furniture shopping

This is a straw mat bed...I cannot understand why on Earth someone would buy it if they already had a tatami mat room - isn't that a bit redundant?! Anyway at around 70-90,000 yen (800USD) it is not so cheap either! I like a hard bed surface but I don't think I could get adjust to sleeping on this kind of bed.

Two weekends ago we headed to Odaiba to tour the biggest home furniture shop, Otsuka Kagu. We were told we can at the right time because during OBON (holiday in Japan...From August 11-15ish this year) it is packed with couples from every centimeter of Japan!

The thing that was nice but all-the-while irritating was the man who was our personal attendant. He stayed with us the whole time - maybe he was afraid we would jump up on and down on the furniture, though he was kind enough to permit us to take photos. Anyhoo, the whole 2-3 hours escorted by him made the selection process much easier.

The final result? We left having purchased a sofa, dining room table plus four chairs, living room coffee table, rug, and...I think that is it. We will purchase a bed or barstools for the counter later...for now our wallets have to recover. Ha ha. I was told it is one of the pricier places to buy furniture but at the same time known for its good quality and service.