Tatami Floor

It was like coming  home to this traditional Japanese home, nothing has changed over the 10 year since we were there last. The amazingly red pine that lays so proud and pruned horizontal over the steps that leads us up the 10 steps from the street to the front tiny Japanese garden, the warm many bowing greetings, Japanese Style of course. 

We again are staying in the down stairs room with it's Tatami floor, how special, and how traditional is this Japanese house. It has a little front entrance foyer in tiles and a small step up to the beautiful timber floors. 

At this point it's off with the outside shoes and into our little and I mean little Japanese scuffs ,  me looking more like a Sumo with them on !! But how sweet that they though I may have shrunk in my old age...

We enter our room via a sliding timber and paper inserted door and is another small step up to the left and on to the Tatami floor, this is a total bare foot room " I'm so confused " shoes on, shoes off, scuff on, scuff off ... The Tatami floor is of panels 1800 x 900 and out of a woven reed that is so beautiful to walk on and sit on.  Our beds are rolled up in the corner so tonight we are sleeping the traditional Japanese way.

Our room is the prey room and where the traditional Japanese tea ceremony is preformed. There is a large cane birdcage looking light hanging in the centre of the room that hangs very low. One of the walls being totally of sliding panels of timber panelling with the white tissue inserts it is all so traditional,  the natural light streaming in from the garden. The room is void of any furniture except for a timber wardrobe and a shrine for quite time.... + some scatter cushions and a low coffee table for the tea ceremony.