
Modern Japanese architecture is becoming more creative all the time as the artists who design the buildings want to add their own look or style to the building. Something to stand out, yet have all the modern convenience of contemporary architecture.

These building can at times appear to have been built upside down and inside out, or have taken the tools and surrounding countryside and incorporate them into the structure.

Japanese contemporary architecture may seem dull at times but keeping the same lifestyle while adding some flair can be easily achieved as has been seen in the pictures.

When taking a building and cutting away the parts that are not needed to make the place structurally sound you can create a new look and more space than others that are around them. This can give you extra parking or storage and still be the envy of the entire neighborhood.

The shape of modern Japanese houses can vary with each architect and there are never two that look the same. Try living in a structure that encompasses the look of the outdoors with a rounded feel and shape. Opening the buildings in between can give you a feel of openness and seclusion while still being close to your family.

To see pictures of these houses’ interiors too or other photos of its architecture, click on the photos in the article and you will be directed to that respective house’s gallery.

Examples of modern Japanese architecture

Charred Cedar House by naf architect & design

M4 House by Architect Show Co.

House by Fujiwarramuro Architects

Villa SSK by Takeshi Hirobe Architects

U3 House by Masahiko Sato of Architect Show

Residence in Hozumidai by Matsunami Mitsutomo

Reflection of Mineral by Atelier Tekuto

House with Gardens by Tetsuo Kondo Architects

Minimalist house by Shigeru Fuse Architects

Villa Saitan by EASTERN Design Office

IS House by Yo Yamagata Architects

Sakuragawa House by Suppose Design Office

Garden and Sea by Takao Shiotsuka Atelier

Step Tower by EASTERN Design Office

K5 house by Masahiko Sato

VILLA-K by Mutsue Hayakusa Cell Space Architects

Yatsugatake Villa by MDS

Narrow house by Fujiwaramuro Architects

Mishima House by Keiji Ashizawa Design

House H by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects

Y-house by IDEA Office

Toda House by Kimihiko Okada

Outotunoie by mA-style architects

Twin Megaphones by Atelier Tekuto + Yasuhiro Yamashita + Toshiyuki Fujimori

Now let’s look at them in detail.

Charred Cedar House by naf architect & design

The house consists of three layers of different nature of space. Seen from the street, the first layer is a black box, the second layer void with spindly oblique steel pillars randomly piercing the space and the third layer gable black box floating on top.

M4 House by Architect Show Co.

M4-house [overlapping house] was built in silent countryside of Higashisonogi in Nagazaki.

House by Fujiwarramuro Architects

Villa SSK by Takeshi Hirobe Architects

Overlooking the coastal waters of Chiba in Japan, a large hexagonal shell represents the central section of the Villa SSK which showcases the creation of Takeshi Hirobe Architects.

The outer walls of the villa rise upwards and out thus creating a shape that gets wider as it rises above the base level. On the inside, the exposed beams responsible for the structural integrity are kept naked and natural which creates a warm, contemporary and welcoming feel.

U3 House by Masahiko Sato of Architect Show

Residence in Hozumidai by Matsunami Mitsutomo

This is a mass-produced type ready-built house often developed on a large scale, and as such, has the advantage of producing entire housing of rows.In many cases, as the appearance is coordinated at the designation of the owner, rows of houses that do not necessity match esthetically are created.

In order to overcome this 4 units are created together at Hozumidai to appear as one building by design, carrying out a strong message to the town. Price competitiveness was maintained by cost effective production of the facade design.

Reflection of Mineral by Atelier Tekuto

The site is located near the center of Tokyo. It is a small 44m2 corner plot bounded by two streets. Conforming to legal conditions and in response to the client’s wish for a ‘roofed garage’ the volume was trimmed from various directions. Using the words ‘Mineral’ and ‘reflection’ as guiding concepts, Atelier Tekuto proceeded to use subtraction as a positive tool for design.

House with Gardens by Tetsuo Kondo Architects

The site is located on a hill in a quiet residential district. Neighboring houses are built up against the lot on both sides but a lush forest spreads to the back while a view down to Yokohama city can be enjoyed to the front. Although the area is quite developed one can still listen to the birds and enjoy the fresh air making this an attractive place to live.

The rooms are organized vertically and by mixing exterior spaces into the house, the surrounding can be felt at all times. Gardens are placed accessible from each room and openings are aimed in various directions so that the view of the sky and forest can be enjoyed even through other rooms.

