“ I have Filipino parents and they refuse to keep the ac on.” I felt this in my soul 😂

This is the joys of seeing how people live in other places. here in the desert, we have to be worried about scorpions crawling around on the ground, so this would NEVER be a possibility, but it's cool nontheless.

the important part you are missing is the tatami.(not the thin "gozo" but the 2" thick ones) They are like the box spring in a western bed. They not only add cushion, circulate air (insulating / cooling) helping to prevent mold on the Shikibuton but also smell nice. Shikibuton were traditional used in tatami rooms though those are becoming less frequently seen in modern Japanese houses. it's also common to use an additional thin cushion mat in between the tatami and mattress for added comfort or a foldable wooden slated frame instead of a tatami. But more and more modern Japanese are sleeping in western style beds. the word futon is referring to the complete bedding including the sheets, blanket and pillows.

not me taking a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day because i accidentally looked at my unmade bed....

Hey homey, you might want to invest in a tatami mat for your setup. Its essential for keeping your bedding from molding and added support. You can find foldable ones as well👍🏽

I lived in Japan a long time ago. I have four kids now. Japanese futons are awesome. They free up a lot of room for activities. Kids love them. They know they can have western beds any time. From 19 to 2, they have no desire for one.

I spent 11 years of my Navy career in Japan. I bought a futon and slept on it. I would fall to sleep very fast, and wake up ready tot go. The room I slept in was a Tatami room. The Tatami are good at air circulation and keeping your core temperature regulated. The Japanese sell a bed frame for your futon. The frames vary in how they are designed, but the best ones are made to hold Tatami mats for the futon to sit on.

It’s amazing how simply changing your mattress can make such a huge impact on your quality of life

This thing costs $536 on Amazon Canada. My god. I’ve been interested in one of these for years, but having a hard time getting my girlfriend to agree to using one, haha.

I lived in Japan for 13 years. My futon was about 2" inches thin, not like western fluffy 4-8 inch futons. Best sleep I ever had. Furthermore my pillow made of cut up cylindar like plastic straw things was amazing. Been in US for 4 years on a King bed, aquired sleep apnea, getting rid of it and going back to my Japanese bed and bedding and healthy sleeping!!

Been sleeping in a hammock for 3 years -- really great for hot summers, no need for a pillow, just sleep at an angle in it. Something to look into if you're thinking about nontraditional sleeping.

A Japanese Futon is also so easy to clean, you clean the sheets as normal and just take the futon out on a deck and give it a whack with a sturdy stick or wooden rod to get everything out, at least that is how I used mine when I had used one in Japan.

Old(ish) dude with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and pretty bad back problems here. I bought my first futon mattress 2017 and oh man, I'm sleeping so much better. But I have mine up on a breathable base.

The trend from the last decade or so for "Memory foam" mattresses is a scam. Since i got one, my sleep has deteriorated because it does not dissipate heat like a normal spring mattress would; it does the opposite: it accumulates your body heat and sends it back to you in a closed loop. It makes me wake up in the middle of the night due to being too hot, and sweating, and I have to take off a blanket, and it's still too hot. I am looking for a non-foam, flippable spring mattress now. Having seen your video, it reminded me of my college years, when I did have a very nice fat, thick futon bed and I know I loved it. Reconsidering now. Thanks.

Oh bless your heart. I live in the south and no AC at night, no way!! I sleep on a Japanese futon and tatami mat too and I’ll never go back to a regular bed.

I've gone back to sleeping half the night on shredded foam bean bags and the other half the night in a bridge hammock on a stand. The stand takes up a bit too much room in my studio. I have a chance of back pain everyday from working in a warehouse but hammocks were my magic item to have less pain while sleeping. A futon like this might let me have a spot to come in and take a nap after my ten hour shift.

My previous bed began to breakdown after all the years that went through. I had to start looking for a new bed because the discomfort was getting unbearable. I never liked how beds occupied a part of your bedroom. I stumbled on Futons out of curiosity when some mentions about them began popping up in stores or in videos. I didn't understand the hype but was willing to give it a shot just for the sake of acquiring back more space whether it be to be productive or to be in VR. No joke, the Shikibuton and Tatami Mat bundle I acquired from Emoor has been one of the best investments I've ever done in my life. Sleep quality has improved like never before, falling asleep has become much easier as well. It's actually difficult for me to want to leave my futon when I do wake up lmao. One thing that took me by surprise is that I have been regularly sleeping on my back after years of being a side sleeper. Adapting only took a day. It's been a couple of months now that I've had this thing and its excellent. Also, get a Tatami Mat! Maintaining a Futon ventilated is one of the keys to extend their usability and durability!

