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'Wearable kotatsu' lets you walk around in Japan’s favorite heating furniture

8 Comments
By grape Japan

Akihabara-based retailer Thanko is all about practical gadgets delivered with a sense of humor, whether it be clip-on air conditioning units or a creepy office hand that caresses your face as you work. Thanko is already gearing up for winter hijinks, this time with a wearable kotatsu--Japan's impossibly comfy furniture for staving off the cold.

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If you're not familiar with kotatsu, they are low-situated tables with a heater installed underneath, which then trap the heat with a heavy and comfy blanket. They're very much a staple of Japanese houses with no central heating, and have a reputation for lulling people to sleep with their comforting warmth, as well as providing refuge for cats. Thanko's new release takes the heating system of a kotatsu and applies it to a sleeping bag that allows for extra mobility so you don't have to be trapped by the laziness kotatsu often instill in people.

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An open flap at the bag's bottom for your legs allows you to move around while constantly applying heat.

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It's equipped with three heat settings (Celsius) of 35, 45, and 55 degrees. It also features a timer, an extra defense against the sleep-inducing powers of kotatsu, as well as blanketed arms and a warming pocket.

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The wearable kotatsu sleeping bag is available from Thanko for 7,980 yen.

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© grape Japan

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

8 Comments
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Doesn't it need to be plugged in? How long is the cable?

And 55 Celsius - is that to help train for next year's Olympics?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Reminds me of winter 1998, when I was staying in a "gaijin house".

There was a girl from New Zealand who had a hooded sleeping bag.

One night, she wanted to go down to the convenience store to do some late night shopping, but she didn't fancy getting fully dressed just to go to Lawson for a few minutes.

So she just went in her sleeping bag, like an arm-less Gumby.

She was back 10 minutes later, shopping in hand.

Apparently, she got a surprised look from the poor fellow behind the counter.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Naw, I’ll stick with the old traditional Kotatsu. I’m not that lazy that I can leave the comfort of the heat for a moment to grab a brew or use the John.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Naw, I’ll stick with the old traditional Kotatsu. I’m not that lazy that I can leave the comfort of the heat for a moment to grab a brew or use the John.

Being lazy has zero to do with it since both people are leaving a place, which means both are physically exerting themselves. The issue is comfort in the cold.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Being lazy has zero to do with it since both people are leaving a place,

Ok, that’s your opinion, my opinion is, I think it’s being wimpy and darn lazy.

This would be good for old people many of whom die from the cold every winter.

In that case, maybe, but for the average person, come on....

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The heat in the bag is probably more even than with a kotatsu. In those the shins tend to bake and flake while the back remains chilly (unless you aim another heater at it or lie down under the kotatsu). The bag probably eliminates the risk of burns for those who fall asleep under the kotatsu as well. Though I suspect that temperatures over 35 aren't ideal for the body's functioning while asleep.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ok, that’s your opinion, my opinion is, I think it’s being wimpy and darn lazy.

No, it's not my opinion, it's a fact because in your hypothetical both people are moving the same distance. It may be being wimpy, but it has zero to do with being lazy. Words have meanings.

In that case, maybe, but for the average person, come on....

Yeah, come on! Why can't everyone be as tough as I am?!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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