Those of you who keep a mattress or a futon on the floor: Please remember a mattress needs to breath, it stores a lot of humidity from sweat while sleeping. Put it upwards /put the futon away every day. Once I got into trouble with my landlord (as a student, a time of life when visits from the landlord from time to time were widely accepted), he insisted I use a bedframe, because the floor beneath might get damaged due to funghi developing. Today, after having selected and laid out the beautiful hardwood floors in my appartment myself, I can totally understand that. More on reddit.com

It's not the prettiest, but Ikea's Lycksele Lovas is very comfortable. It pulls out as a single piece mattress, so no awkard seams/gaps like you get on the type that fold the back down, and there are enough flat slats that you don't feel them through the mattress as with a lot of other futons of this type. I used it as my bed for 2 summers and had no complaints. It is also very compact, though actually folds out to about the size of a full sized mattress (about 1 inch wider, 1 inch shorter, but full sized sheets work fine). More on reddit.com

I bought a frame from tatamiroom.com. I bought tatami mats from Tokyo Tatami Maker. They’re custom made to fit in the frame.  You can order samples from Tokyo Tatami Maker before you buy. Tokyo Tatami Maker has a lot of choices. I did not choose the igusa. Igusa has a natural hay/grass-like scent. The odor fades over time. Personally I don’t find the odor offensive; just very strong. I’m scent sensitive so the igusa odor would definitely bother me while trying to sleep.  I bought the Tokyo Gloss checkered pattern from the Tokyo series. The Tokyo Series Gloss can be wiped with a damp cloth if needed. I’m buying a mattress from Matsu; they’re in California. Matsu was recommended by another Reddit poster.  I’m getting the four inch wool and cotton mattress. I called Matsu. They make their own mattresses. The woman I spoke with was very nice. J Life International sells Gold Bond mattresses. Gold Bond is an American company.  I bought a Gold Bond mattress years ago for a living room futon chair. Bought it from a local futon store.  I still have it. Gold Bond futon mattresses come in different models. The Gold Bond mattresses I saw are the typical cotton & foam American futon. They’re not bad mattresses but definitely not a shikibuton. I suspect J Life Internstional may not be as Japanese as they lead people to believe. More on reddit.com

Honestly futons might just suck haha. I've had three. All very uncomfortable couches for extended periods, and didn't take long before they were uncomfortable to lie on as well. I would recommend against metal pole style frames and go for wood slats if able.

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