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Japanese Twitter discovers a crazy comfortable pillow has been hiding at Ikea

Casey Baseel Nov 12, 2020
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A solution to three common sleep problems, but not one you’ll find in the bedding section.

Ikea is filled with all sorts of nice blankets, pillows, and bedsheets to help you get a good night’s sleep. Sure enough, Japanese Twitter user @ono_houshimaru, who’s been having a hard time catching some quality Zs, found the perfect answer to his problem on a recent visit to the houseware chain.

Essentially, he got himself a nice new pillow, but if you’re imagining he just picked up a basic one made of memory foam or stuffed with soba husks, think again. In fact, instead of laying his head down on the pillow, he just inserts his head inside of it when he’s ready to go to sleep.

最近、IKEAで買ったキャットハウスに頭をつっこんで寝ている。バカみたいに見えるけど、これがとてもいい。

・頭まわりの温度と湿度が保たれる
・鼻やのどの調子がよくなる
・ほどよい遮光性

睡眠の質が明らかにアップ。ここに至るまでには変遷があった。(続く) pic.twitter.com/qTyuq8LSKd

— 小野法師丸(さいころテーブル) (@ono_houshimaru) November 9, 2020

Why bother with such a bizarre-looking setup? Because the sources of @ono_houshimaru’s sleep woes are temperature and humidity regulation, plus too much light once morning rolls around but before his alarm goes off (an especially annoying problem in non-daylight savings time Japan). By enveloping his head in this spherical solution, he’s able to keep his face and scalp warm, and since the hot air of the room’s heater isn’t hitting his nose and mouth directly, his throat and nostrils don’t get painfully dried out while he’s sleeping. Add in the opaque construction keeping out ambient light, and @ono_houshimaru says he’s sleeping better than ever.

If you’re an Ikea regular and wondering why you’ve never seen such a strange pillow for sale, it’s because you won’t find it in the bedding section. Instead, you’ll need to head over to the pet supply area, since it’s actually a cat house.

It took several rounds of experimentation for @ono_houshimaru to arrive at this sleeping arrangement. He started with a plastic case, which he tried in the summer when his air conditioning was also drying out his throat.

寝る時のかぶりもの、初代は家にあったプラケース。夏にエアコンをつけたまま寝たとき、鼻やのどの調子が悪くなるから試してみた。適当にやってみた割に効果がかなりあって驚き。

遮光性もあるといいなと思い、３日ほど試して２代目へと移行。(続く) pic.twitter.com/ubblZwTQXa

— 小野法師丸(さいころテーブル) (@ono_houshimaru) November 9, 2020

The results weren’t bad, but after a few days he still wasn’t completely satisfied, so he moved on to a canvas-sided box.

かぶりもの２代目も家にあった適当な収納箱。遮光性が上がって、朝方まだ起きたくない時間に目覚めてしまうことが防止できるようになった。

ただ、写真でもわかるように、箱のフチが鎖骨あたりに乗ってくる。重さで若干痛くなってくるので、また別のものを試してみた。(続く) pic.twitter.com/TXKXQkZKMg

— 小野法師丸(さいころテーブル) (@ono_houshimaru) November 9, 2020

This resulted in even deeper sleep, but unfortunately the hard edges and weight of the box left his collarbone feeling sore.

かぶりもの３代目は、家にあった小物の写真を撮るとき用の撮影ボックス。鎖骨付近に重さがかからないので痛みがない。開口部が大きいのは、タオルをかけて調整した。

…調整はしたのだが、タオルがずれてきたり落ちたりして不安定。これは結構長い間使ったのだが、よりよいものを求めて探した。(続く) pic.twitter.com/JfjQlakBrx

— 小野法師丸(さいころテーブル) (@ono_houshimaru) November 9, 2020

Next up was a photography box. This took all the weight off his body, but now there was too much empty space in the enclosure. He tried adding some towels to fill the box up a little more, but they slid around and wadded up underneath his head, making things awkwardly uncomfortable.

その結果がキャットハウス。たぶんファイナルアンサー。「LURVIG」という商品で1499円と手頃。最初と色違いなのは、ひっくり返してピンクにもできるからです。

布団に潜って足先が飛び出すクセも解消。バカッぽいビジュアルは自分には見えず自尊心もオッケー。すごくいいです。(かぶりもの話おしまい) pic.twitter.com/pbjTtshGHS

— 小野法師丸(さいころテーブル) (@ono_houshimaru) November 9, 2020

The cat house, though, seems to be just what @ono_houshimaru has been looking for. In response to questions startled commenters have had, he says that there’s plenty of air flow for him to breathe comfortably, even after inserting a small pillow to give his neck extra support. He can also turn and roll over with ease, and after a solid month of sleeping like this, he’s got no complaints. The closest is that even he himself admits that sleeping like this probably looks weird to other people, but he quickly follows that up with “While it may look visually dumb, it’s not like I can see myself while I’m sleeping, so my self-esteem is unharmed,” and if you’re similarly secure, the cat house can be ordered for 1,499 yen (US$14) through Ikea Japan’s website here.

Source: Twitter/@ono_houshimaru via Otakomu
Top image: @ono_houshimaru
Insert image: Ikea
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