panhead_pete 27 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Just trying to sort my accomadation and am hoping to experience as much as I can. Im looking at some hotels weith western and japanese style rooms and Im wondering what everyone's experience with Japanese style mattresses? I know this may sound a rather ignorant question and my apologies for it. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Japanese style rooms will have tatami mats with futons. You will be sleeping right on the floor. I've been sleeping on futons for years now and have no problem with them but it can be a little shock for the first time traveller. Over the years I've been here I've known many Aussies expected something like futons you get in Aus, some sort of raised wooden base with a nice thick futon mattress. It's not like that at all. The mattresses are often not that thick and if you're used to a fairly soft mattress it's going to take some getting used to. One of the reasons developers in Niseko saw such potential in creating western-style apartments and houses was the amount of complaints we had in the early years about Japanese style rooms and bedding...We found people certainly wanted to experience a little Japanese culture but sleeping and eating off the floor wasn't really part of the cultural experience they were after. Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Japanese futons get rolled up and put away during the day. There is no where to sit down other than the floor. Sounds quaint and there is that all important "cultural experience" that so many visitors seem to crave but it can be a real pain. Unless you've grown up with it, the whole tatami thing gets old very quickly. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 haha, yeah GN that's true. I remember when I first came over to Japan, my company told me that they would provide me with a "new futon bed". I thought "Great, a fancy new bed". When I arrived at my apartment, there was a box outside my front door, the guy from the company told me it was for me, I asked what was inside it and he said it was my futon!! I was just a little shocked! A "luxury camp mat" would've been my description!! Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 Thanks guys appreciate the input. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 being honest though, i always get a good nights sleep on the futons, mind you after a day on the slopes, I reckon I could sleep on a bed of nails and hot coals. The tatami/sitting on the floor thing doesn't bother me, if I'm at a hotel I rarely fold my futon away and don't really spend time in my room other than for sleeping and getting dressed. Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 In defence of the futon... I have had some excellent, very warm and comfy nights' sleep on futons. I wouldn't be put off trying if you are interested, and anywhere where there's snow, you'll have plenty of extra blankets to add if you aren't warm enough. No chance of drunkenly falling out of bed, either! If for some reason you need a mattress - choose a western style room. As well as a futon and tatami flooring, most Japanese rooms have TV, a small table and water heater with tea-making stuff provided for a quick brew when you get in - and you sit on a cushion or a legless chair, not the floor. As a general point, I'd say that the Japanese know all about home comforts and make sure that their guests get to enjoy them. SdS Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'm all for going Japanese. Gimme a futon and a kotatsu and I'm pretty happy. Hell, even a Japanese breakfast works for me before a big day in the snow. Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Proper Japan futons are very comfy and very warm. No doubt about that at all. And after a big day out, a few beers and a dip on the onsen it's heavenly. I'm a big fan, though the poxy rice or some case macaroni filled pillows leave something to be desired. It's just the whole sitting on the floor thing that gets a bit much after a while. As well as a futon and tatami flooring, most Japanese rooms have TV, a small table and water heater with tea-making stuff provided for a quick brew when you get in - and you sit on a cushion or a legless chair, not the floor. As a general point, I'd say that the Japanese know all about home comforts and make sure that their guests get to enjoy them. That is the Japanese style home comforts - i.e. no heating (or insulation) in the house other than a small heater, no hot water in the morning for a shower, cushions to sit on (which is still pretty much sitting on the floor I reckon). Many of the Japanese failies I know still have a small table in their lounge room with a quilted blanket and heating lamps underneath. They all sit around it with as much of their bodies pushed under the blanket and table as they can to keep warm. The rest of the house is bloody freezing. Futons are warm and comfy though. Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Most of the "Japanese style" rooms I've been in have had a little table and regular chairs. If you are used to a really soft Western mattress and box spring, you might find the futon too hard. If you sleep on your side, this is probably more of an issue. Since you've never tried it, heck - give it a shot! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I don't like it but can take it if I want the facilites in the room. (onsen on balcony is just so good). Other times at the resort I go for semi western style, meaning beds, coffee table, and a tatami area for stretching out on or futon-ing. Costs a little bit more but it's worth it. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Originally Posted By: skidaisuki As a general point, I'd say that the Japanese know all about home comforts and make sure that their guests get to enjoy them. SdS The Japanese have their own ideas on comforts though and they are not generally the same comforts international ski travellers are used to. Before we started getting a lot of western-style accomm in Niseko a big part of the job was managing the expectations of guests. For those of us who live here it's something we're used to but for someone who's used to places like Aspen or Whistler it can be something of a shock going into a small, spartan room with not even a chair! Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Originally Posted By: Go Native Originally Posted By: skidaisuki As a general point, I'd say that the Japanese know all about home comforts and make sure that their guests get to enjoy them. SdS The Japanese have their own ideas on comforts though and they are not generally the same comforts international ski travellers are used to. Before we started getting a lot of western-style accomm in Niseko a big part of the job was managing the expectations of guests. For those of us who live here it's something we're used to but for someone who's used to places like Aspen or Whistler it can be something of a shock going into a small, spartan room with not even a chair! Even where the room is notionally a western style room it still represents a fair departure from what a westerner would normally expect to see - think small, narrow single beds with a module like combined bathroom/toilet, doors 6ft high etc. not to say they are all like that, but jeez, a bloody lot of them are. Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 especially in pension-like places. Deluxe hotels often deliver the goods. Link to post Share on other sites
very piste 0 Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I remember when I first came here and was put in a "Western style room". I actually looked at the guy and said he had made a mistake which was pretty embarrassing looking back. The bed was tiny and the whole ambience was more "dorm" than "hotel Western room". Hmmmm. I would hope things are changing. (Are they?) Link to post Share on other sites
s3phis 0 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 And then the guests get a suprise when they open the door to the W/C... Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts