Kotatsu - a hybrid of a table, blanket and heater

For many years, Japan has confidently maintained its leadership in various kinds of “high” technologies. At the same time, the Japanese showed ingenuity and originality long before scientific progress, which began to develop at the end of the last century. One of the striking examples is the kotatsu table, which, along with its main purpose, plays the role of a heater. It was created at the end of the 15th century.

What is kotatsu

Kotatsu is a traditional table in Japan, small in size, with a heater installed inside, covered with a futon (a kind of hybrid of a mattress and a blanket). A tabletop is laid on top of the entire structure.

Winters in the Land of the Rising Sun are relatively warm, without strong temperature changes, but sometimes the rooms become very cold, especially in traditional Japanese homes, where the walls are quite thin.

And since electricity is expensive in this country, residents do not heat their homes, but heat themselves. That’s why in winter they sit down to kotatsu. The temperature regime of modern heaters, which are installed in the table, can be controlled by a regulator, and the futon retains heat perfectly.

How to use kotatsu

To keep warm, the Japanese sit around the kotatsu on special pillows called “zabuton” - you can completely cover yourself with a futon or wrap only your legs.The blanket insulates a small amount of heated air, which is not circulated throughout the house, but is used only for the comfort of the human body.

Reference! As the Japanese themselves say, their unique invention helps you feel comfortable even in a room that is completely unheated. This is quite beneficial, since the kotatsu itself does not require significant electricity costs.

Advantages and disadvantages

Since kotatsu is a purely Japanese invention, chairs are not needed. You can comfortably eat at the table, use your laptop, or just have a conversation with family and friends over tea.

Naturally, only the lower part of the body is heated, but this is quite enough to not freeze and feel the homely atmosphere of warmth and comfort.

In addition, in our country, for example, heating radiators are always on, and a kotatsu can be installed instead of a heater on very frosty days (in Japan you can limit yourself to this, but in our country constant additional heating is mandatory).

By the way, in Japan this invention is used not only in homes - there are even kotatsu trains.

There is a friendly atmosphere around the kotatsu, and is there any other way to communicate with your family while literally under the same blanket? All family members feel closer to each other and much more comfortable.

In addition, if you use the table alone, you can completely crawl under it and enjoy childhood memories when we all loved to build “huts.”

There is enough space under the table for a night's rest, but there is still one drawback. Japanese parents most often do not allow their children to rest in a kotatsu at night, as there is a certain risk of this furniture catching fire.Heated plastic and other flammable materials from which the table is made can become a real trap for kids during a night's rest.