kotatsu
Japan’s amazingly cozy heated tables combined with movie magic? Sounds like the perfect way to spend a winter day.
The cold never bothered her anyway! Check out Elsa showing the proper way to enjoy winter in Japan!
Ditch the dining room table and sit at a Japanese-style one with a heater, like at this ingenious Tokyo restaurant.
Winter is undoubtedly the worst season to be alone in Japan. Soon singles will be starting the annual desperate search for the special someone to spend Christmas with and it’s not hard to see why. Having someone to cuddle up to during the upcoming cold, long months is far preferable to fighting off the chill by yourself.
Of course, not everyone wants to jump into a relationship just for a little extra body heat, and now thanks to one Japanese electronics maker and their kotatsu for one, singles just might be in for the warmest winter yet.
Depending on where you are, winters in Japan can be bitterly cold or actually rather temperate, but due to a general lack of insulation, it seems like most Japanese homes are always a little cold. But this general chilliness gave birth to that magical piece of furniture, the kotatsu. Basically a covered table with a heater attached, the kotatsu is often the centerpiece of a Japanese living room and a great way to get in some family time.
And with these new cat-themed kotatsu covers, cushions, and hoodies, it’ll be twice as difficult to pull yourself away from the kotatsu on a chilly winter morning!
When a Japanese Twitter user removed the covering from the top of her kotatsu (heated table) for cleaning, she discovered that she had disrupted the peaceful slumber of the thing that was lurking beneath…make that things, and cute things, in fact!
New Year’s in Japan is a quiet affair. While the holiday period is usually spent with family, enjoying traditional food and activities, there’s one particular pastime that brings the family together in a special way every winter. To indulge in this very Japanese affair, you’ll need two of the items pictured in the image above. Can you guess what they are?
One of the worst things about winter in Japan is that with no central heating and a lack of insulation, the temperature inside your house feels pretty much the same as the temperature outside your house. One of the best things is taking the opportunity to snuggle up under a kotatsu, especially if you have a furry friend to join you.
As you may have already heard, winter is cold in Japan. Maybe not as cold as some other more northern countries, but it’s still very chilly even indoors because many people still choose to only heat one room in the house at a time, or live in buildings made out of lightweight materials in an effort to make them as earthquake-safe as possible. This proves to be a bit of an issue for pet owners. Many pets are built to resist some amount of cold (because duh, fur!) but others aren’t equipped to deal with the cold daytime weather.
Perhaps this is why Japan sells some pretty ridiculous pet clothes! UNIHABITAT has a couple of new pet outfits that are going to turn some heads, but will also keep your pets warm and cozy this winter season.
Chilly as winter may get in Japan, we’ve got to admit there are some cool things about the coldest part of the year. For example, the Christmas decorations around Tokyo are amazing, and even if you’re not feeling up to braving the cold weather, Japan offers a couple of ways to make winter more bearable even if you’re staying indoors. High on the list are mikan, the mandarin oranges that’re at their tastiest in winter, and kotatsu, the blanket-covered, heater-equipped tables that’re so cozy it’s almost impossible to pull yourself out of one once you get situated comfortably.
Don’t take our word for it, though, as these adorable cats lounging though a Japanese winter serve as far better spokescreatures for mikan and kotatsu than we ever could.
Every cat owner has, at one time or another, experienced the soul-crushing disappointment that comes from giving your cat a thoughtful gift, only to have them throw it back in your face in favor of a paper ball or a plain old cardboard box. It’s almost as if cats the world over are in on some sort of conspiracy designed to make their owners feel inadequate. And that’s exactly what happened to “kitty blogger” Udama when they attempted to create a cosy, cat-sized kotatsu to delight their feline family members. As our pictures show, the experiment didn’t exactly go according to plan…
Even though Japan is a great place to live, not everyone likes every aspect of life in the country. Dishes like grilled eel and organ skewers are pretty polarizing, as is the public transportation system, which is clean and punctual, but crowded and shuts down early.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone, though, who doesn’t love Japan’s heated tables, called kotatsu, so more than a few people will be happy about these three ways to get even more out of Japan’s coziest piece of furniture.
Winter in Japan can be pretty brutal. It gets cold, very cold, and most buildings in Japan are only lightly insulated. It’s no wonder, then, that people (and cats!) tend to want to hibernate in one cosy, warm spot during winter. One option is the kotatsu, a table with a thick padded blanket and heater underneath, which you use to toast your legs and feet during those cold winter months. The only problem is that they don’t really do anything to keep your upper body warm. Some people compensate by also wearing a thick padded housecoat inside during the winter, but wouldn’t it be great if you could use the kotatsu’s warmth to heat your entire body? Well, now you can, thanks to this new “wearable kotatsu” designed by Hatra!
It’s sakura (cherry blossom) time again in Tokyo! As the blossoms reach their peak in the next week, you can bet that people will be flocking to the parks to enjoy some much-needed R&R under the flurry of falling petals. It’s hard to imagine that anyone could get tired of gazing at the sakura since the flowers are only in full bloom for such a short time in the spring.
