Kids Web Japan

a) Avoid stepping on the edges of the tatami mats and on doorsills.

A boy sleeping on a futon laid out on a tatami floor. Many families today sleep on beds placed on top of carpeted floors. (The Japan Forum)

Even today, many homes in Japan have traditional Japanese rooms, and the floors of these rooms are covered with tatami. Tatami consists of igusa reed woven on top of tightly layered rice straw, with the edges made of sewn cloth, and is ideal for Japan's humid climate. The size of one mat of tatami differs depending on the region, but is usually just a bit bigger than a person - approximately 90 x 180 centimeters in size and about 5.5 centimeters thick. Even today, the size of rooms in Japan are described in terms of the number of tatami mats, so a 6-jo room (jo is the unit for counting tatami mats) would be the size of six tatami spread out. Though tatami mats were originally thin, they became thicker after they came to be used by aristocrats during the Heian period, although these were stand-alone mats used for one's own space.

The proper way of sitting in tatami rooms is on top of a square cushion (zabuton). When entering a tatami room, one should take care not to step on the door threshold of the room partition or the edges of the mats.