Kotatsu Coloring Pages

Japanese Heating Made with a Table and a Blanket

A Kotatsu is a heater with a heater attached under the table and a blanket over the top.
When you put your feet inside, warm air fills the blanket and makes your body feel nice and warm.
Instead of warming the whole room, it only warms the people inside it.
If you take off the blanket, you can use it as a normal table in the summer.
The first coloring page shows a Kotatsu with a flower-pattern blanket on it.
On top of the table, there is a teacup and mandarin oranges in a basket.

A Cat Peeking Out from Under the Kotatsu

In the first and second coloring pages, a cat is peeking out from the bottom of the Kotatsu blanket.
Cats love warm places, so they often crawl inside a Kotatsu and curl up.
An old song called "Snow" also talks about a cat curling up in a Kotatsu.
When a cat is inside the Kotatsu, lift the blanket once in a while to check if it is getting too hot inside.

Winter Time Gathering Around the Kotatsu

In the second page, a boy, a girl, and their grandma are sitting in a Kotatsu on a snowy day.
The girl in the middle is peeling a mandarin orange, and grandma is holding a teacup.
The third page shows a family of four gathering around a Kotatsu in a tatami room.
Grandpa is drinking tea, mom is peeling a mandarin orange, and the girl is petting a cat on her lap.
The boy in the front pulls the Kotatsu blanket up to his shoulders and is sleeping peacefully.
When you have a Kotatsu, your family naturally gathers in the same place and enjoys talking.
Many families spend a relaxing time at the Kotatsu during the New Year holidays.

Old Kotatsu Used Charcoal Fire

It is said that the Kotatsu started from the hearth.
Putting a wooden frame over the hearth and covering it with a blanket was the start of the Kotatsu.
People started using Hori-kotatsu, which had a sunken floor for the fire, and Oki-kotatsu, which held a brazier so you could move it anywhere you liked.
Long ago, people used charcoal fire, so taking care of a Kotatsu took a lot of work.
Electric Kotatsu spread to homes about 70 years ago.
At first, Kotatsu with heaters that glowed red were very popular.

Enjoy the Patterns on the Kotatsu Futon

The Kotatsu futon is the biggest part to color.
For the big flower pattern on the first page, it will look super cute if you clearly separate the flower color from the background color.
For example, if you color the background red or deep red, and the flowers white or yellow, it will look like a classic Kotatsu futon.
The third page has lots of flowers packed together, so pick one background color and use just 2 or 3 colors for the flowers. That way, it won't look too messy.

Color the Mandarins Orange with Soft Shadows

Color the mandarins orange, and add a little darker orange or brown near the bottom.
If you leave a little white at the top, they will look shiny!
Color the tiny stem green or light green with a little dab.
For the peeled skin, make the outside orange and the inside a whitish cream color. Then everyone will know it was just peeled!

Color the Warm Room and the Cold Outside Differently

Inside the room, color the tatami mats light yellow-green or yellowish-brown, and color the posts and furniture brown. Use lots of warm colors!
For the snowy view outside the window, leave some white and add shadows with light blue or gray.
When the outside uses cold colors and the inside uses warm colors, you can really feel how cozy it is inside the Kotatsu.
For the heater on the right side of the third page, color the kettle on top a silvery gray. It will look like real steam is coming out!

Choose Any Cat Fur Color You Like

For the cat peeking out from the Kotatsu, you can pick any fur color you like, like orange tabby, calico, black, or white.
If you make a white cat, color the Kotatsu futon around it with a dark color so the cat stands out clearly.
It is also fun to color it like your own cat or a cat you see in your neighborhood!

Why Kotatsu and Satsuma Mandarins Go So Well Together

A Kotatsu with satsuma mandarins on top is a classic winter sight in Japan.
Satsuma mandarins are fruits that get delicious in winter, and because you can peel them with your hands, they are easy to eat while staying inside the Kotatsu.
When you eat a cool, sweet, and sour satsuma mandarin in a cozy room, it soothes your throat too.
Satsuma mandarins have lots of Vitamin C, so people have enjoyed them as a winter treat for a long time.

Wait a Minute Before You Sleep in a Kotatsu!

Just like the boy in the third coloring page, a Kotatsu feels so warm that it makes you feel sleepy.
However, if you sleep in a Kotatsu for a long time, you might sweat without knowing it and your body can run out of water.
Also, keeping the same part of your body warm for too long can cause a low-temperature burn.
If you get sleepy, get out of the Kotatsu and sleep in your bed.
It is also very important not to leave laundry or paper around the Kotatsu.

Kotatsu is Written as "炬燵" in Kanji

In Japanese kanji characters, Kotatsu is written as "炬燵".
Both characters have the symbol for "fire" in them, which shows us that people used real fire for Kotatsu long ago.
It is said that there were a few different ways to write Kotatsu in the old days.
Today, almost all Kotatsu are electric ones with a heater attached under the table.