Won't Miss #344 - futon beating

In addition to being pretty uncomfortable, futon need to be aired out regularly in order to get all of the cooties out of them. Fortunately, I have a bed, but that doesn't stop me from experiencing the second-hand "joy" of futon beating. When my neighbors whack the hell out of their futons or order to chase out all of the creepy crawlies, they do it so loudly that I can't have a conversation with a student over the pounding. Additionally, the upstairs neighbors send down a rain of dust from their balcony to mine, and mine often has my clean laundry drying on it. There's nothing like transferring their dust mites to my undies. The thrashing they give their bedding is so hard that I wonder if this is the way in which women get out all of their frustration from days filled with "gaman".

I won't miss the noise or flotsam from futon beating.

Won't Miss #84 - futon

A lot of people swear by the comfort of a futon, but I'm the sort who is more likely to swear at a futon. During my first visit to Japan, I spent a month in my then boyfriend's apartment sleeping on a futon and it was not a pleasure. Sure, I could manage, but I wouldn't call sleeping on a mat full of cotton batting comfortable. They're also a pain in the ass to maintain as they have to be beaten and aired out regularly or they get (more) lumpy and infested with dust mites from the tatami they lie on. The main reason that futon became so popular in Japan was that it was bedding that could be hidden away. These days, the majority of Japanese people who have the space for a bed use beds and not futon. I also bought a bed and am happy to have done so.

I won't miss futons.