This feels like a classic youtube video.

Used to do this because I was poor and by myself. Advice, never on carpet, you will get bitten by bugs. Quite happy in my western bed, now not getting bitten by bugs.

I’m glad I’m not the only one using a cajon as my nightstand.

Us oldsters who have some difficulty rising from a prone to a standing position would want to have some kind of riser beneath the futon to raise it off the floor. Of course, older Japanese who have been doing this all their lives, probably don’t have that problem. Another reason why sleeping on the floor may be good for you.

Hey Zach, wanted to congratulate you on the engagement🎉 Wishing you the best, man!! Thank you for the awesome videos

Can't get away with that in Australia lmao. The amount of lizards, bugs and spiders that get into our home makes sleeping on the floor a very anxiety-inducing experience.

Thank you for presenting alternatives! I finally ditched a typical "Western" style mattress. I just bought some latex slabs, wrapped them with some wool and again with a cotton case. It was a lot more than $140, but simple materials, should last decades, and incredibly comfortable! Something to consider.

Yo, this is crazy. I used to watch your fixie videos back years and years ago. You just popped up on my feed, it's so good to see you're doing well. Happy for you man. Have a good one

I just got a twin japanese futon in feb. Wow! I love it! Keep telling everyone. My back pain is nearly gone. Also, pre menopausal and this really helps at night. And i sleep in a different room than my husband. No more snoring.

Ive been searching for a decent shikifuton for literally weeks and this is exactly what i wanted thank u! 💙✨

Made this change a little over a year ago, but I went the route of loft bed + tatami mat + futon to increase space in my room. I've enjoyed the sleep I've gotten from it! I think one benefit I've derived from the experience is just gaining the ability to sleep anywhere after adjusting to the firmness. Great video, hope more people try this out!

I have been sleeping on a shikibuton for coming up on five months now! I bought it almost a year ago and used it as a reward to downsize my possessions. I've never been happier existing in a clean and minimal space. Also with sleeping on the floor, I can finally enjoy the full length windows we have in this house! It feels so good to wake up to light streaming in the window next to me rather than the light always being obscured by big oversized western furniture. Mine is a eXTRA firm 1" 'infirmary' style. It was $70 and is basically the equivalent to a disposable option as you can get. Unfortunately it still cost $300 to ship it so I might as well have gotten a super fancy one. When I reach twelve months of use, I think I will reward myself with a proper set that's 3" or 4" with tatami 💖 never going back to big, bulky, heavy, junk furniture!

Love that I got this recommendation for a fellow Sacramentan's video! Sleeping on the floor is underrated!

i moved out of an apartment a few years ago and forgot my tatami bed setup in the storage room. i miss it so much! i had the best sleep ever on that thing!

I bought one a bit over a year ago and love it. It has helped my back tremendously! I’m 42 and don’t plan to switch to a traditional mattress anytime soon.. I also have a bamboo sleeping mat underneath it.

I've been thinking about making this switch for a long time and this random algorithm recommendation may be pushing me over the top.

This video’s timing is impeccable because I’m about to graduate from my college and go to grad school. That means moving from a dorm to an apartment and I was just thinking about my bed options. Thanks for the vid, might go for this bed instead of a traditional one!

I may have to give one a try. I've been sleeping on the carpeted floor with my blanket and pillow lately, and found I have an easier time falling asleep, waking up in the mornings, and feel more alert/refreshed throughout the day than my bed.

Hell yeah, I'm glad to have stumbled on this. Thanks for the effort in divulging this information.

I started out trying the tatami and a japanese futon mattress because of my lower back problem it took sometime at first to be used to a very firm bed but once my back issues started getting better I never looked back. When I sleep on a soft bed from my family or friends for a few days when I visit I feel my lower back start to act up so I know I will not be able sleep on a soft bed for a prolonged time. Japanese Tatami and futon mattress has been a game changer for me and I will never go back to a regular western bed.

I’ve slept in a hammock for the last 5 years and it’s been great and saves me a lot of space in my face as well has making me feel like a million

I'm shocked you only have 1.81k subscribers. Great title, video and commentary! Keep up with this quality and I am sure you will blow up! Have an amazing day/night!

When it comes to sleeping surfaces, floors are the most "it depends" as pertaining to sleep quality. Even with a thick blanket surface and a pillow, sleeping on concrete is pretty much a guaranteed way to feel very sore/uncomfortable, at least in my experience.

