Tatami Room

A long dip or two in steamy onsen or hot spring was on the agenda of my travel friends while we vacationed in Hokkaido. To experience a bit more of the traditional Japanese customs, we checked ourselves into a hotel that offers tatami rooms.

A friend reminded us that is is not customary to wear our shoes in the room and room slippers are provided by the hotel. It is not a problem for me as I wear house slippers and my guests also leave their shoes inside the entrance at home. It is not very hygienic to trod around the house in your walking shoes especially if you have crawling babies at home.

Tatami is a type of rice straw mat used as a flooring material and tatami room furnishings are minimalistic with sliding cabinets to hide linen, pillows and stuff not in use during the day.

Fortunately we were not sharing rooms. My room is not large but very clean and just nice for a single occupant.

When I came back to my room after dinner, the hotel housekeeping staff has transformed the room with a low table in the center during the day to a bedroom. A thin mattress and other bedtime comforts were laid out neatly ready for me to rest on.