Futon

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Futon

A ' is a flat, about thick mattress
Mattress

A 'mattress' is a mat or pad, usually placed on top of a bed, upon which to sleep or lie.The word mattress is derived from Arabic language words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word m...
with a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
or synthetic batting that makes up a Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese bed.

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A ' is a flat, about thick mattress
Mattress

A 'mattress' is a mat or pad, usually placed on top of a bed, upon which to sleep or lie.The word mattress is derived from Arabic language words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word m...
with a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
or synthetic batting that makes up a Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese bed. They are sold in Japan at speciality stores called futon-ya as well as at department stores. They are often sold in sets which include the futon mattress (shikibuton), a comforter (kakebuton) or blanket (mofu), a summer blanket resembling a large towel, and pillow (makura), generally filled with beans, buckwheat
Buckwheat

Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus Eriogonum....
chaff or plastic beads. Futons are designed to be placed on tatami
Tatami

mats are a traditional type of Japanese flooring. Made of woven soft rush straw, and traditionally packed with rice straw , tatami are made in individual mats of uniform size and shape, bordered by brocade or plain cloth....
flooring, and are traditionally folded away and stored in a closet during the day to allow the tatami to breathe and to allow for flexibility in the use of the room. Futons must be aired in sunlight regularly, especially if not put away during the day. In addition, many Japanese people beat their futons regularly using a special tool, traditionally made from bamboo
Bamboo

The bamboos are a group of woody perennial plant evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae....
, resembling a Western carpet beater
Carpet beater

A carpet beater or mattenklopper is a tool used to clean carpets and rugs by hanging them up and beating them. It is usually made of willow switch es woven together in a knot similar to a flattened Turk's head knot....
.

Western futons are based on the Japanese original, with several major differences. They are often placed on a configurable wood or metal frame for dual use as a bed and a chair
Chair

A chair is used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs often have the seat raised above floor level, supported by four legs. A back or arm rests in a stool, or when raised up, a bar stool or high chair ....
or couch
Couch

A couch is an upholstery item of furniture for the comfortable seating of more than one person and typically has an armrest on either side. Couches are usually to be found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge room....
. Typically, the frame folds in the middle allowing the futon to be used as a couch and flattens to be used as a bed. They are usually filled with foam as well as batting, often in several layers, and they are often much thicker and larger than Japanese futons, resembling a traditional mattress in size. Western-style futons are a cheap alternative to a bed or other furniture
Furniture

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body , provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground....
, and are often sold in sets that include the mattress and frame. Futons normally feature a removable and replaceable cover, giving them more versatility.

In Japanese, a zabuton
Zabuton

A zabuton is a Japanese cushion for sitting. The kanji characters ??? literally translated are "seat-cloth-sphere". The zabuton is the everyday cushion found in homes and used for eating, watching television, reading at the kotatsu, and other daily activities....
(za, sitting + futon) is a cushion for sitting on. Zabuton are often used for sitting on tatami floors.