Zaisu Chairs: Dining Furniture in Traditional Japanese Sitting Style

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Zaisu chairs are floor-sitting furniture that came into style in Japan during the Muromachi period, when floors were covered in thick straw mats known as tatami.

The ruling warrior class set strict rules for daily living, which brought about the sitting posture called seiza — deemed the respectful way to sit. Today, Japanese dining furniture sets featuring zaisu chairs remain popular as families adopt traditional Japanese ways of living to improve the connection they feel spending time together.

The zaisu chair has no legs — it sits directly on the floor, with a short wooden or cloth back fitted for comfort and support. It's a genuinely distinct piece of furniture, built specifically around how Japanese homes are laid out.

The washitsu room

You'll mostly find a zaisu chair in a traditional Japanese room known as a washitsu. These rooms aren't in every Japanese home the way they used to be — today a washitsu is often reserved for guests or special events, with straw tatami mats on the floor alongside shoji doors and windows.

Traditional meals are served here at low Japanese tables, with each diner given a tatami mat or a cushion known as a zabuton, arranged around the table.

The seiza position

Diners sit in the seiza position — legs folded under the body. It was very common in older Japan, but it's known as an uncomfortable position to hold for extended periods, and foreigners in particular tend to struggle maintaining it through a whole meal.

The zaisu chair itself

The zaisu chair is a sort of in-between — it lets you sit more comfortably on a tatami mat or zabuton, with a backrest that allows a more relaxed position and lets you extend your legs out in front rather than folding them under your body.

Some zaisu designs go further, with a balanced frame that rocks back slightly and supports the sitter's weight for an even more relaxed position. They're mostly made of wood, though metal versions exist too, and folding zaisu chairs are available for easy storage under a low Japanese-style table — usually paired with a zabuton cushion.

The chair is normally associated with meals and visits, but you'll also find it in the living area of a home, typically padded on both the seat and the backrest.

How to actually sit on one

Keep your knees slightly bent and your feet flat on the ground — this helps prevent strain on your lower extremities. A few practical tips:

• Keep your legs straight when seated on the floor chair.
• Rest your hands on the armrests, where the chair has them.
• Lean forward slightly at the waist.
• Relax your shoulders and neck, and breathe deeply.
• Look ahead rather than down.
• Avoid crossing your arms over your chest.
• Keep your posture consistent throughout the meal, not just at the start.

Sitting at a low Japanese table

The core rule is seiza: knees bent at 90 degrees, feet flat on the floor, hands placed one on top of the other with palms facing down, shoulders slightly forward, looking straight ahead. It helps prevent back pain, keeps your spine aligned — and it's considered polite.

What to look for if you're buying one

Zaisu chairs come in a few real variants worth knowing before you buy: fixed-back non-folding designs (often paired with a matching low dining table and four chairs), cushioned versions built around memory foam and plush fabric for extra comfort, foldable versions in kiln-dried mahogany for easy storage, and hard-backed wooden versions for a firmer sit. A few come as part of a heated-table set, which is worth considering if the room gets cold in winter.

Japanese furniture like this is popular precisely because it's built around comfort and a genuinely different — and, once you get used to it, relaxing — way of sitting for a meal or spending time together.