The "kotatsu" is a familiar fixture in Japanese life. It is a small table with a heavy quilted cover that extends to the floor. A heavy dining surface holds the cover in place, and underneath the table sits an electric heater. 

Partly due to Japan's group-oriented culture and partly due to the lack of central heating in many Japanese homes (the average Japanese home has an insulation "R" value just below that of a wet paper bag) the kotatsu is often the center of domestic life during the winter months. Families huddle around the kotatsu to enjoy food, television and conversation, keeping their legs and feet warm under the cover.

While the kotatsu looks like an ordinary piece of furniture nothing could be further from the truth.  The kotatsu is an icon of Japanese culture.  

There is even a animation character called Kotatsuneko (translates into Kotatsu cat).  The story behind this character is as follows:

Kotatsuneko is a huge ghost of a cat that froze to death a long time ago after being kicked out by his abusive owners one cold winter. The spirit of the cat decided to go bad and vowed to haunt the people who refused him shelter.

Because he died from cold Kotatsuneko is attracted to warmth. He also had an attachment to kotatsu's because his owners would never let him near one. Kotatsus are toasty little covered tables with a heater underneath to warm your feet. Kotatsuneko was pleasantly surprised to discover the heat that kotatsu emitted.

He's a nice and silent kitty, who just sits with his paws under the table drinking tea and snacking on taiyaki (fish shaped pancakes). He doesn't bother anyone, unless they bother him first. Being a ghost, he has incredible supernatural powers and therefore he's almost unstoppable when he becomes cross; Usually using his brute strength and mastery of sumo wrestling moves to push his weight around. 

Funny isn't it? Amusing yes, but It also illustrates just how prevalent the kotatsu is in Japanese life.

This is a brief synopsis of an average night at my house since discovering the joys of the kotatsu:  Get home from work, go for a jog, shower, eat, and slip under the kotatsu.  Stay there all night.  (most of the time we eat while sitting at the kotatsu)  

Given that it is so hard to heat a Japanese house during the winter time, one tends to stay under the kotatsu for most of the time one is at home. I finally know why the Japanese have created remote controls for things even though the rooms are rarely more than eight or ten feet wide.

One word.....Kotatsu.  

Once you are under it, you start to feel a certain warm lethargy begin to creep over you. Suddenly you start asking yourself ridiculous questions like, "Do I really need to go to the bathroom that bad?" or "Why don't they invent an integrated toilet/kotatsu/regrigerator/bathtub/microwave oven?  After all, they can put a man on the moon can't they? That way I would never have to venture out into that cold, dark, unforgiving house around me."     

Here is a little history about how the kotasu developed in Japan: Long ago, a square, open hearth was set in the middle of the floor for heating and cooking. The shelf above the hearth, first seen in the 14th century, is said to be the forerunner of the modern kotatsu. Something resembling today's kotatsu was invented early in the 17th century, in the form of a rough wooden frame placed on the floor. There was a coverlet on top, hot charcoal in an earthenware pot inside the framework, and space all around for people to sit.  With the introduction of electricity top Japan, it was not long before the kotatsu, in the form seen today, was developed. Relaxing around this source of heat was an excellent way for family members to grow closer to each other. On chilly days, everyone naturally gathered in the room which had the kotatsu, sitting beside one another to get warm and chat. 

After having a kotatsu for only a couple of months now, I can't imagine how I made it through last winter without one.  The first thing I do in the mornings is turn to walk down to the living room and turn the kotatsu on.  By the time I have fixed myself some breakfast it has warmed up and I can then slip under the cover to enjoy my breakfast.  

Even though I am able to see my breath in the mornings (yes, it is that cold in the house each winter morning) once I am under the toasty warm kotatsu I do not really notice how cold it is.  Before I had a kotatsu it was almost painful to shovel down a quick breakfast in a room just a few degrees above freezing.  But now I can sit back and relax because I now have a secret weapon against the notoriously non-insulated Japanese house. 

Kotatsu, it's not just a piece of furniture, it's a life saver!