A traditional cool heating table in Japan

February 2nd, 2008

So cold out here these days. May consider to put this super warm cool Kotatsu at home though. Yes! Kotatsuis a traditional type of heater-table. There are two kinds of kotatsu in use today. One consists of a table with an electric heater attached to the underside of the frame. The other type is a pit about 40 centimeters deep that is cut into the floor. An electric heater is placed inside and a table-top and frame arranged over it. In either case, a Futon is draped over the frame under the table-top. A very good functional warmer in winter.

The Kotatsu looks rather like a coffee table and is comprised of four parts: 1) the wooden structure, 2) a heating element that hangs in the center of the structure, 3) a heavy futon blanket, and 4) a tabletop that sandwiches the blanket between itself and the structure.

The user sits at the table with their legs under the blanket, which traps the heat underneath the table. In Japan, where houses are often built without insulation and central heat due to the frequency of earthquakes and the problems those things provide,a Kotatsu may be the only source of heat in the house.

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