Hi all. Will be traveling to Japan with my wife later this year. We are interested in staying in a Ryokan for two nights, and love the concept of staying in a traditional Japanese style room with futons. Unfortunately my wife does suffer from chronic neck pain. Are the futons comfortable and supportive in general? Or would we be risking worsening her pain by doing this.

Edit- thanks so much everyone for the input. We ended up booking a room with both a futon and western style bed option!

Hello, I'm currently deciding whether I should get rid of my bed and sleep on a japanese futon or not. I have heard that sleeping in futons are healthy and comfortable. I'm planning to dispose of the bed so I can add another desk/table which will be used for my studies. I only have one small table in the room and my laptop occupies it. If I need to study or write, i have to move my laptop to another place and put it back again. It is kind of annoying for me to move things again and again. With the new desk, my things would have their own place.

What are your experiences sleeping on a Japanese futon? What are the pros and cons? Have you noticed any significant benefit from sleeping on one regularly?

Been thinking about getting one for a long time. Save space, probably money if I ever needed a replacement, have more room to do stuff.

The reason I’m getting a little more serious about the idea is that like two weeks ago I woke up with some intense neck pains. Like someone strangled me in my sleep. The only thing I could really notice is that there’s a hefty gap between the bed and nightstand. I’ve been known to have some mild sleep walking symptoms so my guess is I feel down, messed up my neck but put myself back into bed.

To be honest I’ve always been afraid of falling out of bed, no matter the height. When I was in high school I completely removed the frame and box from my bed, instead opting to sleep with the mattress on the floor. My parents thought I was insane but I never told them why I actually did it.

How does a Japanese futon feel? Is it hard to clean? What else do you know about them?

Weighing up accommodation options and wondering if my Australian teenagers will complain if they have to sleep on futons. We'll have 8 nights, sleeping on them?

Hi, BIFL-ers. Need some advice. Would you buy a Japanese futon (the ones where you lay a tatami mat, then put the futon padding on top) or get a mattress? Which would you get and why? What brand would you recommend? I'm conflicted because I've grown up sleeping only on mattresses and have never tried a Japanese futon, but I know I will be moving places a lot and Japanese futons just offer a lot of portability. I would also want to buy for life because looking at the typical materials for bedding just aren't great for the planet at the end of its life cycle. Thanks!

Kind of a silly question, but my family and I are deciding between two places to stay several nights in: One has beds but it is further from the Kyoto hotspots, while another is closer but has futons. My parents are in their mid 60s, so I want to make sure it will be a comfortable stay especially for since we'll be staying 6 nights.

We tried sleep training and decided it wasn't for us (but still zero judgement for those who do it, and I'm not willing to argue with anyone here about it) so we will be continuing to co-sleep.

Because of this, our queen bed isn't going to work for our family anymore. My husband wants to buy a king, but I'm curious about a Japanese floor mattress instead. He said he could be game. I like the idea of being able to roll it up and put it away during the day and have more space for *activities* during the day

I also like that they're available made of more natural materials and much less expensive than a king sized bed.

Anyway, anyone have experience with this? Brands you like, how was the lifestyle change etc?

Everybody should be sleeping on a futon. You have a bed. You need to move. You have to lug a bed frame and mattress. That is a pain in the ass.

You have a bedroom. There's a goddamned bed taking up space in the room. You've essentially lost a room. With a futon you could fold it up and put it in the closet. Now you have an extra room.

I’m looking to buy a japanese futon for space and back pain reasons. I’ve read some of the older posts about it but they are a bit old and don’t have all the info I’m looking for. Brands I’m considering are The Futon Shop, Takaokaya Global, and Futon Beds from Japan . I've seen a lot of recommendations for The Futon Shop but not much info on the other two. The biggest difference I've noticed is The Futon Shop offers a 5-inch thickness with wool and cotton whereas the other ones seem to be thinner and only contain cotton.
There's a pretty good sale going on at The Futon Shop right now until June 2nd (tight window, i know) so if anyone can let me know soon, I would really appreciate it. There's just a lot of variables and i know squat about futons.

