Traditional Japanese-style rooms have floors of tatami mats. The mats are made of straw and rush and consist of a thick base and a soft, smooth surface that covers the base. The tatami mats are approximately 180 by 90 centimeters (6 feet by 3 feet). As tatami mats have a standardized size, they can be used to measure room sizes. Then, one mat is referred to as 1 jo and the size of a six-mat room, for example, is expressed as 6 jo. In addition to six-mat rooms, four and a half-mat rooms and eight-mat rooms are the most common in Japanese houses.

The longer sides of the tatami are bordered with cloth. In the old days, the colors and patterns of the cloth depended on the status of the family, but people can chose their favorite colors and patterns freely today. When we walk in a tatami-matted room, it is bad manners to step on the borders. This is because the borders damage and wear easily if they are stepped on.

Tatami mats Feel smooth and never get damp. They are the ideal material for floors in Japanese houses as the humidity is high all year round due to the climate. We can always keep tatami mats in good condition by simply having their surfaces periodically replaced by expert tatami makers. We can enjoy the refreshing scent of woven rush when the surfaces are replaced.

The program of [Experience tatami mats with a craftsman] (No298) give you a chance that you watch closely the artisanship of tatatmi and you make your own mini tatami mat.

* Please check our hands-on experience program
http://nara-experience.com/detail/index/298&ml_lang=en