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Japan Know How archive

futon storage

Japanese Home

Where a Family Puts Things With No Basement

Japanese homes without basements rely on deep oshiire closets, seasonal rotation, overhead spaces, and rented trunk rooms. Here is how the system works through the year—and what it costs when the apartment finally runs out of room.

Kaori Miyata

Japanese Home

Humidity, Not Tidiness, Runs This Habit

Putting a Japanese futon away is not mainly about keeping the room tidy. The routine lets trapped moisture escape before it damages the bedding, tatami, or flooring underneath.

Kaori Miyata