Pillow Talk and the hunt for a good quality pillow
Our world is a fast paced one and generally speaking, most of us are sleep deprived and in sleep debt. So when we hit the sack, getting a good nights rest is so important. Part of that is getting the right pillow and that plus a good mattress matters more than most of us imagine.
So I recently did a search for a nice pillow and my search took me much further than home ...
If you searched the web for sleeping positions, you get quite a handful and most of us fall into one category or another.
https://putnams.co.uk/blogs/news/side-sleepers-vs-back-sleepers-choosing-the-right-bedding-for-better-sleep
Factors to consider
Pros:
Keeps your head, neck, and spine in a neutral, aligned position.
Evenly distributes body weight to reduce localized pressure points on joints.
Helps prevent facial wrinkles and skin breakouts because your face doesn't press against a pillow
Cons:
Worsens snoring and obstructive sleep apnea because gravity causes the tongue and soft tissues to fall back and block the airway.
Can aggravate acid reflux or heartburn
Side Sleeping
Pros:
Keeps the airway open, which reduces snoring and helps manage sleep apnea.
Left-side sleeping can significantly reduce acid reflux and heartburn, and is recommended for pregnant women to improve blood flow.
Often preferred for relieving chronic lower back or hip pain.
Cons:
Can cause shoulder and arm stiffness or restrict local blood circulation.
Prolonged facial pressure against a pillow can contribute to fine lines and wrinkles.
When you choose a pillow, do consider
Firmness
Height
- in the centre and also the sides, which can be different
Side or back
Loft
- how much does it sink?
Do we move a lot during our sleep
Materials eg silk, cotton or bamboo etc
Room temperature and humidity, plus our heat tolerance
So I have been using some off the shelf stuff, beginning with an IKEA one which has contours to fit both side and back sleeping. It worked ok but wasn’t perfect. I also had some high loft down pillows which allow you to sink in and whilst they feel good, you may find they don’t give support or are too high and you can wake up with a crick in your neck.
I guess socials pick up on what I was surfing and was fed a few posts on custom made pillows which piqued my interest. Since I was headed to Japan, I focused on on a couple of them and eventually booked an appointment online.
Now there are a few companies doing pillows and sleeping stuff in Japan and some have been around for a very long time.
So I booked Hinomoto Shingu in Osaka and Nishikawa in Kyoto. That also gave me an excuse to go on an excursion to see and try some food in both places during my trip over to Japan.
https://www.senba-futon.com/en/
Each company has various store locations and you go onto their website to book an appointment. Hinomoto is more foreign friendly and has an English site which is easy to navigate and reserve a date and time.
https://www.senba-futon.com/en/
Basically you can complete it in English quite easily and select a date a few weeks ahead of your trip. You’ll need an hour at least if you’re serious about it and trust me you’ll use it up. They are very used to foreigners and don’t mind a few photos too. But be prepared for the sticker shock and decide ahead of time if it’s something you want so you don’t waste their time.
A standard custom made pillow will set you back 33 000 Yen or about $300 and if you want nicer fillings or a fancier pillow case that will be extra. You can claim tax on it but bear in mind you gotta claim tax at the airport now instead of on the spot. More on this later.
It’s not just about lying down and trying the pillow. They do ask a series of questions on your sleeping habits and have a apparatus to measure your spine, after which you select the firmness and type of filling. Once you’re happy with that, then you lie on their bed and they will slowly let you try a pillow and adjust the filling to your liking. They will add or remove height and ask you to lie on your back and side and let you feel comfortable. It’s not rushed at all but despite their efforts do bring the google translate app along.
Once you’re happy they will begin filling a pillow with the fillings and the casing has six different filling points to refine the height of the top, bottom, left and right segments so you can configure your pillow to suit you better.
In case you’re worried that the plastic fillings will be uncomfortable I didn’t feel them at all inside the nice embroidered case.
Once it’s done you still can ask for a small sac of fillings to further refine the fit. They then wrap it up and provide a warranty. You can return to adjust the height within a year.
How about Nishikawa ? The advantage is that there’s a branch inside isetan Kyoto station and you can get a foreigner discount of 5% if you download their app.
It is also cheaper at 30000 yen and the final price is about $238. You pay for the tax first then claim it.
You also get a one year maintenance and adjustment warranty which allows you to return to the same branch to adjust height and fillings. After that a bag of fillers will cost about 500 yen. The Nishikawa pillow only has four filling points though but it’s cheaper.
If you’re in Kyoto I would recommend the Isetan outlet for the added discount. It’s located on the 8th floor. However the reservation website is in Japanese and they need you to google translate your name into Japanese katakana. It won’t proceed further without this step.
https://www.nishikawa1566.com/stores/
Otherwise service is excellent except you’ll be using google translate a lot as the staff are not fluent in English. They are also used to handling foreigners too.
The final product weighs under 2kg usually even with the firmest settings. It’s quite bulky, about 43 by 73 cm and 2-8cm high.
As for washing, you can dump the entire pillow in the wash, the manager said, no issues...
Hand carrying is a possibility and that’s what I did, especially if you need to show the tax folks at Kansai.
This is the bag they provided and it's sturdy enough to keep a couple more stuff to hand carry and reduce your check in weight..
Now about that new GST tax rebate. Japan was one of the few countries that still allowed tax refund on the spot when you shop but they had to stop due to abuse. Now it’s like most other models where you buy, pay tax then show up at the airport with the goods then claim tax.
On day one 1/11, there was minimal crowds at Kansai, probably because the smart shoppers would have finished their shopping a day before and were also worried about long queues and confusion.
So the new system is you buy something and get it acknowledged in the store as before but now you won’t get your money back immediately.
You bring it to level four, same level as the departure hall where there are two counters. You log in with your passport and follow the instructions.
They may ask you for the proof of product and the receipts or you may just show your receipt and they proceed to refund.
I would suggest using e payment eg a credit card because if you paid in case they will make you go down to join another queue and get paid. A real hassle.
After the refund you can pack away your stuff and proceed to check it in if you wish. Very importantly do not check your bags in if you want to put it into your luggage. There aren’t too many signs yet so make sure you get the sequence right.
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