4 Japanese Homes That Proudly Speak to Their Surroundings
We're celebrating the launch of Houzz Japan by exploring four key homes that speak to the Japanese lifestyle and landscape
It’s no secret that key elements of Japanese interior design and architecture have been influencing homes around the world for decades, and with the launch of Houzz Japan this month, that point has been made abundantly clear. Take these four uniquely Japanese homes for instance. Not only are they representative of the decluttered, simplistic ideology Japanese design so often stands for (and we strive for), but they prove that Japanese designers are truly masters in the art of small-space living, and that their affinity with the country that surrounds them is like no other.
The Octagon house embraces the traditional Japanese design idea of ‘borrowed landscape’ (making use of the surrounding scenery in the design), in this case, building a home that has beautiful views in three different directions.
The design team built in a long bench seat along the north-facing living room window, so the homeowners could revel in the view of the beautiful cherry blossoms.
The design team built in a long bench seat along the north-facing living room window, so the homeowners could revel in the view of the beautiful cherry blossoms.
2. Minimalist ‘Nest’ house, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture
This contemporary home in the rural region of Nagoya was nicknamed ‘The Nest House’ by architect Takuya Tsuchida, who wanted to give the homeowners the feeling of living in a nest without feeling tied to a nest’s natural form. At under 100sqm, the guiding principles of innovation, simplicity and functionality were far more important to the architect than creating what’s typically considered a ‘beautiful’ home.
Tsuchida says it’s not uncommon to live simply on a sliver of land in Japan. “Rice fields belonging to my clients and to their community surround their property, so the plot for their house was limited to land that is thin and long; we just obediently followed it,” says Tsuchida.
This contemporary home in the rural region of Nagoya was nicknamed ‘The Nest House’ by architect Takuya Tsuchida, who wanted to give the homeowners the feeling of living in a nest without feeling tied to a nest’s natural form. At under 100sqm, the guiding principles of innovation, simplicity and functionality were far more important to the architect than creating what’s typically considered a ‘beautiful’ home.
Tsuchida says it’s not uncommon to live simply on a sliver of land in Japan. “Rice fields belonging to my clients and to their community surround their property, so the plot for their house was limited to land that is thin and long; we just obediently followed it,” says Tsuchida.
Minimalism is a typical interior style in Japan, and this home tells a story of the art of decluttering, that’s been given media attention in recent months following Japanese professional organiser Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, in which she urges us all to address our stuff, not our storage.
The house is not big – it’s basically a box – and the family who lives there don’t put many things in the house, to keep things simple; it harks back to the principle that the simpler the life, the richer the life is.
The house is not big – it’s basically a box – and the family who lives there don’t put many things in the house, to keep things simple; it harks back to the principle that the simpler the life, the richer the life is.
For centuries, Japanese design has not only tried to bring the beauty of surrounding topography into design – it’s more than that. Japanese people enjoy being out in nature. It was only natural that when designing this home among the rice fields, in a region famous for its agriculture and harvest, that Tsuchida and his team decided to blur the edges between indoor and out with floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows.
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3. 48-year-old public housing complex renovation, Adachi Ward, Tokyo
Borne out of the high economic growth period of the ’50s and ’60s, this public house complex is one of the only buildings left standing in a project that once had 80 buildings at its peak. The Urban Renaissance Agency, the organisation that manages the community, hosted a design competition to invite designers to enter to win the chance to renovate it. Renowned designer Yusuke Fujita of Camp Design Inc. won.
Fujita proposed the idea of transforming the unappealing aluminium sashes throughout with wood sashes made from locally-sourced wood from Niigata Prefecture. The new sashes are expensive but bring in insulation and interior ambience.
Borne out of the high economic growth period of the ’50s and ’60s, this public house complex is one of the only buildings left standing in a project that once had 80 buildings at its peak. The Urban Renaissance Agency, the organisation that manages the community, hosted a design competition to invite designers to enter to win the chance to renovate it. Renowned designer Yusuke Fujita of Camp Design Inc. won.
Fujita proposed the idea of transforming the unappealing aluminium sashes throughout with wood sashes made from locally-sourced wood from Niigata Prefecture. The new sashes are expensive but bring in insulation and interior ambience.
Fujita added deck flooring and removed the glass from the windows (many of which are south-facing and bring in plenty of sunlight) of the original front rooms to create an indoor-outdoor space that feels like a terrace. Homeowners step back through a timber framed doorway into the living room, which feels equally in touch with the outside world.
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4. A traditional wooden home restored in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture
Famous for his innovative ways to redo rundown buildings, architect Shigeru Aoki was asked to take on this 100-year-old home in old castle town, Toyota City. Aoki’s main concern was the restoration of the structural engineering of the property, especially in an earthquake-prone country such as Japan. Aoki used a Japanese traditional renovation technique called hikiya that’s used to restore historical buildings. Hikiya involves, literally, moving the house away from the site, redoing the base and foundations, and then putting the house back in place. A big job.
The exterior was important – it’s finished with timber louvres, and the roof shape is kept traditional to suit the cityscape, and to respect the town’s history.
Famous for his innovative ways to redo rundown buildings, architect Shigeru Aoki was asked to take on this 100-year-old home in old castle town, Toyota City. Aoki’s main concern was the restoration of the structural engineering of the property, especially in an earthquake-prone country such as Japan. Aoki used a Japanese traditional renovation technique called hikiya that’s used to restore historical buildings. Hikiya involves, literally, moving the house away from the site, redoing the base and foundations, and then putting the house back in place. A big job.
The exterior was important – it’s finished with timber louvres, and the roof shape is kept traditional to suit the cityscape, and to respect the town’s history.
Outside in the courtyard is a karesansui, a traditional Japanese dry landscape garden. You see large, long rectangular stones among the gravel – these stones were part of the original foundations of the building and were included in the restoration to acknowledge the home’s roots in more ways than one.
This is a traditional Japanese space. Shoji screens bring in light even when closed, and fresh air from the outdoors when opened. Tatami mats lie on the floor. A large front and back room are connected only by a screen – this means the spaces can be cordoned off to create individual rooms, or expanded into one large entertaining space.
A Buddhist altar sits behind the large white doors in the back room. The Buddhist alter is a typical feature of traditional homes; what’s modern is the use of white on the door, as opposed to timber panelling. Although so much work has gone into the preservation of the home’s heritage, we can still glimpse Aoki’s nod to the future of Japanese design.
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WELCOME HOUZZ JAPAN
Send your well wishes to Houzz Japan in the Comments and do tell us, what do you associate with Japanese design?
A Buddhist altar sits behind the large white doors in the back room. The Buddhist alter is a typical feature of traditional homes; what’s modern is the use of white on the door, as opposed to timber panelling. Although so much work has gone into the preservation of the home’s heritage, we can still glimpse Aoki’s nod to the future of Japanese design.
See more of this home
WELCOME HOUZZ JAPAN
Send your well wishes to Houzz Japan in the Comments and do tell us, what do you associate with Japanese design?
Architect Ryota Sekimoto of Riota Design found this small plot of land (100sqm) in Soka, in the outer suburbs of Tokyo. Land is expensive in Japan, so the architect had to work hard to use the site to its fullest.
The best way to do that was to work with the site’s original features. On the north side of the plot is a riverbank lined with cherry trees, which was a huge factor in the design layout. Instead of cutting the tree down to make more space, the design team instead chose to keep it and build a small and perfectly formed home in its honour.
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