For three generations, the Morita family has been wrapping, stitching and trimming modular blocks of woven grass, known as tatami, in Tokyo's old downtown. But now, beset by cheap knockoffs and ...

Tatami mats are a unique aspect of Japanese culture. Made of woven straw, filled with a soft material (traditionally rice straw, but nowadays foam), and bordered with beautifully-patterned cloth, ...

Japan has a well-deserved reputation as an industrious society. Students are expected to study hard, and once you get out into the working world your professional responsibilities are supposed to take ...

When it comes to doing up the house flooring, marbles, red floors, designer tiles or even wooden slabs are common ones that are seen all over. But have you heard of the Japanese tatami mats which when ...

Zulkarnain Bin Hasan Basri prays on an "inori" tatami prayer mat in Osaka's Sumiyoshi Ward on Oct. 30, 2023. (Mainichi/Aya Kimura) OSAKA -- A Kyoto-based tatami mat trading company has launched a ...

A woman is seen doing the "shachihoko" pose among other poses for the "Yatsushiro Gorone Collection" in this image provided by the Yatsushiro Tatami promotion council. A poster of the "Yatsushiro ...

KYOTO--With demand for tatami plunging in Japan, a specialized trading firm here is eyeing a potential market of 2 billion people for the traditional mats. The company is selling tatami mats that ...