Shout out to Sacramento! I grew up there and lived there until 2022. I'm in Seattle now and still have my shikibuton. 🙌🏼 Can't say I miss the heat though. 😂

I started listening to why we sleep for fun and I can say, it is hands down one of the BEST books to read.

I actually recently started wearing Jikatabi (ninja shoes) for a larp, but if discovered that when I wear them I no longer have back, knee, or hip pain. I can stand for a long time in them too. There's just something about how we used to do stuff before that just works. In my early days in uni, I only had a cot and had to put it away because my room was so small where I lived that I couldn't even use my chair at my desk--but when I did put it away, I was always so much more productive. The room I had was smaller than yours.

This video highlighted for me how a futon mattress is convenient for space-saving more than anything. I spent a good 7 or 8 years sleeping on one though and i wouldnt go back to that option for full time use. Cool to see different experiences. Good pillows help a lot too. I've had the same soft but dense foam pillow for almost 20 years and it still feels the same as day 1. Takes time to find what works for you, but just be willing to invest for quality in whatever your ideal setup is.

I also grew up in Sacramento as a Filipino kid and hated how the bed became a heat trap in the summer. Going to consider this one. At least now I get to run the AC in the summers...

Damn, it's Zach! Didn't realize the cycling and minimalist parts of my life would cross over in such a direct way, but this was an amazing video. It's probably a great introduction to a lot of people who don't see the merit of floor beds because it doesn't try to focus on a bunch of research conclusions that aren't understood by a common audience, but instead focuses on your actual experiences. I've been alternating between a bedframe-based bed and a comforter on the floor for the past year and a half, and the floor bed has always been nice and the best thing about it is it only really took me about three tries of trying to use the floor bed for a week straight (when I first tried to adjust to it) until I felt fully comfortable with it and saw just how much better it was than my normal bed. Plus now that it's getting hotter here in Asia, sleeping on the floor has become essential for me because it's just far too hot to be sleeping on a plush foam mattress. Now, it's time to just to remove my bed frame so I can recover 18 square meters of floor space (floor space which will now be easy to clean and can be used for other purposes throughout the day).

When I moved out of my old house, I did the exact same thing! I've since gone back to a regular size bed, but I miss the space efficiency and comfort of my old futon.

About 20 years ago, I bought a futon for my basement - needed seating for parties and a sofabed could come in handy. Well, I got the el cheapo black metal convertible frame that every cheap futon seemed to come with, but then I went to an actual futon store to get the mattress itself. I wish I could remember the make and model - it was quite a bit thicker than the traditional Japanese one in this video, button-tufted all the way across which made it generally firm with a little squish to each 'pocket', and the fabric was the perfect blend of soft and durable. And it made for the most comfortable sofa I have ever sat on in my life. I'm kicking myself for having gotten rid of it when I moved a couple years later. I would probably trade my memory foam mattress for that thing if I could find another one, at least for the cooling properties you mentioned, plus I'm trying to combat shoulder and hip pain when I sleep on my side.

Physically jumped when your face appeared and I realized that you’re the fixed gear bicycle guy I watched and enjoyed so many years ago. Great video man thank you!

I worry about close encounters of the critter kind on the floor.

I dont have a bed like that but recently i got a futon. Over the last year, it has been much easier to do my work (when im not lazy in the morning lol) and go to bed. This stuff really does have an impact on our work habits.

I had one for van camping and loved it . Men always sleep on the floor but honestly the best sleep I’ve had was on a mattress on the floor 😂

Totally relate with the Filipino parents. My mom refuses to cut the air on sometimes and opts to open the window lol

this ad convinced me to get this bed in hopes to get better sleep considering i found sleeping on the floor so much more comfy than my memory foam bed

I sweat a lot in my sleep for months and months ive tried everything from sleeping in different rooms, with a fan, with a window open. Everything i tried wasn’t helping until i started sleeping on the floor. So now i have a mattress pa d on my floor and ive been getting the best sleep ive had in months

Bed: 😡 Japanese Bed: 🤯

I KNEW YOUR VOICE SOUNDED FAMILIAR. Great to see you back in my algorithm. I remember watching all your videos when I was in my fixie era before I got mine stolen lol.

Fellow sac resident here, definitely interested in getting one of these eventually

As someone from american born and raised I admired The east alot more than the west on so many levels, When i had attempted my own Futon bed it fixed not only my back problems and insomnia but it was extremely comfortable and low enough to where i didn't have to worry about moving off the bed and hurting myself, even my animals adore it (Which is a pain to clean but it works)

I started to sleep on the floor when i was young for similar reasons. the firmness just feels better for me.

