Are you planning on buying your first body pillow? Well, there is lots to consider before you make your first purchase. What size will you get? Have you picked out a design? How about the material? In this article, we will help you narrow down your search and pick out the perfect body pillow.
What is an anime body pillow?
A body pillow is also known as a “dakimakura” in Japan, where “daki” translates to “hugging” and “makura” translates to pillow. And that’s exactly what a body pillow is – a pillow you can cuddle up to. An anime body pillow is a step above that, where you add a cover with an anime character so that you are essentially cuddling up to your preferred waifu or husbando.
What are they used for?
Dakimakuras can be used to show off your love for your favorite character, as stylish room decor or even as a fun gift for your friends. But more often than not, they’re used as emotional support or as a sleeping aid. With the right pillow and cover material, they can help you acquire a perfect night of sleep. Aside from the fact that it’s calming to cuddle someone you love, these pillows give excellent physical support. Some benefits include straightening out spinal strains, providing arm and leg support, and relaxing your muscles.
How to use a body pillow?
There are plenty of ways to use a body pillow, but some of our favourites include:
- Placing it along the length of your body to wrap around it in bed for a great cuddle session
- Between your legs to help with abdominal cramps or lower backaches
- Adding it to your couch vertically as decoration and a cuddling partner during anime marathons
Where can I buy an anime body pillow?
There are a few places to buy dakimakura online. We recommend buying anime body pillows from AnimeBodyPillows.com. They have free shipping worldwide, great prices, a range of thousands of designs from hundreds of your favorite animes, and a discount code for first-time users. Outside of this, you can try Etsy (can be cheap but we’ve heard some horror stories about their quality), ZenMarket (a trusted Japanese retailer but has very few designs available) or Yahoo Japan Auctions (for rare second-hand designs, but you’ll need to know Japanese to navigate this platform).
If you’re looking to buy one in person, you’re probably going to have to fly to Japan instead. There aren’t many options in the West, outside of anime conventions and some niche anime stores.
Which dakimakura size should you choose?
While there isn’t a right size, there is definitely a wrong one. Some stores will sell pillows that are quite small, or even square. If it’s smaller than 40 x 120cm, then it’s not really a body pillow. The most common size is 50x160cm, which emulates the average size of a woman. 50x150cm is also a common size, which is slightly smaller but easier to cuddle.
If your character is supposed to be quite small, or you don’t have enough space for the larger sizes, the uncommon 40x120cm option can be used. If your character is quite tall, you can choose the 60x180cm option, but most stores won’t have this available.
What is the best pillow material?
Some websites offer 4 different materials, but in our opinion, unless you’re an experienced collector, we recommend choosing between the two main materials, Peach Skin and 2-Way Tricot. Peach Skin is the best budget-friendly option, which has high-precision printing and feels very smooth. It is named Peach Skin due to the material feeling similar to honey peach. However, it’s made with 100% polyester so it’s less flexible and comfortable than some of the other options.
In contrast, 2-Way Tricot is a premium material that we recommend to anyone with a little more money reserved for body pillows. 2-Way refers to the material being able to stretch both ways, and tricot is the weaving method. It is very soft and delicate, which is why it is often used for underwear and lingerie. The material also never crinkles and has highly accurate printing. But the best part of 2-Way is that it is warm when the weather is cold, but somehow cool and refreshing during hot summer nights.
If you have the money, then 2-Way is definitely worth it.
Which design should I choose?
That’s not a question we can answer for you. Think about how you are planning on using the pillow – are you going to cuddle it at night, or is it decoration? If it’s going to be your new snuggle buddy, then you should choose your favorite character that you’ve always wanted to touch in real life. If it’s going to be used as decoration, you should pick something tasteful that you are proud to show off. But ultimately, this decision is completely up to you.
So what are you waiting for? You have everything you need to pick out your first body pillow.
