A traditional Japanese house's entryway is composed of three tiers. The first is the tataki, which is located on the ground level just beyond the entry door. It is usually built of concrete nowadays, but in the past, the pounded tataki floor was composed of earth, lime, and bittern. This pounding floor is also known as a "doma." The second tier is the habari, which is a platform enclosed by a wall that extends from the entryway to the main room. The third tier is the mae, which is the main room itself. The mae can be anything from 5 meters (16 feet) square to 100 meters (330 feet) long and 20 meters (66 feet) high.
Traditional Japanese houses have five rooms: the kami-no-mae, or main room; the irori, or hearth room; the hosojin, or chapel; the uchiwa, or tea room; and the yagura, or balcony. The kami-no-mae is where people sleep and eat. Furniture including beds, tables, and chairs are kept here. The other rooms are used for different activities. People go from room to room using an internal staircase or elevator called a hobori.
There are several types of Japanese floors. The tatami mat is by far the most common one. It is made of rice straw that has been woven into mats with bamboo needles.
Japanese architecture (Ri Ben Jian Zhu Nihon kenchiku) has historically been characterized by raised timber constructions with tiled or thatched roofs. In place of walls, sliding doors (fusuma) were employed, allowing the internal design of a space to be modified for different occasions. Sliding doors were also used as windows by opening them up completely.
In modern Japanese buildings, sliding doors are still found but they are used mainly for partitioning rooms rather than for creating one large space. They are also useful when there is not enough room between structures such as houses built over shops or restaurants. The doors can be opened up to allow air flow or closed when required.
Sliding doors were originally made from wood but now most commonly consist of glass panels sandwiched between two metal frames. They may have wooden shutters attached to them as well. The main advantage of a sliding door is its ability to open up a wall or floor-to-ceiling window into a room. This can make it possible to use smaller spaces efficiently and to gain more natural light. It can also create a connection between separate rooms or elements within an interior space. A disadvantage is that they can be heavy and require space to operate so should not be used where storage is at a premium.
Japanese architecture (Ri Ben Jian Zhu, Nihon kenchiku) has been characterized by raised timber constructions with tiled or thatched roofs. The word "architecture" comes from the Greek arkheteus, meaning "prince," which is a derivation of the name Cyrus the Great, who invented the art of building tall structures.
In Japan, architects are called kaisha-dōjō ("company artists"). They work for an architecture company and are employed as long as they keep designing buildings that meet their clients' requirements. If a client gets tired of the architect's ideas, he or she can be replaced.
The most important rule in Japanese architecture is that a house should not have a single straight line. Instead, it should be made up of curves and angles. Architects call this "kyofu", or "the spirit of the house."
People often think that Japanese houses are like teahouses: old ones look nice but new houses don't need rooms except for kitchens and bathrooms. This is not true: Japanese houses are always planned carefully with room after careful room; there is usually no empty space inside them. The only time this isn't the case is when people want to build a garage!
Timber and clay have been the primary building materials in Japanese home construction for hundreds of years. The structure is made of wood, while the walls are made of clay. In some cases, bamboo has been used instead.
In modern times, steel frames with concrete or brick infill are common throughout most of Japan. Wood is still used to build traditional homes in areas where it is plentiful and affordable, such as Hokkaido.
Clay is the main ingredient in tatami mats. When mixed with straw and water, it forms a flexible material that is suitable for flooring in rooms where privacy is not important. A layer of sand is added to reduce the weight of the matting package so it can be moved around by hand without breaking down. The term "tatami" comes from the Japanese word for "mat".
The interior walls of a Japanese house are usually plain, except for some paintings on the inside of some castles. There are no carpets on the floors, only mats. Mats are available in many styles and colors.
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