As many of you know, homes in Japan usually don’t use carpets. But instead, they have a flooring called “tatami (畳)”.

What is TATAMI (畳)?
Tatami is a Japanese flooring made with woven rice straw. It has a standard size of approximately 910mm x 1,820mm.

The tatami mat is quite popular because it has a dual function: absorbing moisture and dryness. This makes the floor and atmosphere of the house not too cold in winter, not too hot in summer. It’s like having a natural air conditioner and heater when you use it.

Since the tatami size is a standard, it is also used as a benchmark for room sizes in Japan. Meaning that the more the number of tatami mats, the larger the room.

That’s why rooms in Japan rarely measured using meters, and would often use the number of tatami mats instead. For example, 4 tatami-sized room, 6 tatami-sized room and so on.

As tatami mats made with woven rice straw, they have an “expiration date”. They need to be changed every 4-5 years. Because the tatami flooring becomes brittle, making them unfit for use after that period.

Zunita Ramli, Writer & Managing Director, Zaineeta Global PLT.
Graduated from Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne. She worked as a network engineer for a few years, then realized of her passion in business and the beauty industry. Focusing on beauty lines, Tokyo Organic skincare (Made in Japan) offers halal skincare that only uses natural ingredients. She also likes to write articles, especially about Japan. Her articles has been featured many times in various websites, such as travel, life, and business.

Salam Groovy Japan introduces Japanese products and services for the Islamic market in English and Japanese.
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