Traditional Japanese Floor Covering
 Tatami
mat is
the traditional straw matting that is used on the floor in Japanese homes.
Tatami evolved over a long period, first beginning as a thin easily folded
straw mat on which people sat or slept. Later, more layers of tightly
woven rice straw were added to the core to increase comfort. The core was
then covered with woven rushes and the edges hemmed with cloth.
Japanese
Mountain Retreat is one place where you can see Tatami mats in
use in a traditional Japanese accommodation.
In traditional Japanese society
Tatami came to
be associated with privilege as exalted members of society sat upon them
while others sat on the wooden floor. As shoes are a symbol of the life
led outside the home it is custom to remove them in the entranceway, here
we enter a different world - the private, personal world of the home.
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