Housing

Traditional Japanese houses known as minkas, are characterised by sliding doors, wooden verandas, one or two rooms with tatami mats and a genkan, or hall where shoes can be removed.

In Japan the size of a house is measured based on the number tatami mats in it. A mat is usually 90 by 180 centimeters. Rooms in a Japanese house usually have standard sizes, often 3,60 by 3,60 meters, this forms an 8-tatami room.

Would you like to see what a traditional Japanese house looks like? A scale model of a Japanese house is on permanent display in the Panorama room.