the first ceremony

a simple fact of life in japan is that when you wake up you put your bed away. and then you look around the house for furniture and what have you got? a coffee table. it's a little odd. if roomy.

I got a 'futon' when I was a student and it was what I thought was a futon. it was the same as all the futons I had seen previously: a rather heavy mattress which didn't appear to want to fold, which you eventually creased onto a timber frame and never sat on. if you did you or the mattress eventually slipped off. or more commonly both. I don't know where this invention came from, but I guess it is because we don't traditionally have space to 'put a bed into'. and so, you just have a low, hard bed. which is absolutely fine.

the japanese futon is usually simpler though. it's just a very light weight mattress which can be folded twice. often now-a-days you get a foam under-mattress which provides a bit more comfort. usually this has 2 or 3 creases built in so that you can stow away in the cupboard easily. the duvet usually is alternated 5 times a year; from a heavy quilted number in winter, to a thin blanket in spring and then on to a purely-function-driven-sweat-absorbing-towel in the summer, and back to the previous two again.

an interesting, extra note (arguably) should be made about the duvet covers. they have ties at the corners and edges so your duvet keeps a good shape. usually duvets come with loops in the same position as snooker pockets so as you can locate. I couldn't believe I've never seen this in the UK. it seems the type of revelation IKEA might have brought to our shores, but I don't think they have (and of course the swedes haven't conquered japan yet. they haven't even opened a store).