Yeah it’s basically one of the Japanese kind but on a frame that lets it convert between bed and couch. It’s notoriously bad at both roles. But it’s great for teenagers with space and budget constraints

[–] Repelle@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

These things are really nothing like the real thing in practice. I’m half Japanese and sleep on a real one every night (though raised on a western style bed platform with tatami instead of slats/boxspring and find the American use of the term insulting, at best.

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Yeah it’s basically one of the Japanese kind but on a frame

I thought what made a futon a futon is that it is a matress, on the ground, without the frame

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not really. The lady who used to live on my couch bought a Japanese futon in an attempt to stop living on my couch, and my sister used to live on an American mattress sans frame and they’re wildly different things. An American mattress is 2-3x the thickness of a Japanese futon and while it’s less comfortable without a frame, you can comfortably live with it on a hard American style floor. A Japanese futon is insufficient on an American style floor and really needs the soft springy surface of a tatami floor.

It’s the difference between a support and comfort structure vs a person sized cushion

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

Wikipedia futon:

A complete futon set consists of a mattress (敷き布団, shikibuton, lit. "spreading futon") and a duvet (掛け布団, kakebuton, lit. "covering futon")

However, Western-style futons, which typically resemble low, wooden sofa beds, differ considerably from their Japanese counterparts.[1][16] They often have the dimensions of standard western mattresses, and are too thick to fold double and stow easily in a cupboard. They are often set up and stored on a slatted frame,[13] which avoids having to move them to air regularly, especially in the dry indoor air of a centrally-heated house[17] (most Japanese homes were not traditionally centrally-heated[18]).

"Western-style futons" don't really sound like futons at all tbqh.

[–] Repelle@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Futon are made from sheets of wool (traditionally) or cotton (modern) folded over several times and then tied together. They’re very soft and fluffy but can get flat as used. Daily folding and putting away of the futon helps keep them fluffy.