In many Japanese houses or apartments, the rooms are measured in meters. However, there is another way these rooms are measured. Long strands of rice straw are woven together to create something called a tatami (畳) mat. These mats are all made with the same sizes, generally the length is twice as long as the width. Tatami mats are used as flooring (similar to vinyl or carpeting in America) in Japanese homes and apartments.
In America, rooms are usually measured by length and width, but often in Japan, certain rooms will be measured by tatami mats. Generally, rooms can be four and a half or eight tatami mats big. However, in more recent times in Japan, houses that are built don’t have many tatami mat rooms. The rooms are still the same size, but they aren’t floored with tatami mats. It’s not very uncommon for newer Japanese houses to have only one tatami room. These rooms are called nihonma (二本松) or washitsu (和室) which means Japanese style rooms. Along with tatami mats, these traditional Japanese rooms also have many other features that are common in a traditional Japanese home, such as shrines, hung pictures of kanji (Japanese written language) or flower arrangements called ikebana (生け花).
Other rooms that have become more popular in Japan are yoshitsu (吉津) meaning Western style rooms. These rooms have American architecture, and are generally wider with a more modern appearance. These rooms have become more popular because American culture is viewed as cool, and certain Western architectural styles are more efficient and practical than the tatami mat rooms.
Here are some examples of floor layouts with tatami mats. The room sizes, as you can see, are four and a half mats, eight mats, and twelve and a half mats.
Source for this image is found here: [http://www.daveahlman.net/Old_site/daveinjapan/arch/tatamiconfig.jpg]
In America, rooms are usually measured by length and width, but often in Japan, certain rooms will be measured by tatami mats. Generally, rooms can be four and a half or eight tatami mats big. However, in more recent times in Japan, houses that are built don’t have many tatami mat rooms. The rooms are still the same size, but they aren’t floored with tatami mats. It’s not very uncommon for newer Japanese houses to have only one tatami room. These rooms are called nihonma (二本松) or washitsu (和室) which means Japanese style rooms. Along with tatami mats, these traditional Japanese rooms also have many other features that are common in a traditional Japanese home, such as shrines, hung pictures of kanji (Japanese written language) or flower arrangements called ikebana (生け花).
Other rooms that have become more popular in Japan are yoshitsu (吉津) meaning Western style rooms. These rooms have American architecture, and are generally wider with a more modern appearance. These rooms have become more popular because American culture is viewed as cool, and certain Western architectural styles are more efficient and practical than the tatami mat rooms.
Here are some examples of floor layouts with tatami mats. The room sizes, as you can see, are four and a half mats, eight mats, and twelve and a half mats.
Source for this image is found here: [http://www.daveahlman.net/Old_site/daveinjapan/arch/tatamiconfig.jpg]
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