A table?
Yes, a table. But a kotatsu isn’t just any old table. Designed to make it possible to survive winter without frostbite in Japan’s criminally underinsulated houses…
the kotatsu’s secret weapon isn’t just the cozy oversized quilt held in place by a tabletop used for everything from homework to dinner. It’s the heated fan mounted on the underside.
The kotatsu is such a necessity in every Japanese home that bringing it out when the weather turns frosty isn’t just shorthand for “it’s time to move the ice scraper from the glove box to the passenger seat,” it’s the universally accepted sleeping-cat-on-your-lap excuse for asking someone already braving the arctic wasteland of your apartment to fetch a tea refill.
Horribly underheated domiciles being something of a Japanese tradition, kotatsus have been the go-to winter survival solution since the 14th century, and not just for home use. Kotatsu boats had a definite edge over their appendage-numbing competitors…
just like modern kotatsus kitted out with extra outlets and ports have an edge over those that require you to leave the life-saving oasis of warmth to charge your devices.
Kotatsu designers rose to the challenge of WFH by coming up with accessories to keep salarymen productive while banned from their centrally heated offices…
but let’s be honest—99% of these were promptly repurposed for extended winter gaming.
And as long as we’re being honest, THIS is the kotatsu of everyone’s dreams. The one you never have to leave.
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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
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