Tatami+mats

In a ryokan or a traditional Japanese home, the flooring is different. Instead of rug or wood, the flooring is a straw matting called Tatami mats. When looking at an apartment in Japan, people look for how many tatami mats will fit inside of the area given. The mats were especially popular as flooring in old homes in Japan for cushioning the hard ground. The mats themselves are woven, rice straw and were originally used only by the nobility of Japan before the 17th century. Though they are rarely used in modern homes, but the tatami mats are very important part of the culture.