The choice of wood and an open structure allows for flexibility in living arrangements according to seasonal changes and the needs of the family. Inner portions such as shoji and fusuma can be removed to open up the interior.
The shoji is a light sliding door made of paper pasted on a rectangular wooden frame and used to partition off the rooms in a traditional Japanese style house. From the Heian Era onwards, Japanese houses consisted of one large un-partitioned room. People would make separate rooms by erecting partitions of two types. Since shoji allows a good circulation of air and provide illumination without direct sunlight, they are an indispensable part of Japanese style house even today.
Tatami are thick straw mats used to form the floor of a traditional Japanese room. Their size varies from district to district, but a full sized tatami usually measures 90 cm by 180 cm. The word ‘tatami’ literally means folding. Tatami, made by sewing a straw facing on to a base about seven or eight cm thick, were first used in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. Although many modern Japanese houses have western style rooms, tatami-floored rooms are still in the vast majority. Most people still sit on cushions around low tables on the tatami in the day time, and lay on their futon bedding on the tatami at night. It’s very convenient and comfortable to use. It is one of the major and important parts of a traditional Japanese house.
One characteristic of a Japanese home is the genkan, or the entryway. It includes a small area, at the same level as the outside, where arriving people remove their shoes. As they take off their shoes, people step up onto a raised floor. They point the tips of their shoes to the outside. Slippers for indoor use are usually placed there.
