Another week, another reason I love living here.
My reason this week is *drum roll*...............Kotatsu!
So winter is slowly makin' it's way to Tokyo and the nights are getting chilly. Now is the time to pull out your heaters, humidifiers and wonder of all inventions, the kotatsu. Why Canada doesn't have these with our winter I will never know (I also think we need to investigate ways to adapt the shinkansen to our weather. We need them!).
What is a kotatsu, you ask?
Come closer little grasshopper, let me enlighten you.
A kotatsu is a small table that is low to the ground (usually). It can be made of many materials, but wood and plastic tend to be the most common. Underneath said table is a small electric heater (sometimes a lightbulb, other times heated coils, etc.) which are meant to keep the legs warm. To keep the heat from escaping, a small futon blanket is placed over the table with the sides draping down to the floor. Over this a table top is placed so that you can have your bowl of mikan oranges and green tea on it (these are essential to the kotatsu experience, please don't try it without them).
To many Japanese (the older generation at least) eating mikan and drinking green tea while sitting in a kotatsu watching tv is the ultimate image of winter. All you need is the NHK red and white festival and you are in the over 40's version of heaven.
<--- This is mine. I picked one that was classy with a "k" as my friends would say. The boyfriend was not amused sitting at a table with kitties and pink hearts. I think he just has no sense of humor.
Kotatsu are still fairly popular today, although the younger crowd would rather crank up their air conditioners than use one. Frankly, I think the young people just don't realize the advantages of a hot kotatsu.
One of my favorite things to do on cold nights is snuggle down into mine. It's cheaper than the air-conditioner and I can keep warm without making my room as dry as the sahara. My only beef is having to sit on the floor to enjoy it. They now make dining table sized kotatsu, but they cost a small fortune. A small one like I have will only set you back 50 to 100 bucks.
As we move into the time of freezing cold rooms (Japan, when oh when will you cotton on to the wonders of proper insulation?), please enjoy a cup of steaming hot tea, zesty mikan oranges, and the lazy warmth of the greatest invention in Japan, the kotatsu.
Recent Comments