We never had the space, but now we do!

So we're going to buy our first one!

It's going to be in our tatami room and we're going to let the kids do homework on it and play on it and stuff so...

Here's to foreigners trying to buy their first Kotatsu table.

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

So a Katatsu table, for all my foreign relatives and friends,

It's a table low to the ground—actually they have tall ones too, but most of them are low

It's got a heater underneath it and then you cover it with blankets

And you sit under the blankets like this

Ah! You go under there and the heaters on...

And pretty much you just hibernate all winter.

This show the underside of the table

So there's a controller to control how much heat you have

And then the heater underneath which keeps everything nice and warm.

This will be really fun to try this winter.

Nice looking, isn't it?

Oh that one's so... oh! I like the grey with it.

With the grey or is it blue? It's kind of blueish gray, huh?

And now for the rug that will go under it all.

I think we figured out what size we want.

I just don't know.. which one.

This is the nice thing about having a van — is to be able to load up the purchases and take them on back.

Alright, we've got our purchases...

Sarah's going to scooter those purchases on over

Momma chan's got hers there,

And Daddy's got his

Oh yea. Woo whoo Sarah!

We just moved into this apartment, and the kids entered into new schools.

So many changes at once is not easy,

but one of the benefits to our move is the extra room we picked up in the process

— a traditional Japanese tatami room, perfect for a Kotatsu table.

I wonder if I should put my rug down first.

Yes, definitely

Let me vacuum.

OK!

First, the rug!

I'm going to do it this way.

Oh yea.

So many of our Japanese friends warned us about Kotatsu, saying once you get one, you will never want to get out of it.

We think the kids will love it and will make for the perfect surprise when they get home from school today.

It's Becca & Anna's first day at their new junior-high school, so they might need an extra pick-me-up for when they get home.

Oh that rug is soft.

We hope this will do the trick.

Let there be Kotatsu!

How long has it been that you've wanted a Kotatsu table? A long time...

My friend Yoshiko offered me one and I almost took it

But it just would not have fit in our house.

Our old house

But now that we have a 4LDK and we have space,

And one of them is a tatami room even,

Perfect. Perfect.

It's meant to be.

Instructions because I have no clue what I'm doing.

Oh, here's the heater part so this is the bottom.

Oh yep — under the table.

I need to screw these onto the legs.

We're going to need some tools. Let me get a screwdriver.

Hard to think of using a heater on a day like today, but soon enough.

I wonder if that says point in or point out.

Man, they could use some English instructions.

Take the power cord, leg bolts and hexagon wrench from the packing box.

OK, number 2.

Place your feet on a horizontal surface.

These are the feet.

Align the leg screw holes with the inside of the table.

Align the screw holes in the middle plate with the screw holes on the legs.

Insert the leg mounting bolts from the top

And tighten with a hexagonal wrench.

Oh my, we're going to need a wrench!

No, it's one of those IKEA-looking things.

Oh, OK.

I got it!

Ok, so we lifted the table onto the two legs,

And now bolt. That's right.

I helped the wife, a.k.a. girlfriend...

I am the wife.

I'm the wife, I'm the chef, I'm the cleaner...

I'm the washer... I'm the homework maker/keeper/teacher

I'm a bunch of stuff.

You're the Free Bird.

I'm a Free Bird!

That was a special gift from someone in Brazil.

So far, so good.

Easy.

Usually Nitori products are much easier to put together than IKEA.

They have 3 steps instead of 20.

He does work, folks.

Yes, I asked Ruth to videotape — videotape?! What year is this?

To record me doing this so you can see that I do help too.

When it's a two-person job usually then it just doesn't get recorded.

But it is Ruth who, if she could have her dream house, I think there would be a wood-working shop in it.

Is that correct, Ruth? That is correct.

Sarah would work with you in it, I'm sure.

So would the girls

So the top piece of wood sits on top of this with the blanket sandwiched in-between it.

And then a heater cranking, and you're sitting on a nice warm rug underneath!

Make room for Daddy!

I think you did yours way tighter than I did mine.

OK.

Plugged in.

Oh I think this screws into the Kotatsu table.

A little zip-tie action happening here.

Let's get the blanky, the kotatsu futon.

We got the "warm." They have a "super warm."

And we ain't never putting it back in this box.

Get it out before it's dead!

Oh, it's beautiful!

It is pretty.

And you buy it according to the size of your Kotatsu table.

So they have these specific sizes for it.

Ooh!

It's even prettier than I remember!

Wow! Let's put the board on top. Here we go.

Does it matter which way? No.

It's nice because when there's not Kotatsu on top of it, it does screw it in.

Yea, that is nice.

All of our phones are like [chiming sound]

OK, Ruth's going to try it out. First time!

Oh yea Baby.

When it's cold outside... this is nice.

Oh how cool is that?!

I think the kids are going to dig this.

And it can also be used as a normal table, so we're going to show what that is like here.

That piece just slides off,

The blanket pulls up,

And then that goes down

And you can screw in the bottom part.

Nice.

And this side too

Now we are switching the big old ugly lamp for a new one that we bought

Which will go right above here.

This is a light.

The table was done, but before we could finish the rest of the room, the girls got home from school. What would they think?

Hi!

How are you?

Is that a kotatsu?

Yea but I took the Kotatsu part off for right now

You're not going to put it up higher Nate?

It's coming down.

I turned it on and nothing.

Pull it.

Whoa! But it pulls the light down.

It pulled the light down? Yea, it did.

Looks like Daddy didn't quite install it 100%.

Well what do you think Anna cakes?

It's really Tatami-ish

Even the light, don't look at the light.

Daddy got it up, Daddy fixed it.

I have barley tea, I'm going to get my barley tea.

Oh, it's right here.

That's barley tea in there? Yea.

OK, now I have to sit "real-ish"

Oh, very proper.

Very good.

We were looking forward to seeing how Joshua and Sarah would react to the surprise,

but before that, we wanted to hear how the first day of the new school went.

Becca, how was your first day of school?

Did anything stand out?

Yes, our school is huge.

And there's a pool that's on the third floor

A pool on the third floor!

And the gymnasium is on 2.5 floor.

Kind of — it's in-between, kind of, a floor.

Interesting.

Did your shoes fit you ok? Yea.

Your backpacks are ok? Yea.

Did you like them?

Soon, Joshua and Sarah were home and this time we were ready to properly reveal the surprise.

Here comes the homework!

The homework crew!

What?

You're going to have to open it up, OK Sarah?

Wait, I want to wait for Joshua.

Joshua!

3, 2, 1

[Singing] It's a place where you do your homework... It's a place where you do your homework...

No Joshua, you're right where Anna is.

Anna go back to your spot so he can sit where he's supposed to.

The best thing about the school is that it's only like a 5 minutes walk — to me.

That is so much closer

OK guys, homework time. Here we go!

Kotatsu is a Japanese winter tradition,

and for the full experience we'll have to wait until it gets cold, put on the blanket and turn on the heater.

And for the perfect Kotatsu snack, look no further than some winter tangerines.

We're looking forward to incorporating this into our family culture.

Next time on Life in Japan

As Fall comes to Tokyo, we get to enjoy Kotatsu just like it was meant to be

as our family begins to settle in to our new home.

A new adventure begins as I head off with some friends to the highest bus stop in all of Japan.

From there we make a cold ascent to one of Japan's tallest peaks.

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