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Collection by Luke Hopping
Editor’s Pick

Unabashedly Strange Houses in Japan

Japan is known for its outré architecture, a reputation that these houses fully embrace.

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Makoto Tanijiri managed to evoke a feeling of spaciousness in the interior without the closed exterior façade causing any interference.
Makoto Tanijiri managed to evoke a feeling of spaciousness in the interior without the closed exterior façade causing any interference.
The blue porcelain tiles covering the house’s exterior are typical of commercial buildings of earlier decades. “It was intended to invoke nostalgia of the past and newness at the same time,” lead architect Akio Nakasa says.
The blue porcelain tiles covering the house’s exterior are typical of commercial buildings of earlier decades. “It was intended to invoke nostalgia of the past and newness at the same time,” lead architect Akio Nakasa says.
The façade designed by Apollo Architects and Associates features an overhanging upper level, which ensures that the entrance is pleasantly shaded and demarcates the property’s two parking spaces. The home’s wooden structure is clad in a bright white exposed concrete.
The façade designed by Apollo Architects and Associates features an overhanging upper level, which ensures that the entrance is pleasantly shaded and demarcates the property’s two parking spaces. The home’s wooden structure is clad in a bright white exposed concrete.
Photo by Osamu Abe
Photo by Osamu Abe
The black facade of the Yatabes’ house may turn a darkly futuristic face to its suburban block, but behind it the house is full of light. In Saitama, a tightly packed neighborhood near Tokyo, the black metal screen affords the family privacy without sacrificing outdoor space.
The black facade of the Yatabes’ house may turn a darkly futuristic face to its suburban block, but behind it the house is full of light. In Saitama, a tightly packed neighborhood near Tokyo, the black metal screen affords the family privacy without sacrificing outdoor space.
Masahiro and Mao Harada of Mount Fuji Architects Studio wanted to break with the traditional definition of a house when they designed this small Tokyo home. They achieved their goal by using the same material for the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, creating a space that flows beautifully. Photo by Ryota Atarashi.
Masahiro and Mao Harada of Mount Fuji Architects Studio wanted to break with the traditional definition of a house when they designed this small Tokyo home. They achieved their goal by using the same material for the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, creating a space that flows beautifully. Photo by Ryota Atarashi.
Imai House by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates Sasaki also loosened up the potentially confining space with an excess of natural light. High windows in the main living area bath the space in natural illumination, while the staggered series of smaller windows in the children’s rooms function like portholes. Photo provided by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Imai House by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates Sasaki also loosened up the potentially confining space with an excess of natural light. High windows in the main living area bath the space in natural illumination, while the staggered series of smaller windows in the children’s rooms function like portholes. Photo provided by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Concrete planters frame the facade—a union of monolithic slabs that offers privacy and compositional integrity to the building. The exterior is a plaster finish over insulation and concrete.
Concrete planters frame the facade—a union of monolithic slabs that offers privacy and compositional integrity to the building. The exterior is a plaster finish over insulation and concrete.
The distance between site and structure is more dramatic in the evening when light shines through the sunken glass living room.
The distance between site and structure is more dramatic in the evening when light shines through the sunken glass living room.
Designed for two women in their 60s, this collection of little huts make up a private home and a food service for the community.
Designed for two women in their 60s, this collection of little huts make up a private home and a food service for the community.
A series of open, street-facing gardens make up this five-story, 700-square-foot home in Tokyo, Japan. Called Garden & House, it was designed by Ryue Nishizawa, and serves as part of a study of new urban lifestyles for the non-nuclear family.
A series of open, street-facing gardens make up this five-story, 700-square-foot home in Tokyo, Japan. Called Garden & House, it was designed by Ryue Nishizawa, and serves as part of a study of new urban lifestyles for the non-nuclear family.
KHT House by International Royal Architecture, completed in 2013 in Kahoku, Yamagata Prefecture
KHT House by International Royal Architecture, completed in 2013 in Kahoku, Yamagata Prefecture
A glowing home in Japan has milky-white, one-and-a-half-inch plastic sheets wrapped around the exterior to let in light and provide insulation.
A glowing home in Japan has milky-white, one-and-a-half-inch plastic sheets wrapped around the exterior to let in light and provide insulation.
Three-year-old Ran Sugiura peers out the front door of her Tokyo home, a concept-driven yet surprisingly livable piece of architecture that her parents describe as uniquely well suited to the family’s flexible “futon lifestyle."
Three-year-old Ran Sugiura peers out the front door of her Tokyo home, a concept-driven yet surprisingly livable piece of architecture that her parents describe as uniquely well suited to the family’s flexible “futon lifestyle."
Yurika Ninomiya says good morning to busy central Nagoya from her third-floor bedroom while husband Takuya opens up the shop and gallery that they run below.
Yurika Ninomiya says good morning to busy central Nagoya from her third-floor bedroom while husband Takuya opens up the shop and gallery that they run below.

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