Walk through the formal entranceway of the traditional Japanese home and see elements integral to the Japanese way of life: tatami, shoji, ofuro and the garden to name a few. Scroll down to learn more......

Tatami

What is Tatami? It is the traditional straw matting that is used on the floor in Japanese homes. Tatami evolved over a long period first beginning as a thin easily folded straw mat on which people sat or slept. Later more layers of rice straw were added to the core to increase comfort. Tatami came to be associated with privilege as exalted members of society sat upon them while others sat on the wooden floor. As shoes are a symbol of the life led outside the home it is custom to remove them in the entranceway, here we enter a different world - the private personal world of the home.

Shoji

Japanese homes have traditionally been built without permanent walls separating each room. Instead shoji or moveable screens are used to partition various areas of the home and for marking the boundary between interior and exterior. Shoji which means translucence came into existence in response to a need for a partition that admits light but not drafts.

The Japanese Bath (Ofuro)

Taking a bath has always been an integral part of Japanese life. In the past Japanese people enjoyed the daily ritual of the bath with their friends and neighbours in a public bath (the sento) or in a hot spring bath (the onsen). It was not until the middle of this century that the provision of a water supply made it possible for most people to have a private ofuro while the onsen and the sento remain popular for many Japanese people.

The Japanese bath means much more that just getting oneself clean. Having shed oneís clothes and daily concerns, then lathered, scrubbed and rinsed oneself thoroughly, one steps into the ofuro and sinks slowly into the deep, pure and clean hot water. Soaking and submerged to the chin, it is a time for relaxation and contemplation, a sensual pleasure and a feeling of well-being and harmony with the natural surroundings, perhaps the garden or landscape beyond.

The Japanese Garden (Niwa)

The Japanese garden reproduces and symbolizes the landscapes seen in nature. The garden is not filled up with plants and borders of flowers as in a Western style garden but left with much empty space signifying what can be. The elements of water, fire, and earth are each represented in the garden by the tsukubai, lantern and stones. Balance and proportion are reflected in the objects in the garden and their relationship to one another. For the Japanese, the garden is a spiritual interplay of the components within it, and a reflection of the wider universe beyond.