Kotatsu?

[conuly]

How is it I never heard of these before? Why don't we have them in the US?

(Well, this guy thinks that kotatsu exist because the Japanese can't be bothered to insulate their homes properly, which could be true, I don't know. But still. I still want one!

Comments

[darbdash.livejournal.com]

Right, as someone who lived in northern Japan for eight months during college, and worked there for two years later, I felt the need to weigh in on this discussion. ;)

Kotatsu are very nice, but at the same time, I'd much prefer a centrally heated apartment. My heat came from a kerosene heater that had been set up in my living room/kitchen. Of course, this was a ways from my bedroom, so it was good that I had heavy sheets. Though the kerosene heater made it much easier to dry my clothes (no drier) than in summer. In summer, I just had to either put them out front for all my neighbors to see, or leave them inside and wait for few days for them to dry.

Then again, when I was a college student over there, I only had a hot plate, a toaster oven, and a rice cooker to make food, so going back over there to work, I wasn't expecting much. ;) (Though I loved the vast majority of it!)