never tried a futon before but cant be any worse then the sleeping bag on the floor, that I slept in for a month as a kid. Friend of mine sleeps right on the floor, with nothing more then a thin foam mat between him and the carpet, because of a back problem.
(ID #63619) Posted on 2007/11/15 03:22
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
I slept on a futon while at a ryokan in Ishikawa. t'was one of the most comfortable mattress I ever slept on. ^^ I wonder tho, do futons come in matrimonial size? or is it single size only? ^^
(ID #63623) Posted on 2007/11/15 03:41
anime/cosplay events organizer
i don't have a futon but i would like to experience sleeping in one ^^ is there an ero futon? :3
(ID #63625) Posted on 2007/11/15 04:24
i slept on a futon when i was living in japan and loved it. but here in canada i have a bed and i'm not overly happy with it. when ever i go to my friends house, he has a large futon like blanket that i love to sleep on, feel great in the morning.
(ID #63628) Posted on 2007/11/15 04:42
marvin: i crossed by this earlier today, and apparently futon come in two sizes, single and double. http://www.tatami.ca/products_futon.asp some nice information about random things on this site, thinking of doing my room with tatami's if i decide to continue living in canada. (almost 80% positive i will be living in japan =P)
(ID #63629) Posted on 2007/11/15 04:46
i just read MACdaddy's comment, and thought i would throw this in. Futons are not beds, you do not keep them out during the day, (hence why they are foldable) you take them out to go to bed and fold it up in the morning and store it in your closet or designated spot so that your situation does not happen (dirt and such on ur futon)
(ID #63630) Posted on 2007/11/15 04:53
PhysicsMajor/Someting/Photo/Pharm Tech
I have had this one futon since I was in fifth grade. It was sitting on top of a mattress for years until a few months ago when I decided to throw out the bed just slept on the floor with the futon. I love to sleep on it every night and is quite refreshing. There is a lot of stuff that build up with a futon on the floor even though it is fairly clean. I would not buy another type of sleeping cushion just a new futon.
(ID #63631) Posted on 2007/11/15 05:02
Network security professional
Futon > Ordinary bed.
(ID #63632) Posted on 2007/11/15 05:22
they are not bad, one advantage is you can roll around the room. Comfortable beds are nice, but I wont be able to sleep if it's too soft
(ID #63635) Posted on 2007/11/15 05:35
Futons are just as comfy, but more fun, I have cold floors so a bed it is.
(ID #63640) Posted on 2007/11/15 07:07
I've got a nice big, comfortable double-bed to move around in and hide my stuff under! I've slept on just a mattress on the floor before which I didn't find too comfy, so I definetely prefer a bed.
(ID #63641) Posted on 2007/11/15 07:08
@D_Blade, Welcome Back! I wondered where you went. I thought you had too many nose bleeds with all the eroge being posted lately and passed out. Oh.. and futons are horrible... hooooorrrrible. You can get a bed from IKEA for $4.. or so. I always wondered if IKEA is in all caps because you are supposed to yell their name. j/k
(ID #63643) Posted on 2007/11/15 07:50
@Evo Spec, I dont know why you are so annoyed with MacDaddys comment.. hes right. They get dirty and they make you look like a sad bachelor. Men either get real beds, or sleep on the floor. Lol.
(ID #63644) Posted on 2007/11/15 07:51
I sleep on a futon, not in the traditional sense, its a western style, so its more like a sofa bed, but with a futon. Been the most comfortable thing ive slept on, been using it for the last couple of years.
(ID #63646) Posted on 2007/11/15 08:05
Mandalorian in training + Otaku...
My grandma house has Futon that I use every time I go back there. Nothing beats sleeping on the floor(and the back pain afterwards ^^).
(ID #63651) Posted on 2007/11/15 10:45
Administrative Assistant
I do not. At least not yet. In my old apartment, I ended up sleeping on the floor using a makeshift...thing (Several things to use as padding/mattress). It was probably the best sleep I ever got. But now that I'm home with the folks and using an actual bed, my neck/spine has been less than stellar.
(ID #63653) Posted on 2007/11/15 12:24
VF-25 Pilot. Universariate Scholar.
i slept in a futon during my last trip to japan and it was strangely comfortable. (warm futon during winter= a good night's sleep)
(ID #63654) Posted on 2007/11/15 13:40
Service desk support
I have slept on a futon before on several occasions, but I think i still prefer the old bed!
(ID #63656) Posted on 2007/11/15 14:00
radical anime fan in Singapore; starting to freeze up. Mmm, end-of-year weather. (Registered on 2007/01/25 22:08)
Polytechnic Freshman. Mmm... fresh.
It saves more space if one's house is small, than using the normal bed. I need one; my room is small.
(ID #63658) Posted on 2007/11/15 14:16
I've never needed a futon, never tried one, and don't see why I should get rid of my bed for one... on the other hand... it would give me a whole new corner of empty space... Which I could make into a miniatures corner! Me wants futon! ^^
(ID #63662) Posted on 2007/11/15 14:20
I don't sleep on a futon, but I do find myself on the floor or in other odd places a lot.
