Where's the Furniture?
A sophisticated partitioning system is easy enough to understand, but why do Japanese homes give the impression of simplicity and, sometimes, emptiness? First of all, the custom of sitting on the floor and the use of tatami as a kind of chair, table, and bed lead to an economy of furniture. Next, what little furniture there is is stored away in a fitted wall closet found in every room, and articles for use are removed as needed. For example, at the end of the day, futon mattresses, pillows, and blankets are brought out and laid on the tatami floor. Then in the morning, these are returned to the closet and the room is rearranged for use by the family. When it comes to mealtime, a low table and cushions are produced. After the meal is over, the table is cleared, and the family may spend the rest of the evening in the same room watching television.
The wall closet is not particularly noticeable to those unfamiliar with it because it is in effect a kind of opaque sliding door (fusuma) and blends in with the rest of the decor. In fact, the designs found on the larger sliding doors used to partition rooms, and the doors to these closets, are often coordinated.
These days Japanese houses are a combination of Japanese-and Western-style rooms. The Western-style room is usually carpeted and furnished with desks, chairs, cabinets, stereo systems, etc. In contrast, furniture and decoration in the Japanese-style room are kept to a bare minimum. The tatami in the room gives it a somewhat formal air so that it is often reserved for use as a drawing room, a guest room, or, as will be discussed later, a kind of retreat within the home. For many Japanese, a simple, uncluttered tatami room does-wonders for the soul.
Out of the fitted wall closet comes a variety of furniture and other everyday items.
Bedding {futon) is removed from the closet and placed on the floor.
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