If recent reports are to be believed, tatami, the traditional Japanese flooring made of soft rush straw, may soon be a thing of the past as people begin to favor easier-to-clean western style flooring. It’s really a shame because there’s nothing quite like the smell and natural feel of tatami under your toes. We’ve already seen novel attempts at spicing up the traditional mats with LED lights, but we’re hoping they’ll have more success with these cute decorative tatami featuring Kumamoto Prefecture’s official bear mascot, Kumamon.
Traditionally, the edge of tatami mats were lined with silk or other linen colored with natural dyes. It was also common to decorate the edges with the family crest or symbol indicating the status of the family. Nowadays, plain cloth or none at all are used to protect the sides of the mats.
▼ Just black edges for this home.
However, the Kumamon tatami come in a variety of colors, all featuring the somewhat lifeless and yet still cute face of Kumamoto Prefecture’s popular mascot:
▼ The Kumamon tatami come in four different colors.
So if you’re in the market for a new set of tatami, you might want to add a splash of whimsy and go with the Kumamon variety. Just watch out for the edges of the tatami! You wouldn’t want to stomp on such an adorable face!
Source: Japaaan Magazine