My Favorite Bedroom
My bedroom is not the same as American-style because I don’t use a bed. In Japan, people use futon which is kind of bed on a particular ground which is called tatami. A tatami is a traditional Japanese floor made out of a type of grass. Tatami floors keep the room cool and deodorized, which is very nice during the humid Japanese summers. A tatami room can also be a living room, with just a table as an addition, because Japanese people eat while sitting on the floor. Every morning, we put up our futons so they don’t get in the way as we walk around and do our work in our rooms. Every night, we put down our futons to sleep. Futons are not only convenient for small spaces, but good for our backs and health. I find that when I sleep on a soft bed, my back hurts, whereas when I sleep on a futon, I feel great in the mornings.
When I came to America, I was shocked that there was no tatami and I couldn’t believe that I would sleep on the bed. For a few days, I wasn’t able to sleep through the night and I struggled with sleeping on a bed. I didn’t like the soft feeling but I got used to sleeping on an American bed as well as the constant back pains. This didn’t last for long. Since the following incident happened, I haven’t slept on an American bed. A month ago, when I was trying to sleep on it, it made sounds like the bed was really old. Then I thought that I should change it soon. One night, when I was having a dream, suddenly the house began to tremble and collapsed. I woke up screaming, “This is a big earthquake!” Everyone came to my room. I thought it was an earthquake but my bed had just collapsed. The next day, I slept on the ground with my futon because I didn’t want to have that experience again. I still sleep on a futon and I don’t have back problems every morning. Every morning, I put up my futon to make my room clear. Every night, I put down my futon to sleep. This habitual routine provides good exercise and helps me maintain a daily schedule.
I tried to do things the American way but I still believe that the futon is absolutely better than the bed.