Minimalist house by Shigeru Fuse Architects

Villa Saitan by EASTERN Design Office

This construction is a collective housing consisting of 11 units. The impersonality of segmental housing complex is completely concealed in this architecture. Instead it is built to be seen as one big house.

The architecture is covered with a wall in which holes are cut. The shape of the holes resembles a trunk, leaves, a root and bulbs. It also can be seen as clouds floating over the trees.

IS House by Yo Yamagata Architects

This house has plane configuration of three layers. Along a north-south from road side in that order the BUFFER, BODY and SLOT.

There is an intermediate region between the inner spaces that make up the facade with wooden louvers at BUFFER of the road side.

There is a courtyard, a outside room, and a terrace. This space can be used as an extension of interior space while controlling light and look for louvers.

Sakuragawa House by Suppose Design Office

Though the site is small, from the the beginning they wanted to build a house that felt big, as if even the park was your own.

From the aperture in the 2nd floor living space, with its bay windows and bench that make you feel as though you are sitting in the park and where you can keep an eye on your children playing outside, to the split levels that allow you to communicate easily with family members and keep every place in the house connected, they have designed a space with a sense of security and peacefulness.

Garden and Sea by Takao Shiotsuka Atelier

The site faces the sea and has deep depth. And it inclines toward the sea by the vertical interval like 2M. We arranged the house in the center of the site. The plane shape of the house is wedge to spread towards the sea.

Step Tower by EASTERN Design Office

A stark white ship that sails in the middle of the bustling sea of colors. The ship floating on the ocean suddenly appears in a shopping center. It evokes a feeling not of a resort area, but of an exotic corner of a town in some southern country. A feeling of a ship that comes across this area by chance.

It makes you imagine the wave splashes that occur when the bow heads-on through the sea. It is a pencil building of 9.7 meter width and 21.6 meter depth. Big holds are designed for the balconies at the southwest corner. These holes become bigger as the floors go upwards from the bottom. You can have the same image when you look up the bow from under it.

K5 house by Masahiko Sato

K5-house [house of slow life] was built in natural environment of the countryside of Kurume city in Fukuoka.

Site is in quiet countryside and many families live there happily with each other for quite a long time.

So I design this house with the concept of harmonizing architecture and natural environment to make the family live a slow happy life with neighbors there.

VILLA-K by Mutsue Hayakusa Cell Space Architects

This site is located on a hilltop in one of the eminent Karuizawa villa areas. All directions around the site are clear for view in winter.The villa consists of four parts of floors and four parts of roofs around a central pillar.

The four floors placed on different levels are connected to the surrounding out space through windows in order to give diverse views for the residents. The inner spaces are divided into four parts and, on the other hand, are connected in a spiral around the central pillar.

Yatsugatake Villa by MDS

The villa with a farm where the residents can grow their own vegetable is located at the foot of the mountain. The house invites the surrounding natural environment inside.

Narrow house by Fujiwaramuro Architects

Showa-cho is a quiet place even though it is downtown. There are many people residency from a long time ago. The design of the residence has a narrow frontage, which is a part of a row house (17.89m x 3.94m). The design of the residence is that the street in front of the house could be a part of scenery rather than to be closed towards the street.

Mishima House by Keiji Ashizawa Design

The theme for this house design is ideal for a small family. The idea behind this design is to accommodate privacy, while living comfortably in the dense downtown area of central Tokyo. The rooms that need maximum privacy, such the bedrooms and bathroom, are located on the first and second floor.

House H by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects

This is a house for young couple and their child, located in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. Matsudo City has a background that has developed as a residential area on the outskirts of Tokyo from the 1960s. This house was planned rebuilding of the house, which was built at that time.

Y-house by IDEA Office

IDEA Office coordinated with the clients of Y-house to develop a design that successfully incorporates solar access to all parts of the house, connecting to the surrounding environment through outdoor spaces that enhanced the feeling of openness all while maintaining privacy. Follow the break for photographs and drawings of Y-house.

Toda House by Kimihiko Okada

The site is located in a residential area developed on a gentle perch in Hiroshima, overlooking a far view of the Inland Sea and Miyajima.

The land of this area is developed into platforms form with several levels. The architecture was requested to have a view over the roof of the neighboring house, standing one level lower, and to consider security, for the site is located at the edge of the residential area, and to leave some space for extension when the client opens a small shop in the future.

Outotunoie by mA-style architects

Twin Megaphones by Atelier Tekuto + Yasuhiro Yamashita + Toshiyuki Fujimori

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