Tatami Floors In Japan Heading To Extinction?

Above, G-goods on a tatami floor in a Tokyo ryokan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Here's something that I would never have thought would happen.

Tatami floors in Japan are disappearing.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —If you imagine a Japanese room, chances are you think of something like the picture above: a simply furnished room with sliding “shoji” doors, a “tokonoma” with a hanging scroll, and a tatami mat floor. These are examples of the virtues of traditional Japan that many foreigners often hear extolled. When they occupy such an important part of Japanese identity, you wouldn’t think they would be in danger of disappearing anytime soon. 

However, the demand for tatami mats has gone down by one third in the last 20 years and many artisans are worried the trade will soon be lost, as more and more of them find themselves rapidly aging with no successors to continue the business. Why is it that tatami floors are becoming rare now, after enduring for so long?

The only places I've had the pleasure of having a tatami floor were in ryokans. There are several reason cited for the slow demise of tatami floors in the article.

Find out why by going here.