Chicago announced a design competition in August to find possible solutions. One of the contest's winners took inspiration from an age-old Japanese design: the kotatsu, a special heated table.

The standard kotatsu design is a low, square-shaped table. You’re meant to sit on the floor, like you would in a classical Japanese house, and slide your feet straight in, and there’s usually only ...

More: 6 Decor tips to make a small bedroom look bigger The masterful piece of ingenuity is called a Kotatsu and it’s responsible for how some people in Japan keep themselves warm in the colder ...

The most commonly used Kotatsu today is comprised of a table with a comfortable blanket or futon topped with a flat table. Attached to the table is an electric heater, which distributes heat from ...

Kotatsu: Heated Tables Japanology Plus mini Japanology Plus explores Japanese life and culture. In this five-minute digest, we look at Kotatsu: low tables with a heat source and a quilt.

Ryogoku Terrace Café’s kotatsu seats are only available from 5.30pm-7.30pm and 8pm-11pm. Though they are available on a first come, first served basis, we recommend reserving them in advance.

A self-proclaimed ‘kotatsu café’, Stay Happy in Shimokitazawa is run by a cosmopolitan, English-speaking Japanese couple who travelled the world before opening their comfy base.

Instead of kotatsu, Iranians call it a korsy, and it's a central piece in the traditional winter solstice rituals known as Shab-e Yalda. It's not clear who invented it first, but a quick search of the ...