The reason I’m looking into buying a futon is because I hear it can be really good for your back. I’m 21 and because of sports and bad posture habits my back is all fucked up. On top of that my current bed is made of really soft memory foam and I sink into it which isn’t helping my back. I’m looking for a reliable futon setup for a budget of about $400usd. My room has carpet so I also have questions on how I can realistically set it up and maintain it. Any advice would help Thanks

Not necessarily a minimalism thing but I’m tired of air mattresses eventually failing for guests. I know these exist because many people on this subreddit use them as their primary bed. A lot of the reviews on Amazon are mixed at best. What Japanese futon is everyone using?

I've never been mattress shopping before and have only received older used mattresses. I think I need a firmer mattress and I'm genuinely considering a Japanese futon but I'm 5'4 and 250 lbs. I just want to be able to sleep well on something and not wake up in pain anymore. My concern is if a Japanese futon would have enough padding for me to be comfortable. Should I get a trifold mattress to go under it?

Okay so to start off, i am american. Growing up i always slept on "palates" or "nests" on the floor consisting of a few thick comforters/blankets a cover and some pillows. Loved it. Now, i can never be comfortable in a normal bed and tend to sleep on couches chairs or floor. Also i cant STAND the massive amount of dead space standard beds have. My bedroom doubles as a workspace/craft space so having this massive thing in 80% of the area is insufferable.

1. Do japanese folks actually pay the prices im seeing online for futons!? Im seeing sets for lowest $300USD going as far up as $2,000USD, and i just want to know if theyre upselling the aesthetic, if its actually that price, or if im just not using the right terminology.

2. Im seeing several terms for different beds, some with a futon on a folded frame, some being a tatami style 3 segment fold up mattress, and some actual mattress looking beds, which one is the one that resembles something of a sleeping bag- but with more padding?

3. I have pets, what covers/sheets/ storage options does everyone use other than a closet to keep it clean?

4. Is it worth it? Ive been sleeping on the floor again the past few weeks and im getting terrible pressure points in my shoulder and hip if i sleep on my side, but i smother if im fully straight on my back, but ive noticed SIGNIFICANTLY less lower back pain since i started doing this again.

5. Would i be better off with a twin or full size daybed? I am 5"5'

Hey there, I‘ve heard if the many benefits a japanese futon can have and would love to try. Now I took a look at the market and saw sites who priced their products as authentic etc. and I was wondering which one I could trust. So I decided to ask the lovely people on reddit regarding their experience with futons and recommendations

I am considering buying a futon to sleep on. I like sleeping on a hard surface and the idea of being able to stow it away easily during day time.

Is there anything I should consider regarding the purchase of a futon? Are there different qualities that I should be aware of?

I am considering getting a Japanese futon because:

1: I want to be able to fold it in the morning to create space since my apartment isn’t too big and I work remotely.

2: my scoliosis tends to like somewhat firmer cushioning.

Questions/thoughts:

1: do I need a tatami mat? Or if I fold it daily, clean the floors weekly, then mold should be a non Issue?

2: what sheets do I use? I’d like to be able to have sheets and clean them weekly.

3: would you recommend cotton, wool, or polyester?

4: where are the best places to order them and the process for that? My budget is 300-500. I would like a double or a twin sized.

5: when you fold them away, do you keep the sheets on or take them off and fold those too?

6: if I am cleaning the floors weekly and picking the futon up daily, dust accumulation shouldn’t be an issues?

7: if I were to get a tatami mat I think I’d like to have a foldable one to put away during the day. Unless you just treat it like a carpet?

8: if not a tatami, I would get a bed wooden plate that I can rolle up just so I can prevent mold.

I have recently been thinking about getting rid of my big, bulky bed and getting a japanese style futon. I love the minimalistic qualities it has, but I'm not sure how comfortable it would be. Could anyone who has made the transition tell me about their experience?

Thanks in advance