What do people get wrong about tatami in Japan?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Tatami is usually described as flooring. It behaves more like a large, replaceable furnishing — and its size is not even fixed.
The sizes
| Name | Dimensions | Area | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyōma | 955 × 1910 mm | 1.824 m² | Kansai, Shikoku, Chūgoku, Kyūshū |
| Chūkyōma | 910 × 1820 mm | 1.656 m² | Nagoya region |
| Edoma | 880 × 1760 mm | 1.549 m² | Kantō and north |
| Danchima | 850 × 1700 mm | 1.445 m² | Apartment blocks (post-1950s public housing) |
Room sizes are still commonly quoted in mats. The same "six-mat room" can differ by up to 26% in floor area depending on the region — which is why square-metre figures are recommended alongside.
[Verify] Dimensions from tatami industry references; the standard JIS A 5901 recognises multiple sizes. Confirm before publication.
Misunderstanding 1｜It is installed like a floor
Mats are laid in, not fixed down. They can be lifted, turned and replaced individually.
Misunderstanding 2｜It cannot be cleaned
It is swept and wiped along the grain, and kept dry. Water is the thing to avoid, not cleaning.
Misunderstanding 3｜Heavy furniture is fine on it
Point loads leave marks. Pads under legs are the usual answer.
Misunderstanding 4｜A mat is a mat
See the table. Moving from Osaka to Tokyo, your furniture may not fit the same "six-mat" room.
Misunderstanding 5｜It is disappearing
Fewer homes are entirely tatami, but single tatami rooms remain common, and thin mat products are sold for other floors. It changed form rather than vanished.
---
Sources
- Japanese Industrial Standard JIS A 5901 (tatami)
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — housing information
https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/
- Tatami industry size references (e.g. Tatamizuki regional size table)
https://tatamizuki.com/article/tatami-size-2/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
If you rent your home, check with your landlord before making any changes. Never mix cleaning products.
Sources
Tell us if this has changed
Approved contributions keep the contributor's name, shown in five languages.
Related questions
Other languages：日本語 ／ 简体中文 ／ 繁體中文 ／ 한국어
Value Village is not a government body. Always confirm procedures on the official site.
Written by Value Village from public sources. Nothing here is reproduced from another site.