Only in Japan would a lack of balconies spawn a whole new category of appliances. Behold the futon dryer!
Used to be, you could walk down any neighborhood street mid-day and see every family’s bedding hung over the balcony to air, secured with giant plastic clamps so they wouldn’t slip off the railing and smother unsuspecting passersby. But modern apartments often lack balconies or are too fancy (No Unsightly Futon Airing Allowed!) that housewives were stymied as to how to wage war on the dampness that is ever-present in Japan.
Appliance makers rushed in to solve the problem, and the result was little units like this one, with air hoses that attach to traditional Japanese bedding to transform tired just-slept-on futons into models of fluffy, un-mildewed, non-clammy perfection.
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Would you like to be whisked away to Japan, wherever you are?
“The Samurai’s Octopus…is a truly remarkable book, one that surprised and charmed me at every turn of the page. You’re in for a treat.”
—James Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author of the Ellie Stone mysteries
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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 
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