My lazy friend playing on the computer while I do all the work
The black knob screw came with the heater and the washer and L-bracket I purchased from Home Depot
Regulated low and high setting
Marking where to put the screws
Boba smoothie break!
Screws are all put in!
Shelf now acts as new table top
Orion explores the interior :3
Off
On
warrrmmmttthhhhhh
I am quite happy indeed :)
Kotatsu success!!
So I finally have my kotatsu!! This winter is going to be so awesome. But I still need to find a better blanket to put over it...I just picked a random one I had lying around and a cushion thing for the floor. Definitely still need to work on finding a better blanket, so my quest continues. Meanwhile, I can still enjoy every bit of my kotatsu's comfort!
Turns out I didn't need the adapter to plug the kotatsu in and, although there is a voltage difference, the heater still works fine. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the heater regulates its temperature, turning off whenever it reaches the desired level of heat. A great energy saver!
Here's a video of my kotatsu in action:
I'll be posting more as I continue to find a better blanket, and the adventures my new kotatsu brings. Until next time, じゃあ、また！
I haven't gotten around to opening the box yet because I had to leave for work (where I'm at now and getting nothing done), but I'm excited and will probably start installing it tomorrow :) It arrived so fast too! Ordered it only 10 days ago from Japan and here it is already, much faster than anything else I've gotten shipped. And the sender was so nice! Not only did he package it cutely, he also gave me a note and a small pack of miso soup mix
やさしいな人ですね? :)
So if you ever want a heater and are looking to buy one, check out kinopiyo on ebay because you're sure to get good service!
Sadly I still haven't found the perfect kotatsu blanket yet, but meanwhile I do have a couple of extra blankets lying around the apartment. Will update more as the project continues!
Ok I lied, it suddenly got cold FAST!
Granted the lows only get down to the 40s and 50s (truly a Texan at heart), I haven't started preparing my apartment for winter yet. I make it sound like I'm hibernating haha
The doors are super drafty and cold air blows in through the cracks constantly. I need to research ways to keep my apartment warm and save on electricity some more :(
Thankfully, I found some good advice.
Meanwhile, the search for my kotatsu blanket continues. I found some material I'd like to use as seat cushions, but now I actually have to make the cushions or find some and just put sleeves on them.
However, I did manage to snag some good deals with an antique desk that has a sliding cover ($32) and a small side table that I'm probably going to put my record player on ($8). With a little TLC on both of them, I'm going to have some amazing additions to my furniture! :) Pictures and processes will be up soon. I'm so motivated now, I kind of wish it wasn't halloween weekend so I could just spend all day working on them.
I'm on a thrifting binge, which is kind of bad unless I start selling some of my modified thrift finds.....we'll see how this all turns out. Either way, I'm really excited!
Hello to any and all who happen upon my blog :) This will be used primarily to document my adventures as I try to convert my coffee table into a Japanese kotatsu style one before the weather gets too cold. But seeing as I live in central Texas and the weather still gets up to the mid 90s despite the fact that October is nearly over....I believe I still have quite awhile.
Why?
Try telling me you wouldn't sell your soul to have your cat do this.
That and I want to save money on heating this winter so I've decided to just have central hotspots around the apartment (my living room and bedroom).
So What Do I Need?
Ikea LACK cofee table
Kotatsu mini space heater
blankets
tools
Maybe I'm just naive, but I don't imagine the process to be too hard?
What I've Gotten Done
Well I already have the coffee table
look my cat!
feeeettt
Just now I purchased my kotatsu heater from ebay
Hi, I cost a total of $103. Say goodbye to groceries this month
And just in case, I put in my purchase for a plug adapter too
You can easily find this on Amazon. This was only $3!
Although I really wanted this bad boy
Sadly, ThinkGeek was out of it :(
Now I know the plug adapter doesn't actually convert the voltage of the electronics itself, but according to this site, Japan's voltage is around 100v with the U.S. at 120v. Seeing as how the heater is lower than the U.S.'s standard voltage, I figure it's at least not going to fry once I plug it in versus something with a higher voltage. This way I save money on not having to buy a transformer! Then again I could be completely wrong and this whole thing will just blow up in my face.
But what's life without a few risks?
What Do I Do Now?
Right now I'm just waiting for all of my supplies to come in! The estimated shipping date from ebay said that, at the latest, my heater would arrive around November 9th. Until then, I'll be hitting the thrift stores for some cool blankets :)
And washing them.
Thoroughly.
Three times.
How Will This Work?
First I'd remove my shelf from under the coffee table and set it aside. This ledge will be put on top of the kotatsu blanket, leaving me with a hard, even surface to write on.
Mmmm nail clippers
From what I understand, the heater instructions say to simply install it into the grid under your kotatsu table. But seeing as I'm using just a generic coffee table, I don't have a grid. However, helpful online sources show that you can just as easily mount the heater onto any old table with a couple of angle brackets and an electric drill.
And voila I have myself a kotatsu table :)
The Wait Begins
Meanwhile, as my heater gets shipped, I'll be blogging about various things and my thrift store adventures to procure a kotatsu blanket. For now....cat pictures!
Orion: Human, your body heat is insufficient. Kotatsu now!
私はこたつを買いたいですよ！ I'm also learning Japanese (my 2nd semester) Please be kind to me as I practice haha
Lastly, I happened upon this on Youtube today...
...and her voice is amazing!
