Paper-based media alone not traditional enough for you? Try pairing it with these.
Tatami, the woven reed flooring that used to be the norm in Japanese homes, has an undeniable old-school coolness about it. However, it doesn’t always mesh so well with modern furniture, so not everyone wants to dedicate the floor space of an entire room to the traditional look.
Still, there’s something special about the appearance, feel, and even smell of tatami. Soothing and elegant, it helps put the mind in a relaxed yet reflective mood, which means the material can also make great book covers.
The craftsmen at Matsuya, a tatami maker in Gunma Prefecture, will be perfectly happy to supply you with flooring for your home. However, they’re also ready to provide you with slip-on book covers that will keep your reading material looking as sophisticated as any of the prose found within its pages.
Matsuya offers a variety of designs, some with cloth borders, and most include some sort of traditional Japanese motif, such as goldfish, cherry blossoms, or Mt. Fuji as an accent.
Prices vary by the exact cover, but start at less than 900 yen (US$8.40) for the least expensive varieties. Even the top-of-the-line versions only run about 2,500 yen.
But maybe you don’t have much time to read, because of your dynamic, on-the-go job? In that case, you’ll be glad to know that Matsuya also has tatami business card holders for 2,100 yen.
The complete lineups of tatami book covers and card holders can be seen, and ordered, here and here at Matsuya’s online store.
Related: Matsuya
Source: Japaaan
Top image: Matsuya online shop (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Matsuya online shop (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) (edited by RocketNews24)