
Japan's contemporary culture is constantly in flux. Elastic to a certain extent, tatami mats also make the seiza position more comfortable.Quirky, surprising and entertaining - with more than 400 houses, Jutaku is architecture at the speed of Japan.įrenetic. They match the characteristic of Japan’s four seasons perfectly. The woven mats also boast excellent moisture absorption, heat retention, and they’re quite soundproof. This plant has a peculiar and rather refreshing scent that seems strangely calming and relaxing. Tatami mats are made by weaving soft rush called igusa. Those started to take shape in the Heian period (around the 8th century). The mats you know today aren’t foldable anymore, and they aren’t put away either.

The word tatami is said to come from the verb of tatamu, which means “to fold.” It is actually a general term for mats such as mushiro (rush mats), komo (reed mats), or goza (straw mats) – they all were folded and put away when not needed, which over time led to the word tatami. It’s a special kind of flooring that is unique to Japan. We mentioned tatami briefly, but it’s a core ingredient for every traditional Japanese house. Tatami – The Multifunctional Mat with a Natural Aroma Now, let’s take a look at the unique architecture of a traditional Japanese house and how daily life is like!Ģ. Nature is lush, and there’s plenty of snow during winter. Because of its location along the Sea of Japan, Hokuriku is known for its excellent seafood, rice, and sake breweries. That’s the coastal area in the northwestern part of Honshu, the biggest of Japan’s main islands. The house we visited is about 40 years old and stands in Japan’s Hokuriku region. Because of that, we took our shoes off and visited such a home ourselves, asking the charming inhabitants everything you ever wanted to know about life in a traditional Japanese house! Living in such a traditional house is hard to imagine.
JAPANESE HOUSE BLUEPRINT HOW TO
This leads to a couple of questions: do you not hear everything through those paper walls? How to sit correctly on the tatami-is that really relaxing? It seems so different from what we’re used to. It’s also common knowledge that it’s common to take one’s shoes off when entering a home in Japan, and that rooms are separated by sliding doors and paper walls. When we think about traditional Japanese houses, we immediately imagine tatami, the straw mats that are so characteristic of traditional Japanese living. Instead, more and more single-family houses are built from modern construction materials like steel and concrete.


Having a traditional-style home made from wood isn’t only a lengthy process it is also more expensive due to the skill of the carpenters required. While some Japanese houses exist that are well over 100 years old, most of them are said to have a lifespan of between 30 and 50 years. While the West boasts a great many buildings made from stone, Japanese houses are traditionally made out of wood, so rebuilding and renovating has to be done once every generation, as a general rule of thumb.
JAPANESE HOUSE BLUEPRINT FREE
While you’re free to indulge in Japan’s bathing culture at hot springs, discover ancient arts at old theaters, or bask in colorful pop culture at Akihabara, but day to day life in traditional a Japanese home stays hidden from the vast majority of travelers.Ĭurrently, we’re living in a time in which those old houses gradually disappear to be replaced with modern apartment buildings and the likes, especially in and around Tokyo. You surely know Tokyo’s modern skyscrapers and traditional temples, but how do regular Japanese houses look? One that a regular Japanese family lives in?
