Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! Have you ever relaxed under a kotatsu on a cold winter day? It’s been a dream of mine to experience the burrowing warmth of these heated tables for a long time now, and this Christmas my dream became a reality when I was gifted one. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time since then lounging under the kotatsu, so now I fully understand the appeal of this brilliant invention. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, a kotatsu is a heated table covered with a futon (or blanket) and then topped with a table top surface.1 I was going to do a bunch of reading and write up a fun history of the kotatsu, but I ran out of time and energy, so all I’ve got today is a Wikipedia article. Sorry! You’ve likely seen a kotatsu while watching anime. For example….Fruits Basket!
Note: If you plan to sleep under a kotatsu, you might want to turn the heater off. Don’t worry, the futon insulates the heat and keeps it warm. And now for some bonus pictures of my pets enjoying the kotatsu!
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 🙂