steph's blog

Topics I (or anyone else who knows me) never thought I’d be making a blog post about #1: making my bed. Like many of the small everyday activities, it’s different here than it is at home. During orientation week when I was staying in Seminar House, none of us knew which order things were meant to go in (was the sheet to go over or under us?!) so we kind of made it up as we went along. At least here in my homestay I know how to do it!

Today was a lovely sunny day, so I was finally able to put my futons out like I’d been meaning to for about a week. I just kind of shove them out the window so that their ends are lying on the 1st floor roof underneath my window. And after the first time I learnt to close the screen windows behind them, so that bugs don’t all come inside while it’s open all day.

At about 4pm it was starting to get cool and darker, so time to make the bed! First, I drag in the bottom futon. This consists of a thick, heavy pad with a light cover attached. This gets put on top of the mattress base – no lying on the floor for me!

Next is my beloved electric blanket. I’ve always hated electric blankets after being influenced as a child by stories of them starting fires, but between my weekend in Dunedin in August and now being here in Japan, I’ve come to see their benefits.

This one isn’t as big as the whole bed, so it goes towards the side (so that the electric plug part is out of the way) and the bottom (to keep my feet warm). It goes under the cover of the bottom futon.

Next is the thin blanket, which is the closest thing to a sheet in this set-up. This goes over me when I’m sleeping.

Then the duvet, which is super-cosy. I think it’s a feather one.

And finally the fuzzy blanket (which Okaasan bought to replace the one which was here at first, because she thought the pattern “suited me better”).

So, there you have it!! My kind of bed-making: no tucking in required :D