I mentioned a few posts ago the hori-kotatsu, a sunken pit in the living room of some Japanese houses. I realise I may have confused some folks with the description, the concept being so unusual as to perplex a Westerner. They are less prevalent in modern houses, but essentially serve the purpose of being both a heater for the cold Japanese winters as well as a place to eat, watch TV, study or read the newspaper. In winter we had lessons in the kotatsu and it was extremely popular.

To get in, you slide in under the small table top and dangle your legs into the empty space, at the base of which is an electric heater. There are cushions around each side and often as not, a doona that slides under the small table and which catches the heat as it rises. At the end of summer, the whole thing packs away, the table top becoming a part of the floor again. Such a great idea!

Here is our hori-kotatsu, ready for use in about 2004. Every morning I would come down from the upstairs bedroom, switch on the heater, make a cup of tea, grab the Yomuiri Shinbun, and plonk down into the kotatsu. Now that's a memory you could bottle!