Japan's tatami mats, a home-grown tradition

For three generations, the Morita family has been wrapping, stitching and trimming modular blocks of woven grass, known as tatami, in Tokyo's old downtown. But now, beset by cheap knockoffs and changing lifestyles, the craftsmen have been forced to up their game.

Besides traditional grass and straw mats, they now offer low-maintenance synthetic options.

And they've been forced to seek customers far from home, like supplying a soft runway for a Paris fashion show …