Floor mattress for sleeping (futon). Futon - traditional Japanese mattress
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In the 13th century, most Japanese slept on straw mats, but the richest Japanese preferred to sleep on. They weren't as soft as modern futons, but were hard and uncomfortable.
In the 17th century, the Japanese began to use other bed dress- cotton mattresses stuffed with cotton and wool. Initially they were too expensive and only the richest Japanese bought them. One such mattress could cost 1.2 million yen. Later, in the 18th century, such mattresses became more accessible and served not only as a bed, but were also used by noble Japanese as expensive gifts. Rich men often gave such gifts to women to seduce them. They were also given to prostitutes: the higher the level of the prostitute, the more cotton mattresses she could receive for her work.
In the 19th century, thanks to the import of raw cotton, the price of futons fell and most Japanese were able to afford them.
Japanese lifestyle- sitting and sleeping on futons (cotton mattresses and pillows) lying on the floor also finds its supporters in our, as a rule, young families. The advantage of this style is that, if necessary, mattresses or pillows can simply be removed or folded to the side and free space will immediately appear, which is especially important in small rooms. can be alternative furniture for the period until a more expensive one is purchased. In any case, there will be supporters of this style simply because a seat or bed made from natural materials is useful. After all, futons are traditionally made from cotton, wool, linen, buckwheat husk, coconut sackcloth with the addition of horsehair and latex.
Modern Japanese sleep on futons
People are interesting. Everyone has the same needs, but their satisfaction comes from various shapes. What does this depend on? Maybe because of the opportunities. Or does it depend on your worldview? For example, why did Europeans, having refused to sleep in trees, choose beds covered with a comfortable mattress, while the Japanese chose a not very soft one? futon on tatami?
Futon is not easy japanese mattress, this is rather a traditional Japanese bedding system. Externally, a futon looks like a mattress. It is filled with cotton. Selected cotton fibers different lengths combed and stacked in a thin web on top of each other. Then they are quilted into layers, like batting, and the resulting plates are sewn into a mattress.
Japanese culture is increasingly penetrating all aspects of European life. The spectrum of this penetration is extremely wide - from traditions to furniture. Today in European interiors one can often find objects borrowed from Asians. The bed was no exception.
The Japanese are big workaholics. They have little time left for sleep, and, obviously, every minute of rest must be used effectively. They sleep on a bed consisting of a hard futon mattress, a small pillow and a blanket, while the sleeping set is placed directly on the floor. After a stressful working day, a person lying on such a bed can quickly and completely calm down and relax.
🈵Incredible but true: according to statistical research, Japanese residents suffer 70% less from spinal diseases than Europeans.
Within the requirements modern world When people sleep less and less, the choice in favor of a Japanese bed is obvious. This furniture is already popular in Europe and the USA, albeit with minor modifications. But still, the basis, like many other elements from Japan, is a minimalist design.
How they sleep in Japan: interesting facts from history
In the 13th century, the vast majority of the Japanese population used straw mats to sleep, and only wealthy Japanese slept on tatami mats. Tatami is a fairly hard and dense mattress, which in modern Japan is used to cover the floor. Its thickness is 6-8 cm and is made from rice straw.
It was only in the 17th century that more comfortable sleeping devices appeared in Japan - futons. But not every Japanese could sleep on such a bed because of its high cost. The cost of one mattress at that time was about 1.2 million yen.
In the 19th century, the futon came to every Japanese home thanks to the arrival of imported raw cotton to the Land of the Rising Sun. The place where the rich Japanese slept also changed at this time: they used both a mattress and tatami.
It is also worth noting that the bed was rarely located in a room special for sleeping. Representatives of the country of samurai do not have a bedroom, as such. Most often, the living room is the place to sleep, where evenings and meetings are spent, and at night a bedroom set appears here.
Japanese style bed: design features
The Japanese style and way of life, as we have already noted, finds its admirers in various parts of the world, and their number is last years is growing rapidly. The Japanese, being practical people, also use appropriate sleeping devices. Samurai, for example, could get enough sleep in 3-4 hours, or even not sleep at all, practicing inemuri. Therefore, it is obvious that sleeping on futons brings significantly more more benefits than sleeping on a feather bed.
Another obvious advantage The Japanese bed, which can also be considered one of its features, is the ability to remove it and free up space, which is invaluable for people living in small apartments.
The advantage of a Japanese bed is the ability to remove it
A Japanese bed can consist not only of a mattress, but also have a frame. The design, unusual for us, is made of wood. There is no need to talk about the benefits of natural foods again. The properties of solid wood have been well known for a long time: products made from them are environmentally friendly, durable, and have excellent performance characteristics.
🈵It is better to choose bed linen for a Japanese bed from natural materials. The texture of the fabric is plain, small stylistic patterns are acceptable.
