The Zootons? - No Futons! (Futons)

Member Name: firemanspam

Product:	Futons
Date:	02/02/09 (350 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A firm bed.

Disadvantages: May be too firm for many.

Remember the FUTONS? How '70s, or was it 1980s? I can never remember. Anyway I thought these were well out of fashion, perhaps they're making a comeback. If you are like me, you probably think that futons are nothing more than old pallets thrown on the floor, covered with your Granny's old eiderdown, it's time we looked at some modern info.

According to the famous Wilkpedia, a Futon is a kind of mattress that makes up a Japanese bed. These are sold in Japan at special stores called futon-ya and also at department stores.

Japanese Futons are flat, and about 2 inches thick, with a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton or synthetic batting. They are often sold in sets which include the futon mattress (shikibuton), a comforter (kakebuton) or blanket (mōfu), a summer blanket resembling a large towel, and pillow (makura), generally filled with beans, buckwheat chaff or plastic beads. So now you know.

Rather than have a conventional bed, the Japanese prefer to use the floor, much more minimal. We in the west tend to use a low platform, rather like a couple of pallets, and to be quite honest, this is what most divan beds are, no springs, just a flat box. All the bouncy suspension is therefore in the mattress. The Japanese do not like bouncy beds, and as time goes on, we are moving away from the idea, opting for a firmer bed. This is where the Futon comes into it's own, it tends to sink where you put most weight, but not return, so you have a mattress that is moulded to your own body shape. This is fine for most of us, however people who move about a lot may find Futons uncomfortable.

The only way the will know if they are for you, is to go to a Futon shop and try one. I may have painted a rather bleak picture of them, and the western ones are a lot more springy than Japanese versions. Most of our traditional mattresses are far too soft, and not good for our backs, so perhaps you should think about a Futon as your main bed, or perhaps as a guest bed.

Summary: I like them.