Ryukyu Tatami
There is a boom for Ryukyu tatami these days because of its design.
Comparing to regular tatami, it uses Ryukyu tatami facing, without hem, and it’s a square and half size of a regular tatami.
A price is expensive because all the making processes are done by hand and it uses special tatami facing.
It came down from Ryukyu, that it in the summer it has cool feel and chilly, and it is strong.
When you put the square Ryukyu tatami in different direction with 90 degrees, with the way the sun shines, it looks like the checker board design (Ichimatsu design).
Photos of how Ryukyu tatami are laid
This good point finely evaluated that these days they are used for newly renovated Japanese style room or laid in the center of a Western style room, that they are taking a role for image enhancement of Tatami.