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Answerman - Do Japanese People Use Beds Or Futons?

I've seen some houses that mix Western and Japanese styles in different rooms, but those are pretty rare.

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I've seen some houses that mix Western and Japanese styles in different rooms, but those are pretty rare.

Strongly disagree. It's extremely common to have one (maybe more) tatami room / 和室 in an otherwise Western styled house with 洋室. Those are not rare at all. In fact, every one of my relatives and friends who lives in a detached house in Japan (mostly in Yokohama) has one. Sure, they're pretty rare in apartments, if that's what you're familiar with. (I do think most people sleep in Western-style bedrooms, though, outside of guesthouses and onsen ryokan and such.)

These days most newer homes are Western style, and aside from small touches (like outward-opening doors and a low entrance for removing shoes), they're really not very different from a contemporary house you'd see in Europe or America.

Actually, I seem to remember Honoka Yukishiro's room from Futari wa Pretty Cure having sliding doors, tatami mats and a Western-style bed. I believe there was a rug under the bed to keep it from juxtaposing with the Japanese elements too closely.

I would have to disagree that they're not very different. Well, not very different - but still more than a few small touches. Don't forget the sliding doors, the metal sinks and plastic bathrooms - not to mention the separate toilet and shower rooms and lack of central hearing outside of hokkaido to name a few more things (And the super white walls that nothing sticks to) It's certainly more western than the past and perhaps not what you'd picture if you haven't seen any recent Japanese homes, but I would still hesitate to say that it's so close to western homes.

Superfield wrote:

Actually, I seem to remember Honoka Yukishiro's room from Futari wa Pretty Cure having sliding doors, tatami mats and a Western-style bed. I believe there was a rug under the bed to keep it from juxtaposing with the Japanese elements too closely.

Yeah, I remember that episode where Honoka and Nagisa were sleeping on that bed.

Honoka rarely wears traditional outfits and, IIRC her parents are abroad for almost the entire year, so I can understand that their house would have some western elements.

That's a lot of small details IMHO. They're super noticeable mind you, but none of them make a very big difference practically. Interestingly, the two most significant differences you pointed out are actually not so much a difference between Japan and the West, but more a difference between Japan and parts of the west. I'm betting you're from the Northern USA or Canada. In the south, houses don't have central heating, and in Europe (also part of the "West") washrooms and toilets are in fact separate rooms (although unlike in Japan, the washroom and bathroom are usually 1 room, and only the toilet is separate).