The Japanese, who have an exotic heritage and tradition, sleep on a futon mattress on the floor. Some do use beds though. In the West, a futon is nothing but a couch, which can be converted into a bed. However, the traditional Japanese futon is completely different. The original futon has three parts, the comforters (kakebuton), the under futon (shikibuton) and the pillow. The under futon is wrapped in sheets. According to the season, there are heavy and light futons. Futons are stuffed with cotton batting. A pillow is also used. Feathers are used to make the lightest futon. These however have a prohibitive price. The pillow is made up of chaff and red beans. Since Japanese live in small homes, they build a special closet called oshiree, into which the bed folds into, during the day. It is a closet, which also holds other articles, the futon being kept on the upper shelf. This conserves a lot of space and the room can double up as a workroom or a space to entertain guests.
Exposure to the sun keeps Futons in top condition. They also use a futon kansouki. to dry the futons, a dry futon enabling you to sleep well. The kansouki is kept between the kakebuton and the shikibuton. In Japan, sleeping on the floor is the ultimate remedy for people suffering from back ailments.
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