anyone use a shikifuton / shikibuton ??

[kemical]

I'm moving next week and ditching the queen size mattress/box spring I have, wanting to go the route of using a shikifuton so that I can move it easily and fold it when not in use. (they are the traditional Japanese sleeping..mattress things.)
I was going to just use a regular futon mattress pad, but I think getting "the real thing" would be much better and comfortable.

Anyone in the US here use one of these? Any suggestions for where to buy one? I found one site www.jlifeinternational.com that gets them hand-made in Japan and has free shipping within the US.. but I'd like it if I could find a couple more places to compare.

I already have been using a buckwheat hull pillow for many years, and didn't realize that was the standard pillow used in Japan, so I guess the next logical step is to get the shikifuton also.

[jiji]

I sleep on a full-size 3" plain cotton futon from dragonmama.com, because my room doesn't have enough space for a stationary bed. It turned out to be way too stiff for my tastes when spread out, so I've taken to folding it in half lengthwise and sleeping on it that way. Even that gets pretty flat when I haven't fluffed it in a while, and I usually wake up a little stiff after a night with that on the hardwood floor.

Anyway, the novelty of sleeping on one has thoroughly been worked out of me by this experience, and I'm looking forward to sleeping on a proper mattress and spring bed after the next time I move. Some people don't seem to mind sleeping on something that doesn't have any give, though, and a more expensive mattress might be more comfortable.

[GaijinPunch]

It is an acquired taste for sure, but I find once you spend some time on them, they can be preferrable. My bed now is really stiff (way stiffer than average) so it's very futon-esque. Even when we had the big bed, my wife and I would switch off nights on the futon on the floor. I have a pretty shitty back, so the only thing too hard for me is straight floor w/ a sheet.