Can someone tell me about the Junk mat?

[Esh]

The shop here doesn\'t really mention much about it. I mean, how big is it? Is it tailored for Japanese tiles, or could it fit even Hong Kong tiles? How big are those trays? Is it flimsy, or sturdy? Could I stick it on top of a pole/create/whatever, have the edges hang off and be able to play a game? You know, things like that.

I just feel that there isn\'t that much information about it, and I\'m really interested in it because I can\'t afford a huge Mah Jong table (or even find one where I live).

[dwillems]

I bought mine a few years ago and love it. The it is roughly 27\" x 27\" (69cm x 69cm). It\'s really suited for Japanese tiles (and mine has pockets in the side that you can slide the mahjong trays in). The HK tiles may be too big, but I\'ve played with American size ones and it isn\'t too bad. The mat is about 1/4\" thick and durable. The frame locks together nicely providing a taught surface. I wouldn\'t recommend putting it on a surface that\'s smaller than 27x27, but it plays great on a table or any smooth surface, and has trays for the counters. Hope this helps.

[Esh]

It does indeed help, dwillems. I have another question. The pockets you spoke of. What exactly are those?

[dwillems]

If you can see in the smaller image here:

http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/get/img1040327280.jpeg

There are flaps on the carrying case that you can put your tiles.

[Esh]

Oooh, okay, I see it. They fit all the way in, right?

Also, while I\'m at it, two last questions.

How big are the counter trays for storing your score sticks?

And if they have pockets for the trays, do they have a space for the dice and sticks?

[hirohurl]

Hi Esh,

There are four trays on each side of the mat. Each tray measures 105mm x 35mm at the top.

It is important to distinguish between two types of product. If you buy just the JUNK mat you won\'t get the side pockets for tiles.

However, you can buy JUNK mat plus tile combinations (with a choice of black or white sets) and the tiles come in trays which are slotted into side pockets on the outside of the carry bag.

There is also a pocket for the score sticks, dice and wind marker (which are all supplied).

You can get Junk mats from reachmahjong.com, and the junk-mat-plus-tiles-combi sets from my site (see sig file).

Best wishes,

David Hurley
Japanese-Mahjong.com

[deJENNerate]

Thanks for the shout out Hiro!

I love my Junk Mat too, that\'s why we decided to stock them on the Reach Mahjong Shop (mahjongmart).

Hiro\'s right, the ones on our site don\'t include pockets for the tiles, it\'s just the mat with the carrying case.

It\'s not ideal to have it hang off the table. The mat itself is made of the same stuff wetsuits are made out of so that part is flimsy but it does a great job protecting your tiles and table surfaces.

The sides have the scoring trays which is the best part of the mat since you can see how much your opponents have instead of keeping the sticks in the trays.

The mat should work for any tiles, just not the pockets on the other set.