By design, a Japanese bed with a body is a frame made of wood with a pair of supporting beams resting on short legs.
On the beams, or rather, on top of them, slats are laid in a lattice. The frame usually has quite massive (wide) “sides”, which, after installing the mattress, visually resemble a step.
It is better to choose an orthopedic mattress for a Japanese bed, taking into account the size of the bed. It is worth noting that the Japanese style is more likely to use a double bed, even if one person sleeps there. The legs of such a bed, as a rule, are also massive, there are four of them (but maybe five if the bed is of non-standard sizes and very wide).
Ideally, the legs of the bed should not be visible - they are shifted to the center. This move allows you to create the visual effect of the bed floating above the floor.
🈚Remember! The traditional Japanese bed is wide and low. If the proportions are violated, and if the height is chosen incorrectly, it will unfortunately not be possible to achieve authenticity in the stylistic design of the bedroom.
However, as for the legs, they may simply not exist. A bed without legs is undoubtedly much more stable, but at the same time, it is not suitable for everyone. For allergy sufferers, this option immediately becomes undesirable, because dust can be removed from under such a bed only by moving it away.
A long bolster instead of the head of a Japanese bed (photo)
A headboard for a Japanese bed is an optional element. If it is present, it should be extremely simple and strict. A fashionable option for replacing the headboard, which many designers use today, is a long bolster.
🈯Soft and large pillows are taboo for the Japanese. You will have to make a lot of effort to find in the land of the samurai someone who likes to sleep on the fluffed massive pillows that are so beloved in our region. In Japan, small bolsters or small but very elastic pillows are placed under the head.
A distinctive element that will give the bedroom a Country flavor rising sun- screen. Preference here should be given to a sliding one, made from natural fabrics or rice paper with a wooden frame. The decor of the screen should match the interior of the bedroom.
The best option- stylized landscape. The purpose of such a screen is to hide the bed from prying eyes. If necessary, like the bed itself, the screen can be removed and free up space in the room.
Japanese bed on the floor: futon or shikibaton?
In Japan, not everyone will understand the term “futon bed”. But absolutely everyone knows the concept of “shikibaton”, which means a simple place to sleep.
So, although the “futon bed” and “shikibaton” are close relatives, there are still several differences between the Japanese and European versions. And all because Europeans value sleeping comfort much more more Japanese. Therefore, in Europe, a bed with Japanese roots, but with a very soft mattress that takes the shape of the body, has become widespread.
The European version, despite an almost similar design, is equipped with a much thicker mattress than in Japan, which allows non-Japanese people to sleep comfortably on it.
Shikibaton - a simple place to sleep
In the shikibaton version, you sleep on a mattress placed directly on the floor. The futon bed, in turn, is adjusted to the European standard. Although the structure is very close to the floor, it still does not lie directly on it. And this is especially important for those rooms where a cold draft can walk across the floor.
Friends of Japanese culture and style in both versions receive great opportunity Bring a little bit of Asian spirit into your bedroom. But for older people who have problems getting up from a low bed, it is better to refuse such a place to sleep.
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Japan is a country with unusual traditions that often differ from customs European countries. However, every tradition in the Land of the Rising Sun is justified by some reason for its appearance. According to one version, the custom of sleeping not on the bed, but on the floor is explained by the fact that the Japanese, due to the overpopulation of the country, often do not have the opportunity to live in houses or apartments with a large area. In many living spaces there is sometimes not even room for a bed. And the Japanese can only dream of double furniture. So you have to use mattresses for sleeping on the floor, which after dreams are easily removed to the designated place.
There are other explanations for the tradition of sleeping on the floor. For a long time Japan was an isolated country with no contacts with Asian and European countries. Therefore, in the development of the samurai country there are distinctive, unique features that are unlike the norms of other countries. For example, night sleep on the floor. In addition, the hot Japanese climate forced residents of the state to look for a cool place to sleep at night, which most often was the floor.
The Japanese are a people who are sensitive to their health. Sleeping on a hard, flat surface helps prevent diseases of the spine and back.
But this does not mean that Japanese people sleep on bare floors. For this purpose, they weave thick mats of rice straw, called tatami. Such devices for night sleep perfectly allow air to pass through, allowing the skin to breathe and not sweat. The ancestor of tatami in Japan were hard and uncomfortable wicker mats laid directly on the floor. Later, to soften sleep, carpets were woven - mattresses 5 cm high. They were also located on the bare floor.
Currently, in Japanese homes, tatami is used as a floor covering. To make them, you need to know clear weaving rules regarding the size of tatami and their location on the floor. Traditional tatami come in the following sizes: 90x180 cm, 90x90 cm, etc. In some houses, a mattress was used on top of wicker tatami - a futon, the filling of which was cotton or wool. However, due to the high cost sleeping place floor mattress
For convenience, practicality, and saving living space, the futon is put away in the closet after sleep, and the tatami is used as a place for holding a tea or lunch ceremony.
