Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
FURO
風呂
bath
The traditional Japanese bath is larger than a Western bathtub. It has more in common with the Western Jacuzzi than it does with the Western notion of a “bath.” The Japanese use the furo for relaxing rather as much as for cleansing.
In fact, Japanese cleanse themselves before getting into a bath--usually with a bucket of water at the side of the tub. The furo is typically used by multiple people in succession, so each person must keep the water clean.
For more utilitarian purposes, many new Japanese houses include Western-style shower-baths. These are used in Japan just as they are in the West.
FUROSHIKI
風呂敷
cloth wrapper
The furoshiki has no exact counterpart outside Japan. It is part wrapper and part satchel. Furoshiki are made of cotton and silk cloth, and usually dyed with bright colors or embroidered with designs. Many Japanese use furoshiki to wrap their bentō lunch boxes.
The furoshiki is the source of a popular colloquial expression: 大風呂敷を広げるōburoshiki o hirogeru. This expression means “to spread out a large wrapping cloth”---and it refers to boasting or overconfidence.