{"id":35075,"date":"2014-05-21T14:24:07","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T18:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/?p=35075"},"modified":"2014-05-21T14:24:07","modified_gmt":"2014-05-21T18:24:07","slug":"%e3%80%90rocketnews24%e3%80%91the-demise-of-traditional-japanese-tatami-flooring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/2014\/05\/21\/%e3%80%90rocketnews24%e3%80%91the-demise-of-traditional-japanese-tatami-flooring\/","title":{"rendered":"\u3010RocketNews24\u3011The demise of traditional Japanese tatami flooring?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted by\u00a0Michelle Lynn Dinh<\/a>\u00a0(Shimane<\/a>-ken,\u00a0Chibu-mura,\u00a0<\/strong>2010\u201313),<\/strong>\u00a0editor and writer for\u00a0RocketNews24<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>The following article was written by\u00a0Angelina Lucienne<\/a>, a writer and translator for\u00a0RocketNews24<\/a>,\u00a0a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/a><\/p>\n

If you imagine a Japanese room, chances are you think of something like the picture above: a simply furnished\u00a0room\u00a0with sliding\u00a0sh\u014dji\u00a0<\/i>doors, a\u00a0tokonoma<\/em>\u00a0with a hanging scroll, and a\u00a0tatami<\/em>\u00a0mat floor. These are examples of the virtues of traditional Japan that many foreigners often hear extolled (along with futon, sushi and judo). When they occupy such an important part of Japanese identity, you wouldn\u2019t think they would be in danger of disappearing anytime soon.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0the demand for\u00a0tatami\u00a0<\/em>mats has gone down by one third in the last 20 years<\/strong>\u00a0and many artisans are worried the trade will soon be lost, as more and more of them find themselves\u00a0rapidly aging with\u00a0no successors to continue the business. Why is it that\u00a0tatami<\/em>\u00a0floors are becoming rare\u00a0now, after enduring for so long?<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are not familiar with\u00a0tatami<\/em>\u00a0mat floors, they are made of dried, woven rushes which are then wrapped around and sewn to a core. Traditionally the core consisted of rice straw, though now it is often synthetic material. The result is a floor that has\u00a0a springy but firm texture, making it ideal for sitting and sleeping on.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Futon were made to be used on top of\u00a0tatami<\/em>\u00a0mats, so they don\u2019t need to be very thick to be comfortable.\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25bc\u00a0The rushes are woven tightly, so the surface is pleasantly smooth.\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

\u25bc\u00a0The edges of each mat are finished with a thick\u00a0brocade-like fabric.\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

They are easily scratched, gouged or stained, making them more difficult to care for than other types of floor. In addition, they need to be replaced relatively often. They are usually flipped over after a few years of use, but even gently used\u00a0tatami\u00a0<\/em>mats will need replacements in under a decade.\u00a0As you can see in the video below, producing\u00a0tatami<\/em>\u00a0mats is very labor intensive, so they don\u2019t come cheap.<\/p>\n