You know how when it’s really hot at night, your pillow gets all roasty and makes your head feel even hotter? Well, the day I saw these old-fashioned pillows at a little store near the Nezu Shrine, it was already hitting a toasty 26 degrees C, and I suddenly appreciated the genius of this traditional Japanese design! Even though they’re made of rattan, they’re woven in a way that makes them nice and springy. Of course, you have to sleep on your back if you don’t want to wake up with Wicker Face, but I think that’s a small price to pay for cool breezes wafting around your head all night long…
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
Do they ship internationally? 26 C is nothing here in Texas.
26 C is nothing here in Tokyo either. The first summer I was here, it hit 40 C on the first day, and never dipped below 34 the whole time I was here. (>_<) Coming from San Francisco, where tourists routinely go home with souvenir sweatshirts in July, it was a bit of a shock.
Would they still “breathe” if you put a light cotton pillow case over them?
Yes, I’m pretty sure people use them with pillow cases. And they’re surprisingly springy and pillow-like, even though they look like baskets!