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In ancient Japan, people used to sit on straw mats laid on the floor. Starting from around 471-221B.C., beds and different types of mats came into being. People began to move their daily living from the floor to beds. From then on, straw mats were used frequently on beds and couches.

Japanese households have western style furniture, these days including beds, tables, chairs and sofas.

Japanese households consist of traditional Japanese style rooms with Tatami flooring as well as modern rooms that usually have wooden floors. Tatami mats are made of straw and measure approximately 180 cm x 90 cm. The custom is for everyone to take off their slippers when stepping on Tatami mats in order to protect them from damage.

Traditional Japanese Tatami rooms have racks called Tokonoma on which flower arrangements called ikebanaor and pottery is displayed. The room entrances are sliding paper doors called Fusuma and sliding paper screens called shoji that can be detached completely.

Nearly every Japanese kitchen is fitted with a gas stove, rice cooker, microwave oven, and refrigerator. The traditional Japanese bed is called a Futon, which is laid on the floor only during the night and kept in a closet called Oshiire during the daytime so that the bedroom can then also function as a living or dining room.

Houses in Japan usually do not have central heating. Instead, gas, oil and electric ovens and air conditioners or heat pumps are used to heat rooms. Heating devices are generally turned off when nobody is in the room. Furthermore, a heat-generating table called kotatsu is often used during the cooler time of the year.

Gardens of Japan

Gardens are an important part of Japanese culture and home décor. There are a variety of types and styles of Japanese gardens. Examples are below.

Tsukiyama Gardens

The name Tsukiyama refers to the formation of artificial hills.

Artificial ponds, streams, hills, stones, trees, flowers, bridges and paths are used to create a miniature reproduction of the natural scenery.

Smaller Tsukiyama Gardens are usually seen from a single viewpoint, while larger gardens have a round path.

Karesansui Gardens

Karesansui gardens are natural landscapes captured in a conceptual way by using stones, gravel, sand and patches of moss to represent mountains, islands, boats, seas and rivers. Karesansui gardens are influenced by Zen Buddhism and used for meditation.

Chaniwa Gardens

Chaniwa gardens are for the tea ceremony. They contain a tearoom, designed in aesthetic simplicity. Chaniwa gardens have stepping stones that lead towards the tea house, stone lanterns and a stone basin called Tsukubai, where guests purify themselves.

Japan has a number of large home furnishing stores as well as smaller boutique home furnishing shops that offer a variety of selections. In addition, there are a number of gardening centers that provide input on creating the perfect garden.

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