But if you’ve found yourself fighting through the hanami (blossom-viewing) crowds at Ueno or Yoyogi Park for several years in a row, you might be looking for a slightly more alternative, or even adventurous way to take in the ephemeral petals. If we’re describing you, check out these four alternative ways to enjoy hanami without having to break out that tired old picnic blanket or get up at 5 a.m. on your precious weekend to grab a decent a spot!
The kotatsu, that low table heater that is often the only source of heat in a Japanese room, is sometimes just too big for one person…said absolutely no one in Japan. Who hasn’t enjoyed diving under the table, fluffy futon pulled up to your eyeballs while you think of warm sandy beaches…a volcano…anything to take you away from the ice cave that is your Japanese home. That’s why we were so upset to find this kotatsu for singles. Not only does it not allow you to completely immerse yourself in life-giving warmth, its tiny stature is like a little footnote in the middle of the room, whispering, “P.S. You’re still single.”
MOST POPULAR
Now
Sleep next to the railroad tracks at the closest hotel to a train station platform in Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new limited-edition mugs, cards and travel bottles for Halloween
Man in China says he likes Pokémon’s Team Rocket on social media, company makes him issue apology
World’s #1 Smash Bros. player takes on random kid in Japan’s Narita Airport
Japanese Twitter in an uproar about Tokyo ward that banned homeless from evacuation shelters
Godiva tapioca tea on sale in Japan just in time to get in on the country’s boba boom【Taste test】
Canadian rugby team volunteers in typhoon-struck Japan following cancellation of World Cup match
Fake schoolgirl prostitution extortion ring busted by Tokyo police
Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
Japanese cafe lets customers enjoy random flavors of coffee using capsule vending machines
Weekly
- Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
Japanese Mame Shiba Inu banknote design pays homage to nation’s beloved dog
You can now turn your smartphone into a Pokémon Pokédex thanks to Bandai【Photos】
Typhoon warning from NHK Japan “to all foreigners” causes controversy online
Typhoon Hagibis turns skies in Japan purply pink, makes people fear the end is nigh- World’s #1 Smash Bros. player takes on random kid in Japan’s Narita Airport
PewDiePie buys house in Japan, calls it “a dream come true”
Shibuya rats scuttle along streets in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis【Video】
Seiko makes limited number of Godzilla watches for 65th anniversary
Japanese news agency under fire for announcing Nobel Prize goes “to foreigners”
Monthly
- PewDiePie buys house in Japan, calls it “a dream come true”
Naruto’s author Kishimoto reveals what characters’ names would’ve been if editor didn’t intervene- Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
- Japanese Mame Shiba Inu banknote design pays homage to nation’s beloved dog
- You can now turn your smartphone into a Pokémon Pokédex thanks to Bandai【Photos】
Uniqlo announces new line of awesome Dragon Ball T-shirts and hoodies【Photos】 
We took advantage of Burger King’s Whopper Jr. sale in an extreme way
Kyoto Animation will use none of its arson donations for business recovery, all of it for victims
Pakistani Japanese citizen is tired of the cops asking him for his foreign resident card
Hayao Miyazaki has turned down multiple offers from Hollywood to make live-action Nausicaa movie
Yearly
Which Pokémon are you? Official quiz reveals your Poké-personality, and how to take it in English- PewDiePie buys house in Japan, calls it “a dream come true”
- Naruto’s author Kishimoto reveals what characters’ names would’ve been if editor didn’t intervene
We asked a Niantic insider 30 questions about Pokémon Go, learned a lot of useful information
Japanese woman stumbles on the power of the infamous “gaijin seat” phenomenon during flight
Why do Japanese recycle bins have two openings but dump everything into the same compartment?
Tokyo public schools will stop forcing students with non-black hair to dye it, official promises- Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
Japanese baseball teen refuses walk after getting hit by pitch, follows up with home run【Video】- Japanese Mame Shiba Inu banknote design pays homage to nation’s beloved dog
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Godiva tapioca tea on sale in Japan just in time to get in on the country’s boba boom【Taste test】
Canadian rugby team volunteers in typhoon-struck Japan following cancellation of World Cup match
Fake schoolgirl prostitution extortion ring busted by Tokyo police
Japanese Phantom Cheesecake: A sweet so popular 2,000 sold in ten minutes
Japanese cafe lets customers enjoy random flavors of coffee using capsule vending machines
Wild boars leap from river, run across rice fields like a scene from a Ghibli anime film【Video】
Do some Japanese parents think of their kids like fighting Pokémon? Twitter wonders
Shibuya rats scuttle along streets in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis【Video】
We recreate the delicious-looking meatball stew from Laputa: Castle in the Sky【SoraKitchen】
Over 40 percent of Japanese high school girls say their dads smell bad in survey
Hello Kitty blames herself for guys feeling embarrassed about liking her, offers apology【Video】
Japanese high schools stop asking students to specify their gender on application forms
Rush hour trains in London are worse than Tokyo, according to our Japanese-language reporter
-
