For 33 years Tetsu and I have slept on futon. When we were first married we ordered a double futon because isn't that what couples sleep on? A double bed, a double futon. WRONG! The double futon was way too heavy to pick up and hang over the veranda ledge every morning for airing let alone manuevering it into the futon closet. I don't remember when we gave up on double futon but the next time we needed to replace it, we bought two single futons. Those have served us well.
Basically Japanese like futon for the reason that they CAN be hung outside for airing. The sunshine sanitizes and puffs up the inner cotton stuffing. A freshly aired futon seems fluffier and warmer. But airing futon means tossing it over the ledge when the sun hits the veranda and bringing it back inside a few hours later, and these days working women just aren't at home all day to care for futon as they should. (I know I'M not. So my futon didn't get aired much.)
Another reason futon are nice is because they can be folded up and placed in the futon cupboard leaving the room free for other uses. When we lived in apartments, the living room also served as a bedroom and every morning I would put the futon back in the cupboard and set up a low table for eating breakfast. Once we moved to our home however, we had enough room so that the futon was up and away in the bedroom and could be left during the day.
But our bedrooms don't have tatami-mats and laying futon out on carpet is a bit strange. Still... for the 20 years that we've lived here, sleeping on futon has been a way of life for us. The only time it really got put away was when I was basting a quilt and needed an open area.
Tetsu and I went to numerous furniture shops and tried out bed mattresses. I was adamant on that point. I wanted to try out the mattress, not just order online. (Of course I had no idea what I wanted in a mattress but that was beside the point). Did we want a double bed?
We "tried out" mattresses by lying side by side in the stores.
"You are way too close for comfort. A double bed is out."
We tried out a queensize bed but decided that it would be too hard get sheets in Japan (that may be true only in my countryside town.) And finally we decided on two twin-size beds. We sprung for two good mattresses and cheap bed frames...
The cats adapted easily to sleeping on the beds with us last night.
And Tetsu?
"Maybe I'll get used to them over time."
I love the look of the quilt and how it shows off the bed legs. Looks cool and airy and not so large. Good choice. A bed and a chair were what I wanted towards the end of the trip in Japan. My knees got a not so nice work out. Now that we are home, we each have lost over 30 pounds and are doing exercise class 4 or 5 times a week. I think Japan taught us many lessons. Ana USA
ReplyDeletelove it! I would find it hard to get up off of a futon all the time also - as we get older it is a fact of life!
ReplyDeleteNice set up and the quilt is gorgeous.
ReplyDeletePaul has a "bed" for the same reason, but it is a tatami mat bed with storage drawers underneath and a futon on top, (that can be aired). My space is very small so I use a semi-single futon. The good thing is, it is a "tempur" and very comfortable, and I can fold it up when needed ... of course the space it covers is not big enough to do any basting.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt looks great, I like to see the pine frames, and so sensible to be off the floor !!! The floor seems to get lower, if possible, with increased age... Tetsu. enjoy the bed, maybe suggest 2 quilts!!! Greetings from Jean.
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ReplyDeleteI could not imagine sleeping on a futon on the floor for so many years. As stiff as I am in the mornings I'd never make it to an upright position. :) Heck, when I bought a different car it got an SUV on the basis of it being easier to get into and out of than a low-slung sedan like I had. Maybe Tetsu was finding it more difficult to get up out of that futon too???
ReplyDeleteA very Merry Christmas to the both of you.
Just wamt you to know that if you had purchased the king size bed, I could send you king size sheets.....so if you decide you don't like the two twins, and return them for the king....let me know and we'll get sheets off to you very quickly!!!!!! Merry Christmas......Big hugs, Pat in IN.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried sleeping on a futon, though I have slept on mattresses laid on the floor when we were too hard up to afford a bed frame. Your two new beds look very comfortable; certainly it's much easier to get up from a bed as you get older; and so much easier to put shoes and socks on when sitting on a bed!
ReplyDeleteWe will probably have to buy a real bed too soon. When we got married John had a waterbed, I liked it so we stuck with it. We are probably some of the last ones to still sleep on a waterbed (it's been 35 years and two water mattresses) and I love it! But it won't last for much longer and the heater is American (110 current) and not available here in Sweden so I see a new bed in the future. I guess we have to grow up and sleep in a real bed! :)
ReplyDeleteFascinating! I love reading about your ways of life.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful beds Tanya, the quilt too! I have often wondered how elderly Japanese (not you & Tetsu! but folks in their 70s/80s) deal with getting up off the floor every morning!
ReplyDeleteI have been sleeping on a futon on an elevated platform for years. I had some back issues starting in my 40s and the firmness of a futon mattress really helps my back stay healthy. When we travel and sleep on regular mattresses I can really tell a difference in how my back feels.
Mattresses & box springs, really good ones, are outrageously expensive here in the states as of late. There is a factory in a nearby city where you go in and have them custom make a mattress to your specifications!