In Japan, sitting on the floor has long been a part of the culture. Accordingly, there are several styles of chairs, mats and accessories that make sitting on the floor more comfortable, chairs that you can add to your games room or basement for a unique experience.
A Japanese floor chair with no legs and a backrest is called a zaisu. It can be used for watching tv, reading, meditating or just relaxing among other things. Tatami is a style of zaisu that is foldable and is a compact option for small spaces and is often used in conjunction with a straw tatami mat.
Let’s take a closer look at zaisu floor chairs and other accessories that are often found in the Japanese culture that you can use in your home or apartment.
What is a Japanese floor chair called?
A zaisu is a floor chair from Japan that has a short back to lean on but no legs and thus sits directly on the floor. Traditionally the Japanese would on the floor in a position known as seiza. This involves sitting on your knees with your legs behind you.
Rather than sitting directly on the floor, you can use a tatami mat which are made of straw or a zabuton cushion to offer more comfort. You can use the cushion on its own or in conjunction with a zaisu chair.
Sitting in a zaisu was seen as a compromise between sitting on a full-sized chair with legs or using a tatami mat or on a zabuton cushion.
Seiza has largely fallen out of style in recent years as a method of sitting as it can become uncomfortable over periods of time and many foreigners aren’t used to sitting this way.
How do you sit in a zaisu chair?
You sit in a zaisu chair the same as any other chair. Given that it sits directly on the floor, you can either put your feet out in front of you, cross your legs or kneel and fold them underneath.
While in the past, the seiza position was preferred as the accepted seating position in Japan but the modern tradition is to sit in a chair like a zaisu with a back rest with legs stretched out.
Some modern zaisu-style chairs do come with short legs that enable you to kneel on it and tuck your legs underneath the chair in a modified seiza position.
What features can I get with a zaisu chair?
You can buy zaisu chairs that have various comforts added to them such as the ability to rock back and forth as well as chairs made from various materials like bamboo, wood and metal. Some have contoured backs with padding for extra comfort, swiveled bases, foldable backs and arm rests as well as short legs.
Over time, zaisu chairs have become more westernized with various creature comforts added to them and are often simply sold as floor chairs rather than being tied specifically to the Japanese style.
What are the benefits of a zaisu chair?
Zaisu chairs are small and compact. In Japan – particularly large cities like Tokyo – where space is at a premium and very expensive, these sorts of chairs enable people to have furniture in their homes or apartments that don’t take up too much space. They tend to be portable and easy to store too.
Tokyo is consistently rated as one of the very most expensive cities in the world to live in especially for expats so small living spaces are common. A zaisu chair is thus a great choice for Japanese residents who face space limitations.
For those of us in the west, they’re also pretty unique and would make a great addition to a basement, rec room, games room or even for those of us who live in a small bachelor apartment or condo and don’t have a great deal of space.
Zaisu chairs also reflect the long tradition in Japan of minimalistic furniture that is low to the ground and they certainly fit this criteria.
How do you use a Japanese floor chair like a zaisu?
Japanese floor chairs such as a zaisu can be used in a variety of ways for a number of different activities including:
- Relaxing
- Eating
- Mediating
- Reading
- Watching tv
- Playing video games
- Working
You can also use them in conjunction with a Japanese Chabudai which is the traditional short-legged table.
What is a zabuton cushion used for?
A zabuton cushion is one that is used to kneel on when sitting on the floor but can also be used on a zeisu to make it more comfortable. It’s typically a square shape and is usually provided in Japan whenever you are expected to sit on the floor.
The zabuton cushion is used as part of meditation to kneel on and in sumo wrestling, spectators will often throw their zabuton towards the ring when a low ranked wrestler defeats a higher ranked one.
Summary
A zaisu chair is a unique and interesting addition to a game room not only for sitting but for watching tv or playing video games among other uses. If you live in a small apartment or just have limited space to work with in your home, a zaisu chair or two can be a great choice given it’s compact size and foldability option.