TATAMI mats

It is the last day in January. I can't believe that since we celebrated the new year, one month has already passed.
For these two days I have no lessons, because I have being changed TATAMI mats. so I can't use my lesson room. Yesterday at 7 o'clock, a man came to take out TATAMI-mats. And now I'm waiting for him with new TATAMI mats.

I sent this photo to my friend living in America. She asked some questions to me.

>  How often do you change the mats in the rooms?
Though depends on the people, my mother changed the mats once ten years. In our case, it is the first time to change them since we bought this house about 28 years ago.

>  How many rooms did you change?
We have two TATAMI rooms. but because of the budget, and thinking of the troublesome (there is a bed, closet, and other stuffs etc., in the other room.) we changed only one room.

>I seem to recall that one of my hosts mentioned the mats are expensive. Have you ever considered doing something else, like the flooring in your kitchen, for example?
Actually we changed kitchen floor two years ago.

> The other thing that was somewhat surprising to me in your photo was the board floor rather than using plywood (large sheets of composition wood that is smoother and stronger...also more insulated).
I think in usual wooden Japanese houses such boards are laid. Anyway our house is not new in a Japanese thinking way, so I don't know how current new houses are built.

 > Does your house have a "crawl space?"
Yes, it does. In Japan it is really humid. So most Japanese house have such a crawl space. I think.
Actually Yuki and I are thinking to seal the back side of  the board floor again against coldness. 28 years have passed since this house was built, so the sealing seems not to work well, though it's really expensive.

 >   What is directly under your boards?
It's ground.

 Later I'll re- update this blog with new TATAMI's room.

PS it's finished. The smell is nice.