Kyoto Basic Sleep Set - Cotton

What can I say… I messaged the Takaokaya team to see if they’d work on a custom piece to fit the space in a campervan conversion, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Thorough, detailed and quality work for the custom shaped futon and cover!

I bought a new studio apartment last November and due to the smaller space I decided to get rid of my western mattress. For a while I had an inflatable mattress that I would lift up and lean against my wall to make more space. After a lot of thought I decided to try a traditional Japanese Futon, something I used before while traveling in Japan. Never owning a futon, I had a lot of questions and concerns. So I reached out to two companies, one being Takaokaya. There I was immediately responded to by Valery, who was able to answer many of my questions. If she didn't have an answer, she found out and got back to me quickly. I live in Hawai'i so there was a time difference and she was great. Through my whole process of looking, she was the most helpful and she helped me with everything. She even helped me chose a pattern of cover to go with the color futon I chose. These futons are great but be warned. There are some things to get used to.
1) These futons are made to order and the fresh cotton batting has a fresh cotton fragrance. No not absent like a cotton ball. For me, it felt natural and relaxing. Nothing synthetic about it.
2) It does take time to get used to. One night, on the first week of use I had a hard time sleeping because my back was not used to it. (my old mattress and the air mattress after were both much more saggier). This did resolve over time and some stretching (LOL). Im 45, so it may have taken me a little longer to recover than if I was 20 again.
3) These require maintenance - meaning you should put it in the sun every few weeks is recommended. This is to fluff it up and the sun has a antimicrobial effect. Ever see a regular spring mattress with mold? Sunning the futon helps prevent this and it weighs much less than a spring mattress. Speaking to Valery, she was very helpful in ways to keep the futon clean and moisture free, especially if you live in a cloudy/rainy environment. (Hawai'i has a lot of sun but some times and places have a lot of rain.

Changing my lifestyle to a more minimalistic style this futon gives me a way to have a comfortable place to sleep, a relaxing environment to sit or lie in and with a quick fold, I have a bunch of extra space that I work out in or use for projects.
Overall this is good authentic craftsmanship straight from Japan. Don't get me wrong. The shipping and handling does kick up the price but overall it is still cheaper than a good mattress.
If you are worried if your body cannot accommodate well, especially as a side sleeper ( do both back and side), try a cheap one from Amazon first or layer a few sleeping bags and a try it out but give it a fair chance. Does take time. It took me a couple of weeks. Also if you have a softer flooring or a tatami, it makes it that much more comfortable.
Currently I use a gym floor padding with a thin folded tatami mat under my futon and I think it works well. Take a look. (the other cover I got was the Shima Ao - that one looks much better and was the recommendation of Valery, I should have taken that picture but it's too late now, Sorry Valery)
But if it were not for Valery. I never would have done it. Thanks Valery. Your advice has helped me enjoy and experience Kutsurogi - the Japanese art of Relaxation - in my home in the U.S.

Very happy with Kyoto Basic Sleep Set! Quality of the products is great and we were informed of the timetable of our order in all turns. We also ordered tatamis via Takaokaya. We will be returning customers for sure!

We love love love our hand crafted beautiful beds. They exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t be happier with them. Thank you so much.
Warmly,
The Abdo’s

I purchased the Kyoto basic sleep set all the way from the United States. I wanted something authentic and high quality which is definitely what I received. I will take great care of my purchase so it can last for years while I enjoy it daily for its comfort abilities and maneuverability.

I want to thank everyone at Takaokaya! I love my handmade Shiki futon—it provides a perfect sleep all the time. And my cat loves it too! I’m so grateful for all your efforts to make such wonderful products.

We are overjoyed by the quality and craftsmanship of these sleep sets. We noticed a change for better sleep immediately. We look forward to laying down in them each night. The lovely colors and materials are small details but make a big difference in enjoyment. Thank you!

We love our Futons and their patterns! They arrived okay to us from Japan safe and sound. I would definitely recommend if you can afford to pay for the shipping which was hefty. For us it was an investment in our lifestyle. I would definitely buy from here again!

Everything is amazing! The set arrived carefully packed, and not even a month after placing my order. The futon is so comfortable, my sleep has improved a lot. I thought I would need some time to get used to it, but I slept like a log from the first night and on. I highly recommend takaokaya and this set. Thanks a lot to the team!

Produit de qualité correspondant à mes attentes, quant au service il est excellent

...and I wanted to love it. I am sad to say that my futon does not seem to be of the same quality as those on your website. The watoji stitches were so loose that the mattress was flat with no security for the cotton (I tightened them myself as best I could). The filling appeared to be lacking a bit, as well, though I can't be sure. It is, however, still beautiful.

