Tatami (畳) are thick floor mats. They have a woven cover of rush grass over a firm core, traditionally made of rice straw. Tatami cover the floor of a washitsu, a Japanese-style room, and they do more than look and feel nice underfoot. In Japan, people still often describe the size of a room by how many tatami fit inside it, not in square metres.
A mat that measures the room
One standard tatami mat measures roughly 90 by 180 centimetres, and its size sets the scale for the whole room. Say a room is "six mats" or "eight mats," and anyone in Japan can picture its size without a ruler. The exact size varies a little by region. Traditional Kyoto mats, for example, are a bit larger than Tokyo ones. But the basic idea holds everywhere: a room fits a neat grid of mats. For centuries, builders planned furniture, doorways and even whole houses around this one unit.
Care and comfort
Makers weave tatami covers from igusa, a rush grass. It gives new mats their pale green colour and a mild, grassy smell that many people find calming. Over the years, feet and sunlight fade the surface to a warm tan. Most families do not throw a worn tatami away. They simply hire a craftsman to replace the woven cover and keep the firm base underneath. Japanese calls this job omotegae. On tatami you go barefoot or in socks. Shoes and even slippers would damage the soft, springy weave.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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一畳 (ichijō): "one mat," the basic counter for tatami and, by extension, for the size of a room.
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藺草 (igusa): the rush grass for the woven tatami cover. People love its scent and the way it gives gently underfoot.