I have a queen sized memory foam topper folded in half on top of a yoga mat to keep it off the ground mostly. works great and was free almost a year and no mold.

There is something called the dust layer. It is a certain area around ground level that contains a lot of fine dust particles. So it is not bad to sleep higher than the dust layer. Also I slept on a futon for several years. And I prefer a hard spring mattress.

I've been living in Japan for around a year now and if I'm able, I'm gonna take my futon back with me when I return to my home country. This thing is not only extremely comfy, certainly much more than my old bed, but it's also completely silent since it's not on a creaky wooden platform like my bed back home. Most of the people I know who are also from my country bought western style beds as soon as they could simply because they don't like getting up/down when they go to sleep/wake up.

I got a Japanese mat bed about 2 months ago and my back pain has almost completely vanished. I have mine on a low platform which avoids all the "On the ground" issues.

omg you just gave me an awesome idea! i have a bedroom that is too tiny and i dont have any room to put a desk to study on, my back hurts so much cuz i have to use the dining table for it and it's certainly NOT ideal. not even close. i'll try some of these with maybe a desk with wheels so i can fit all of this inside the bedroom when going to sleep. nice vid btw

Love the essentialism.

I sleep on the same kind of futton. But during the day I keep it in a closet. Protects it from dust. I can personally relate to most of your points. I always slept on box beds. Recently been in a hotel, and I missed sleeping on the floor. It kinda suggests that you are tucking into a small corner behind someting, and signing off for good. 😄I swear I sleep better on the floor.

I sleep on two sleeping bags and a camping mat. I've done this since 2010. No back issues, hate when bugs get on my face, not common, but can happen more often since you are on the ground. Plus vacuuming is so much easier since I can just pick up my bed and put it somewhere else with ease. And it's a bit of work out getting up out of bed because you are on the ground, when your sick, it kind of sucks, but not a huge issue.

Been using a 1" thick foam camping mat because it was way more comfortable than any mattress i've tested. I might try one of those when its inevitably starts breaking down.

This feels like modern art. With the affiliate link, this acts as some weird vlog commercial for the bed.

So weird. I just had a shukibuton video pop up on my wall a couple of days ago. God must be talking to me again.

Make sure to flip it and move it around regularly. Slept on a mattress on the ground for a few years that got moldy due to it (a person sweats about 1,5l into a mattress a night). I got severely ill. When I flipped the mattress, it was covered in black mold on the undersides

Glat it works for you. I slept on one of those for three years. I could not wait to get back to a regular bed.

My partner and I have started sleeping on the ground with a few blankets for cushion. Our expensive beds just takes up an entire room we don’t even use anymore. Were planning to buy a nice Japanese style bed as soon as we can afford to do it properly.

Without tatami mats id recommend a Japanese style raised platform bed to put the futon on. I live in Truckee for the winters, (when im not in Japan) so it gets chilly on the floor. It also ties the room together from a design perspective. Women appreciate when you've got a bed, lol. And when side sleeping, if they're tatami boxes, your hip wont bottom out to the floor.

Currently sleeping on a couch pullout bed, strongly considering getting this.

Video came up in my suggestions, I slept straight on the carpet with only a blanket under me for several months, super comfortable. Thought about investing in one of these but never pulled the trigger. Part of the reason Is it gets hot as a mfer, I’m a whole hour north of you but I lived in sac for a while so I know how that feels, will probably be investing in one of these

My bed is not a futon, but rather the lower end of a 2-bed bunk with the lower one being a bed-couch convertible. That means there's much less padding unless I throw on the second layer. The first layer, while being a bit uncomfortable, has been a great help keeping my back in good shape with its stiffness.

“Worm mode” had me cackling 😭 Thanks for the info!

didnt even know there are beds like this, I have a comfy coushin like that on the floor (and rubber pads cause hardwood floor) and thought I was just a psycho. It's so damn comfy!

Man i have a filipino mother, do music, like a firm mattress, and live in a nearby county, and boy howdy if this review wasnt exactly for me then idk what wouldve been. Thanks chief youre a hero cause i need a new bed. In the philippines i usually sleep on a yoga mat and its great but maybe a little too far. Awesome alternative.

