Table of Contents
What to know before ordering a Tatami Mat and where to order
What is a Tatami mat ?
Tatami mats are a type of flooring used in Japanese rooms.
A Tatami mat used to be made of rice straw, however, these days is very common to find wood chips boards or polystyrene inside the mat.
A long time ago, Tatami mats were exclusively used by wealthy families, it was considered a luxury item.
This type of mats were also used in Japanese rituals and ceremonies.
If you live in Japan and want to give your room a different touch with a Tatami mat, or if you live out of Japan but you have a Japanese style room, then a Tatami mat is exactly what you need.
But, before you go straight to buying your Tatami mats, there are some things you should take into consideration.
The standard size of Tatami mats
There is a standard size for Tatami mats which is 910mm x 1820mm.
Additionally, there are other 2 types of standard sizes, the first one of a 2:1 aspect ration and the second one being half of the first one.
Tatami mats sizes
There are four sizes in total, depending on your room, you can choose between Kyouma, Chuukyouma, Edoma or Danchima.
Placement
There are two ways in which you can place your Tatami mats in your room, which you should take into account.
The first one is the most common one, called Shyugi Shiki, the Tatami mats are arranged in a way in which the four edges don’t gather in one spot.
The second you can place your Tatami mats is called Fushyugi Shiki, this arrangement is used for unhappy events such as funerals, or if a family member is sick. This way of placement is used to avoid bad luck.
Colors
A Tatami mat is usually green, however, as they grow older, they can become yellow.
How much a Tatami mat lasts
Tatami mats can easily last from 15 to 20 years if you take care of them properly and give them maintenance.
You can change the omote every 5 years and the whole mat after 15 years.
Maintenance
You should totally avoid cleaning a Tatami mat with a wet cloth, Tatami mats absorb very easily any moisture and that could cost the Tatami to grow older faster. Using a dry cloth to clean your mat will do the job.
Prices
The prices depend on where you buy them, Usually, handmade Tatami mats can cost around 50,000yen up to 180,000yen and Tatami mats made by machines can cost around 8,000 to 40,000yen.
Where to buy a Tatami mat
Now that you know everything you should take into consideration before ordering a Tatami mat, you are ready to buy them.
There are a lot of places you can buy them on, especially online. Amazon is one of the best choices preferred by costumers as it is very easy to select the one that you want.
As well, you can find Tatami mats on other big online stores like Alibaba or eBay, these would be the top three options you can buy your Tatami mat from.
On the other hand, there are costumers that prefer to go personally to the store to take a look at the mats, if that’s your choice then don’t worry!
It’s very easy to find Tatami mats on normal stores, if you are in Japan simply go to a Japanese furniture store and ask for them, by going personally you can check the quality and the material, if you are outside of Japan, it’s totally fine! There are Japanese furniture stores as well, just look for the one of your liking.
