Viewing page 37 of 240

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

THE HIBACHI - although it looks like a giant flower pot - is not for flowers. It is an elaborate and decorative charcoal burner used to heat the house.

The hibachi is the American's furnace, stove and fireplace all rolled into one. It is the only heater used in the Japanese home. It is a very striking piece of furniture, strategically placed in the room.

Besides providing a very glowing warmth, the hibachi serves as a kind of camping ground for the family and their friends. Here they gather to swap news, which flows fast and freely.

If the back fence is the conversation site for American housewives, then the hibachi in Japan is samo-samo. (As you may have guessed, samo-samo means not different.)

32