I've been sleeping on the floor with just a comforter under me because my wife like's super soft mattresses and it just kills my back I can't sleep on it , so thank you I never knew these existed.

the firm matress part is so real!! to any single men reading this, if you don’t likely really really firm mattresses, we won’t work love, good luck with your other options… i can only handle someone with the same bed style as me!

Have fun with your new bed mates, wolfspiders. They can be a bit nippy and don't pay rent.

Ive been sleeping on a hard futon on tatami for about 10 years, before that I slept on normal western beds. The futon I have is cotton, horse hair and latex core, its very hard, thick and heavy. Anyway I cant say it made any massive changes for me or fixed my back pain (ive never had back pain). I just like that its all natural inside, no plastic foams and other junk. Also its probably gonna last my whole life.

I got a really big bean bag chair that turns into a queen sized bed. The best part is that there are no beans. It's memory foam inside. The most comfortable bed I have ever slept or chair I've sat in. I'm literally typing this comment while sitting in the chair ❤❤❤😍

Humans have slept on the floor for thousands of years, so probably we evolved based on that, so i can see how have less back problems using this kind of bed

I got a traditional futon and it has conquered my insomnia, it literally works so damn well like it's really comfortable

I'm really interested in buying a tatami mat. I have been suffering from lower back pain and overall soreness every morning when I wake up. I took a floor nap for the first time today, and my back thanked me for it...

Being a Sacramento region resident as well, my problem hasn't been the heat iself, so much as how sheets stick during the hot summer days. While propping myself against a hard pillow and having the fan on has helped, I've occasionally found myself sleeping in my home office chair as it's a mesh one, so it both isn't trapping the heat, and isn't sticking to me.

Going to try this, getting sick of back pain in my normal bed, even though its the firmest type I could find. Also have the being too hot issue.

Your voice sounded familiar. Then your face looked familiar. Then I realized it's Zach Gallardo! Anyway, now I'm subscribed and here for your minimalist content.

A genuine shikibuton can cost you about $300 to $600 depending on the size and type/amount of material you want inside. That doesn't include the tatami mat, which may run you another $150, and then there's the cost of shipping it from Japan. I got mine from FutonTokyo a few years ago, and it's one of the best things I've ever bought. No more back pain or soreness in the morning, and I sleep like a rock. Also, no bed creaks or any other noise since you're sleeping on the floor. It's a little pricey, but getting the genuine thing is worth every penny.

I would love a tatami! I have a more "normal" western style bed. Tho my mattress is pretty firm. I'd like to get a tatami mat and futon and use my bed frame (hard for me to get off the floor (POTS and standing from laying is a hospital sentence). Edit: when i used to go on vacation with family id always sleep on the floor, theyd give me all theyre comforters and extra sheets/pillows and id make a kind of makeshift futon.

One of the first things I'll be buying when I get a job.

Can’t agree more!!! I use a futon and have for years, I can’t convert my family to it

This might be the solution I've been looking for. I've a tiny bedroom as well and have been looking for all kinds of bedding options to fix spacing issues. However, what makes the situation pretty dire is that one wall in my room is devoted to a big sliding door for a closet. Basically that entire wall is unusable for any furnishing options because putting any furniture in front of it blocks access to the closet. So I need something that can utilize that "wall" by putting a bed in front of the sliding doors when I need to use the bed and I need to be able to put it aside when I'm not using it. At first I was thinking of a sofa bed that IKEA has, but that was still too large and it's IKEA so it might not be the best option. I thought about a murphy bed maybe, but the construction of it seemed impractical for the amount of space I'm working with. A Japanese futon is such a perfect option that I'm shocked I didn't think about it sooner. Also, I had the exact same epiphany of sleeping on the floor. One day I was just tired of tossing and turning on my spring mattress and in frustration I threw my pillow on the floor and slept there instead. It was strangely more comfortable for me than on my regular bed that I ended up preferring to sleep on the floor from then on. No one I knew understood why I was sleeping on the floor. Anyway, I found my answer: Japanese bed it is.

I wonder if that could have helped me. I used to just use a sleeping pad and comforter. I'm in my 50s, back problem, gerd, 3rd shifter, and overweight. I would get horrible leg cramps and could barely get off the floor. I transitioned to air beds but those would develop never ending leaks after a couple months. Now I'm on an adjustable bed frame with a memory foam mattress. I can prop up my head for the gerd or my feet after a rough day. I do miss the minimalist footprint of sleeping on the floor.

floor sleeping for the win once again

I’m intrigued to try one out. Only barrier is how I can get this to work in tandem with a temperature-controlled bedsheet without being impractical to set up repeatedly.