Living in Japan Tip
Tatami and Tatami Goods
Since Japanese housing have become modernized and western in style, the Tatami room, the traditional Japanese style room covered with rush straw mats, is decreasing in number. Despite this fact, the majority of Japanese people still like the Tatami room and they do find it cozy! Drinking green tea in a Tatami room, in silence, surely helps you wind down. Or, lying down on Tatami mat right after coming back home tired is another blissful moment, indeed.
Not only comfortable and attractive, Tatami flooring have many practical uses and advantages. As the same as wallpapers, Tatami mats can be replaced when they get old, or wear. When you change old Tatami mats to new ones, your room would will become bright and look fresh as if it had a brand new floor!
Tatami is made of wooden, thick straw mat, covered with rush matting. Tatami can be renewed if the old rush matting is wearing out and needs to be replaced. This renewing process is called “Tatami-no-Harikae” or "Tatami-no-Omotegae" (Change of Tatami Surface) in Japanese. While the Tatami Change requires special techniques, people usually ask for Tatami Change at Tatamiya-san (Tatami repair shops). Surface replacement of Tatami mat will cost 7,000 Yen to 12,000 Yen per mat, depending on the quality of rush straws, number of mats, etc. We strongly recommend to ask for a quote (Mitsumori, in Japanese) before you order.
The photo above is of a room with new Tatami mats. Brand new Tatami matting is colored light green and has the smell of grass. There are people who like the fresh smell, however, there are also people who don’t like the smell as it smells rather strong. Any ways, the smell will be gone in a short while, maybe in a few weeks or so. The matting gradually gets light brown by aging, and the matured color matches surrounding wooden interiors.
For those who want keep Tatami matting in green for years, with no smell, the matting made of paper is available. Paper Tatami matting looks almost the same as rush, although it is a bit more flat and hard. The photo below is a room with Tatami mats made of paper.
Recently, simplified Tatami mats for placing on wooden floor are available to buy at home centers. If you don’t have any room for Tatami flooring, you can enjoy Tatami with those mats.
However, please remember you have the option if you buy or change Tatami mats at Tatami repairshops, who specialize in the customization of Heri, or the border of Tatami mats. Tatami repair shops often provide borders in different designs and colors and are designed in traditional Japanese patterns, and look beautiful like a Kimono. You can select one of them that suits your taste.
Here are some examples of Tatami’ Heri
(Web site:Hamoto Tatami Shop in Adachi-ku, Tokyo)
http://www.tatami-hamoto.com/adachi/komono/kodatami/doubutu.html
http://www.tatami-hamoto.com/adachi/mon/index.html
Since Tatami borders are durable and beautiful, the material is used in creating products like key-rings or bags; below is a card case that I bought at a Tatami repair shop near my home.
Other unique Tatami goods are introduced here...
Bags
http://www.tatami-hamoto.com/komono/1.html
Card cases
http://www.tatami-hamoto.com/adachi/komono/ka-doire/card-pocket.html
Key-rings
http://ameblo.jp/cm2688531/entry-10076110656.html
Miniature Tatami mats
http://www.tatami-hamoto.com/adachi/komono/butugu/butugu.html
If you are interested in purchasing these products, they are available to buy at local Tatami repair shops, where you can make an inquiry
