The phrase “born on and die on Tatami”

In Japan, there is a saying of

“born on and die on Tatami”.
It means that we born on Tatami in our house and die in Futon laid on Tatami in our house.

Until the end of the Second World War, this was literally true to the lives of ordinary people.

In those days, delivery was done not in hospital but in their houses on Tatami with midwife.
Also, when people die, they lay on Futon in their bedroom and died surrounded by family or doctor and nurse called there.

Sometimes, in film and drama showing old Japanese life, we can see such scene.

It is also related to the fact that the medical care wasn’t something familiar for ordinary people at that time.
However, as the time passed and the society developed, now everyone born in hospital and dies in hospital.

However, all the Japanese people still know the phrase “born on and die on Tatami”.
It represents that Tatami is such a familiar thing to Japanese people.

Tags:tatami born die SecondWorldWar phrase