Interesting Facts! #4

4. Raised floors help indicate when to take off shoes or slippers. At the entrance to a home in Japan, the floor will usually be raised about 6 inches indicating you should take off your shoes and put on slippers. If the house has a tatami mat room its floor may be rasied 1-2 inches indicating you should to take off your slippers

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-Genkan (entrance) 玄関 げんかん are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat. The primary function of genkan is for the removal of shoes before entering the main part of the house or building.Unless you live in an apartment. In this case, the genkan is probably so small, you can’t even see the genkan floor for the heap of shoes. Upon entering, you trip over the heap, which conveniently launches you out of your shoes and into the apartment. Forget the slippers.The genkan is also a holding spot for guests. It’s like a waiting room — standing room only. Many people are clearly not comfortable crossing the barrier into your house.

-A tatami (畳) is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms.Tatami were originally a luxury item for the nobility.Tatami Mats take the place of a rug and are used in the same way.The most common place to find a room of tatami are bed rooms. Each mat is skillfully crafted and last up to 20 years.

                                                                 -The more you know~