Japanese Dining Table

The Japanese dining table has such a low height that you have to kneel or sit on the floor. This is mainly due to the culture of dining in Japan itself. The Japanese table is also known as Chabudai. 

Features

The lowest dining table you can find in the market. It is so low that you cannot use chairs or even benches. The table legs are rather short. This makes them have a height of 10 to 20 inches.

It is considered an antique furniture, due to its old design age.

Instead of chairs, you kneel (or sit) on tatami mats or on the floor.

They are available in rectangular, circular and square shapes.

Traditional in nature, they are made from solid wood material only.

Benefits

If you have half, quarter or full Japanese ethnicity, you must get these tables. Your ancestors have been using them for many centuries.

Dine with humbleness with your family and loved ones. You'll be amazed about a certain calm feeling when sit on the floor to dine with others. It is not the same with dining using high chairs.

It is one of the most unique Asian dining tables around. 

Disadvantages

People with back or lower leg problems can't sit on the floor! Without the proper back rest and sitting posture, a person with bad back or injured leg joints will only hurt himself more.

If you are living outside of Japan, it is rather hard to find them due to the low market demand. Besides, Japanese people are very conservative and believe strongly in their own culture. Therefore, you'll find it is hard find Japanese person being able to talk in English.

Tips

Chinese or Japanese?

Don't confuse the Chinese dining table with the Japanese one. China and Japan are 2 different countries, so are the dining tables. The designs and styles of the 2 tables are entirely different too. But both of these countries are oriental or Asian. The only similarity is both races use chopsticks to eat.

Tatami mats

How to decorate your Japanese dining room table? For starters, you should invest in tatami mats. These mats are square or rectangular in shape. It is a type of flooring so you can sit on it comfortably (made from rice straws, making it soft to sit on). The tatami mats are essential to complement the Japanese kitchen table.

Does this mean you have to change your entire flooring for your kitchen or dining room area? Of course not. You can purchase individual tatami mats that are sized 3 ft by 3 ft, acting as chairs so you can sit on them.

What if you don't want to spend your precious money on any flooring? Don't worry. You could always use ordinary cushions as chairs. No problem.

Kotatsu

What is a kotatsu? It is table that is surrounded with blanket. Underneath the table, there is a heat source that acts to warm you during the winter. This table is multipurpose. You can use it for eating, work and watching TV. Its height is similar to the Japanese dining table, which is low. Almost everyone in Japan is using the kotatsu table for their homes, especially people who are living in tight spaces. People often fall asleep while sitting on the kotatsu too. Kotatsu is considered the modern contemporary Japanese dining table today.

Japanese dining etiquettes

Have you given a thought on Japanese table manners and how you are supposed to eat? For example, you may need to learn the essentials, at least the basic customs because most Asian people have specific dining etiquettes. Furthermore, you could be at a Japanese restaurant, where you need to eat appropriately.

• You shall not blow your nose
• You cannot burp
• You shall not talk about "deappetizer" topics like toilet, gross topics and so on
• You must finish everything on the plate, leaving no trace of food pieces
• You must place every plate and cup back to their original spots after the meal

Table decoration

What about dining decor? Actually, the Japanese dining setting is rather simple and minimalistic. Most of the time, only food are present on the table and nothing else. Even the cups and plates are rather small in size. This is because Japanese people consume small portions of food.

But one thing for sure, you have to place the table in the center of the dining room. It is compulsory to do so.

As a last tip, always keep your kitchen floor clean. You don't want to eat on a dirty floor, do you?

Itadakimasu!

Back to Table Styles and Designs 

Back to Dining Table Guide

Bookmark this page

Facebook Twitter Digg Delicious Stumbleupon