Why are Used mats more expensive than the New Tatami Omote?
FAQ’s Used mats are considered trash once the cover is removed from the full-sized tatami mat. The mats are collected from numerous small shops all over Japan. These small quantities are stored somewhere until enough mats are collected to bundle up and send in an ocean container. Each person involved in the process needs to make some money, plus the expense of storing the mats until shipping. By the time the container arrives here the cost has been driven up. Added to that is the cost of storage and distribution in the US.