(ID #63664) Posted on 2007/11/15 15:11
Anime Store Owner, artist, Web master
I sleep on a futon sometimes, not the best for your back though
(ID #63666) Posted on 2007/11/15 15:33
thats pretty wild to have them out like that!
(ID #63674) Posted on 2007/11/15 17:45
I think I'd like to try sleeping on one once but I'm doubtful whether it'll replace my good old bed.
(ID #63675) Posted on 2007/11/15 17:49
ive slept on a futon/couch that was absolutely horrible... DX
(ID #63676) Posted on 2007/11/15 18:05
ISP Tech Support
When I visited Japan between Oct 9th and Oct 23rd, I slept on a Futon. I agree 100%. It was MUCH more comfortable sleeping on a Futon on the floor, than sleeping in my bed. I really enjoyed it a I slept very well. I stayed in Sasayama and saw this sight quite often. I didn't stay at a hotel, (except for a night spent in Osaka and in Kyoto when we visited there) and I think our visit was much better because of that. I want to go back to Japan right now! But I have to pay off credit cards and bills first. Time to sell off my Transformers collection. :)
(ID #63678) Posted on 2007/11/15 18:18
I've read there are medical benefits with sleeping on a futon on the floor. I believe it was something to do with the hard floor underneath the futon was great for your back. I currently have a super uncomfortable mattress, where my joints and back ache in the morning, so getting a futon is something that's definitely on my list in the future.
(ID #63680) Posted on 2007/11/15 18:45
.NET/Web Developer
What's the difference between a futon and your standard mattress?
(ID #63683) Posted on 2007/11/15 19:11
@DRAGUN: Thank you for your kind words. Well, I have been really longing to come back... Good to be here again. As for eroge, I guess you're a bit mistaken. Anyway. I paid mine $700 Can. including mattress and frame, 10-year guarantee and delivery... And darn taxes added $100 to it!! No joking. A good bed is an expensive bed, but it is a long-term investment! $4?! You got to be kidding me, even bedsheets cost more... Or that they last a week? *laughs* No offense to IKEA (Yep, gotta yell their brand to make sales). As for beds, never buy mattresses without frames, your back will thank you for it. And what about dust and dirt? Well, prevention is the best solution. If you are/become a cleaning fairy, chances are that your bed will be nice and sparkly white for a long while (naturally, unless it is too late)!
(ID #63685) Posted on 2007/11/15 19:46
ISP Tech Support
@BeLe: A futon is like this... http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/940/50588329.JPG and a mattress (or standard bed set) is like this... http://i17.tinypic.com/4oz64pc.jpg Most mattresses are a thin layer of padding material, with an inner spring support frame. Unless the padding material is thick enough, the springs can actually be felt and thus makes for an uncomfortable mattress.
(ID #63686) Posted on 2007/11/15 20:09
Student
Mattress > Futon, enough said! ^^
(ID #63691) Posted on 2007/11/15 21:47
Cutetwirler in Nagoya, Japan
In my uni building they give us a futon to put on top of our mattress on our beds.. so I guess I have both. But the real issue here is Japanese pillows!! Please, someone throw me a feather pillow!!!
(ID #63700) Posted on 2007/11/15 23:33
i'm probably going to purchase one in the near future due to my back problem and i have a really small room, so i could just fold it up and put it away in the day time, saving me LOTS of room. (i have a double bed,it takes up half my room)
(ID #63716) Posted on 2007/11/16 01:32
Cutetwirler: lol, yeah, when me and a friend went to Japan, the only thing that we couldnt get used to were the hard pillows. Bit of a shock when after 12-14 hours travelling, go to flop on the hotel bed and almost give yourself a concussion.
(ID #63731) Posted on 2007/11/16 08:01
Web Design & Development
I sleep on a crappy Ikea bed. >.> I should get a Futon so I can fold it up when I'm not using it. My room is way too crowded.
(ID #63835) Posted on 2007/11/17 03:21
ISP Tech Support
I gotta tell you, I slept on a futon when I was in Japan in October for a couple weeks. It was MORE comfortable than my bed here at home, and I felt better after sleeping on it. It was wonderful! I can't sleep comfortably on my bed now. I want a futon!
(ID #64183) Posted on 2007/11/20 04:14
ひきこもり/Hikikomori. Suits my current state more than a 大学生/University Student. ^^
Nice, unlike stationary bed, with movable futon, more space can be saved. Very ideal for usually small Japanese houses.
(ID #66087) Posted on 2007/12/06 03:28
NEET? Hikkikomori?
maa, dunno if we can call it futon, but my bed is a kapok mattress. it's thicker than your average futon but i think it's close enough to futon (and yes, it has no bed frame :D) it's comfortable enough for me to sleep, in fact, i like it more than normal bed :) if you don't understand what i'm saying, ask your friend from indonesia with better english than mine cause i have a trouble explaining =P
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