It is also permitted to perform normal daily work on the tatami surface. In general, modern Japan is characterized by minimalism with maximum benefit from a small living space. Almost every Japanese house has a surface covered with tatami, which, by the way, differs from ordinary flooring in its very high cost.
Orthopedic mattress - an alternative to tatami and futon mattress Adequate sleep that preserves health, restores strength, brings good mood for the entire next day, increasing productivity, depends, as you know, on a comfortable, high-quality mattress. In Russia they do not weave tatami and do not use futons. An ideal alternative to the unusual Japanese sleeping device in our country are orthopedic mattresses made from materials highest quality
. This mattress can be safely used without a bed and placed directly on the floor.
Using a mattress without a bed is typical for decorating a room in a minimalist style. This is a very fashionable, modern trend in bedroom design, which involves the use of a minimal set of furniture to maximize room space. Most often, young people choose this design for themselves. creative people who prefer comfort, functionality and practicality rather than beauty appearance your bedroom. By buying not a bed, but a mattress on the floor, you can save money material resources
, while enjoying a luxurious sleeping space. However, only a branded, comfortable, not cheap mattress can replace a real bed.
Advantages and disadvantages of a mattress instead of a bed Using a mattress on the floor instead of a bed is typical of the Japanese style. Although modern beds are produced in Japan, there is little demand for them among the residents of this country. Since ancient times the Japanese have followed folk traditions
and wisdom, preferring to sleep at night on the floor rather than on a high bed. But don’t despair when visiting the country as a tourist. In all Japanese hotels, great attention is paid to the comfort and convenience of guests, so a double bed in a Japanese hotel is a common thing.
But it is worth remembering that many Europeans, having visited Japan and experienced sleeping on the floor at night, purchase a special mattress for their own rest when returning home.
The advantages of the mattress include:
- height. Often, high beds are fraught with the risk that if you fall from them, you are likely to get hurt and hit hard. This is especially true for children younger age. With the use of a mattress, this problem disappears, because when falling from a small height, the impact force on the floor is minimal.
- ease of operation. The absence of a bed does not require rules for its operation or repair.
- versatility. The mattress is not only an ideal place to sleep at night, but also an excellent trampoline in daytime, used by children.
- matches any style in the interior. Most modern styles do not lose their sophistication when using a mattress instead of a bed.
- novelty, freedom, youth, carelessness. Many people don't accept positive sides sleeping on the floor, preferring luxury beds for installation in the bedroom. Still, if you plunge into the past, you will notice that our ancestors often rested at night on the ground, adding only an armful of hay for softness. Only in rich houses were wide, high beds used, which later became fashionable. Currently, established habits and prejudices prevent many people from giving up bed. Only carefree, young, energetic, free individuals can afford to sleep on the floor, regardless of the norms accepted in society.
- comfort and convenience while relaxing. Mattress instead of a bed - perfect option for those people who suffer from back and spine pain. After all, a hard, smooth surface gives a feeling of calm, comfort, good rest your body overnight.
The only drawback is that the small height of the mattress in the absence of normal heating or the presence of strong drafts in the apartment can cause colds the person who sleeps on it.
A person will feel uncomfortable when the cold blows from everywhere. Therefore, when choosing a mattress, pay Special attention its height in order to protect yourself from future troubles associated with the absence normal temperature in the bedroom.
Japan is one of the top ten countries in terms of population; its inhabitants can be found in every corner of the world. It’s not at all surprising if a Japanese man appeared in your dreams.
How do predictors explain such a vision?
- Prosperity in business.
- Faithful friends.
- Prosperity.
- Good luck in love.
When you start looking for the answer to the question of why a Japanese man dreams, do not forget to take into account the accompanying details of the dream. This will give you the most correct information.
Guest from the East
Seeing one of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun in your dreams is a very good omen, especially if this person has a neat appearance. As the dream book says, a Japanese person in a dream symbolizes good health and the rapid progress of all planned affairs.
If you dreamed of a woman of this nationality, then you should look for the answer to the question of why a Japanese woman is dreaming, because such a dream has a completely different meaning. As the dream book predicts, a Japanese woman appears in her dreams before some event of national character. For a man, this may be a sign of upcoming unexpected expenses.
In addition, in night visions the country itself may appear before you - accordingly, for correct interpretation you have to wonder what Japan is dreaming about. Traveling to this country is not the most favorable sign. In reality, it is better to postpone all planned trips in order to avoid a natural disaster. As the dream book interprets, Japan symbolizes the courage that the dreamer shows in all difficult life situations.
As dream interpreters foretell, being in the same company with the Japanese is an omen of a possible move to another country with completely different traditions and mentality. It will be very difficult for you to decide on this, but your fears are in vain: you will very quickly get used to the new way of life. Author: Natalya Chernikova
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