TIL a futon is a couch for americans
I only knew about the Japanese "thin mattress on the floor" version.
this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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The thin mattress on the floor is actually better for your back.
can confirm, i sleep on a bunch of blankets and it's great aside from needing a few more to fully insulate from the cold floor.
the idea of having a bed permanently take up space in a room has become utterly absurd to me after i realized i can just sleep on some blankets and roll them up during the day.
This sounds unhinged and delightful at the same time
Yeah it’s basically one of the Japanese kind but on a frame that lets it convert between bed and couch. It’s notoriously bad at both roles. But it’s great for teenagers with space and budget constraints
These things are really nothing like the real thing in practice. I’m half Japanese and sleep on a real one every night (though raised on a western style bed platform with tatami instead of slats/boxspring and find the American use of the term insulting, at best.
Yeah it’s basically one of the Japanese kind but on a frame
I thought what made a futon a futon is that it is a matress, on the ground, without the frame
Not really. The lady who used to live on my couch bought a Japanese futon in an attempt to stop living on my couch, and my sister used to live on an American mattress sans frame and they’re wildly different things. An American mattress is 2-3x the thickness of a Japanese futon and while it’s less comfortable without a frame, you can comfortably live with it on a hard American style floor. A Japanese futon is insufficient on an American style floor and really needs the soft springy surface of a tatami floor.
It’s the difference between a support and comfort structure vs a person sized cushion
Wikipedia futon:
A complete futon set consists of a mattress (敷き布団, shikibuton, lit. "spreading futon") and a duvet (掛け布団, kakebuton, lit. "covering futon")
However, Western-style futons, which typically resemble low, wooden sofa beds, differ considerably from their Japanese counterparts.[1][16] They often have the dimensions of standard western mattresses, and are too thick to fold double and stow easily in a cupboard. They are often set up and stored on a slatted frame,[13] which avoids having to move them to air regularly, especially in the dry indoor air of a centrally-heated house[17] (most Japanese homes were not traditionally centrally-heated[18]).
"Western-style futons" don't really sound like futons at all tbqh.
Futon are made from sheets of wool (traditionally) or cotton (modern) folded over several times and then tied together. They’re very soft and fluffy but can get flat as used. Daily folding and putting away of the futon helps keep them fluffy.
An American futon is a modern torture device used for the sick amusement of the big mattress cartel.
Same
There are innerspring futon mattresses. Had one for years when I was younger. Definitely not as bad as the basic things. If you're gonna have a futon for yourself, your kids or guests, look into them.
I was just telling my buddy this the other day when he was bragging about "the steal" he bought his new futon for. Like mate, you paid too little and to get a good bed, and too much for a shit couch.