washitsu
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.
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Harajuku Station will be demolished after the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics
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Yearly
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- Japan’s cheapest hotel charges just 130 yen (US$1.20) for a room, with a huge, no-privacy catch
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PewDiePie buys house in Japan, calls it “a dream come true”
Naruto’s author Kishimoto reveals what characters’ names would’ve been if editor didn’t intervene
We asked a Niantic insider 30 questions about Pokémon Go, learned a lot of useful information
Why do Japanese recycle bins have two openings but dump everything into the same compartment?
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Clown-masked stalker spotted multiple times in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture, still at large
This huge, detailed Gundam sculpture was built out of cardboard by Japanese high school students
We try the Nutty White Chocolate Christmas Frappuccino from Starbucks Japan
The hallucinatingly warm bedsheets of Japan’s favorite cheap home furnishings brand【Photos】
Best Secret of Mana fan art ever? Jaw-dropping project took over a year, 150,000 beads【Photos】
Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants baseball players crossdress in beauty contest for fans
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Japan’s chubby musical cat toys are a ridiculously cute piano substitute 【Video】
Ultra-luxurious breakfast bus will give Tokyo commuters a break from the hell of rush-hour trains
We attend one of Japan’s most important press conferences this year, dressed as Vegeta【Photos】
Uniqlo announces new line of awesome Dragon Ball T-shirts and hoodies【Photos】 
Kyoto yakitori restaurant earns Michelin rating with one of the best value-for-money deals in Japan
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