We received our 3 sleep set ups about a month ago and our sleep has never been better. I am primarily a side sleeper and experience no pain in my shoulders or hips. I swear I could feel my lower back and pelvis realigning after the first few nights of sleep, but it wasn't painful — it felt more like a gentle shift in the right direction. My husband is over the moon, delighted.

Shiki futon: The shiki futon has been a major upgrade to the latex and wool Avocado mattress we were sleeping on. We have two singles, side by side, to make a king. The futons smell like the organic cotton filling, which I find to be a very warm, comforting smell. We also have one for our toddler. Although he's not quite ready to sleep on it, he knows the bed is his and spends close to two hours, every day, playing and romping around on the tatami and futons.

Covers: The cover material reminds me of linen. They are a bit rougher than I expected but it's not uncomfortable, and I expect it will continue to soften over time. They are very easy to take off and put on. I love the style.

Long pillow: Game changer. We chose buckwheat filling. Perfect for lounging and napping. I'm not quite ready to sleep on it exclusively yet, but maybe eventually.

We also asked the Takaokaya team to make us 3 custom sized pillow cases for the pillows we already have. Easy process, and the covers fit great. Very happy. We ordered a kake buton for each of us, too, as well as a fold-up tatami mat for each of us. Everything appears to be such high quality and we couldn't be happier.

The team made our order very quickly and I am still astonished by how fast it got here. It took us several years to finally make the decision to switch to futons and even though I wish I did it sooner, I'm glad I didn't because I only just recently learned of Takaokaya. If I ordered sooner, I probably would have ended up with a product from an American company that makes "Japanese shiki futons" but as I learned, they are not truly Japanese-style.

very comfy and everything i expected 🥹

Very pleased

I bought this sleep set for my 5 year old who had taken to sleeping on the bare floor in my room. Now, she's in my bed while I'm on the sleep set. It is so beautiful and comfortable. It is also light enough to easily fold and put away each day.
Customer support was thorough when responding to my questions while I was shopping - it took me maybe a year and a half before committing to this purchase, but I'm so glad I did. I will likely purchase another and get rid of the traditional bed.

It's been about a month and half since my basic sleep set was delivered and I am very satisfied with it. The quality of the product is great, I've never regularly slept on the floor before but after deciding to make a change I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I adjusted to it. I've been using it everyday, although there was a small period of adjustment. It's comfortable, saves space, and can be used flexibly while avoiding potentially harmful synthetic materials. For me this was worth it.

Over the last couple months I've been very pleased with both the quality of products and quality of customer service.

I greatly appreciate all of the quick and detailed responses that I've gotten to all my questions.

I would highly recommend this company to anyone that is looking for a quality crafted Japanese style shikibuton.

Thanks again

- Jesse .P

Kyoto Basic Sleep Set

As my first futon style bed I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's been quite comfortable, and has a lovely grassy scent. The stitching seems sturdy, although the threads studding the surface are a bit loose and tend to snag/fray if you're not careful. It's also worth noting that the cover is not a full enclosure, but more like a sheet that hooks over the ends. Works fine, but leaves the bottom exposed if that's a concern.

I went with the buckwheat pillow and can say that it works great as a neck support when you're just reclining, but I found it too firm to actually sleep on. If you sleep on your back it's not too bad, but if you're a side sleeper like me it will probably be uncomfortable, or at least take a lot of getting used to.

Shipping to the US was faster than I expected (~2 wks), and everything came sealed in a vacuum bag so no concerns there.

Overall happy with the purchase.

I love my shikibuton! I’ve been sleeping on it for about it month. I put it out once a week in the sun for a few hours (making sure to cover it with a white sheet to preserve the fabric color). This way it stays somewhat fluffy and airs out, else it would get pressed down. I also make sure to rotate it or flip it once a week so that the mattress compresses evenly. I also make sure to tri-fold it every morning in order to store it away. It’s a very nice ritual, and clears my space up. My sleep has been great. The whole set up and firmness naturally encourages me to sleep on my back, which is a big positive, since back-sleeping is the healthiest for the back. I love the color and fabric as well, absolutely gorgeous and feels very comfortable. The shipping was expensive, but that’s totally understandable since it’s come all the way from Japan and the package is very large (as one might expect!). Overall, I’m more than pleased with my purchase!

Very comfortable and the buckwheat pillow still smells like tea two weeks later which is a bonus. The color of the futon is very vibrant and the sheets are also very cute, will definitely be ordering again