The Rising Sun: There's No Place Like Home

           Alright, this time my post is something new (for once). Japanese homes.
          Well for starters, Japanese house prices depend on location, location, (you guessed it) location. Since Japan is a small country, the land prices are generally higher than American homes. Houses are also generally more compact than American homes.
         I think the strangest difference between American and Japanese homes is that Japanese houses don't generally have dryers. More people are getting one for their house but most still don’t have one. People will just hang their laundry on a line to dry out. On rainy days, people will hang clothes inside or wait until the sun comes out. A house might actually be more attractive to a Japanese buyer if it faces the sun. Why don't they generally not have dryers? Well, it takes energy to dry cloths. Japan is an island so if they don't need to use energy they try not to. Otherwise they'll use up their resources and have to eventually pay other countries for it.
         Many people like cleanliness in their homes but the Japanese take it a little smidgen further. No shoes in the house. Ever. That’s right, nearly all homes have what's called a genkan. The entry way is, usually, built lower than the house so you can take off your shoes and step up into the house. Sometimes it's just a different tiled spot but that's where the shoes stop. The Japanese have genkans to not only keep the dust and dirt out but they also used to believe it would keep bad spirits out as well. So, for example, lets say your moving. Yeah, the movers will take off their shoes and put them on again every time they go in or out. Every time. Genkans aren’t just in homes but nearly all buildings. The company will have little slippers you can wear so you don't walk around in your socks and cubbies to put your shoes in.
        Ok next is Japanese beds. Japanese will use either a traditional Western bed or what’s called a futon. This is different from what you might think as the futon that can be a couch and a bed. Japanese futons usually have a foam pad (matto), a futon (shikibuton), sheets(shiitsu), blankets (mofu), a duvet (kakebuton) and a pillow (makura) (pictures below). It is very important to air out a futon so mold and other thing can’t grow inside of it. The Japanese fold a futon into thirds with only the bottom of the futon touching the floor; again that’s for cleanliness. By folding the futon and putting it in a cupboard a room can be a bedroom and an office.

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