10 Minimalist Japanese House Designs that Solve the Proble

Minimalist houses have become a benchmark for many people when designing a residence with a small area. Both the exterior and interior need to be designed simply but still eye-catching. One of the minimalist houses that is commonly applied is the Japanese minimalist house. Japanese architecture is smart and interesting and has a desirable character. Here are 10 examples of minimalist but unique Japanese-style houses.

Slice of the City oleh Arsitek Alphaville

In designing this house, the architect needed to find a solution to maintain the client's privacy inside the house while also maximizing the light into the room. The house, located in Nishinomiya, is designed with a large block divided by vertical voids that will help pass light from outside into the house. So privacy is maintained and the house is bright and cozy. The staircase also serves as a link between the two mass blocks.

Slice of the City dynamically and contextualizes the surrounding area by providing natural lighting, ventilation, and privacy by designing voids vertically.

Grid House Module, by Tetsuo Yamaji Architects

This house in Kanto was designed following the traditional metric system in order to stand out from other Japanese-style houses in the neighborhood. The house also utilizes prefabricated materials that are sized according to the modules. This method makes the design of the house more efficient by combining contemporary and traditional architecture.

In this Module Grid House, modern and traditional design can be integrated by utilizing the size of the tatami (Japanese floor covering) module.

Light Grain by Yoshiaki Yamashita Architect & Associates

Light Grain is a house located in Osaka for a young couple with one son. The uniquely designed house is surrounded by perforated walls to provide a balance between lighting, ventilation, and privacy. Light enters the house through the windows and the perforated wall in front of the house. The perforated wall of this house uses metal material with small and many holes that enhance the exterior of the building.

Light grain is a family home that solves the problems of privacy, light and ventilation in a beautiful way.

House in Midorigaoka by Tato Architects

This two-storey house really looks different from the other buildings around it. With its simplicity and the combination of straight lines in the building presents its contemporary impression. The choice of materials is also considered for each zone that is enclosed so that it can make the space inside brighter.

This house in Midorigaoka utilizes the height of the space inside the house to get good lighting.

Hsk House by Architecture Studio no. 555

Located in a hilly area, Hsk House has a geometric shape similar to the silhouette of a house. From this simple shape, the house in Ota-ku, Tokyo is designed with solid blocks with two windows on opposite sides of the front and back. The balcony extends out and is enclosed in all directions by a structure that appears to be suspended from the bird's nest-like facade.

Hsk house modifies simple geometric shapes into a minimalist and unique home.

Relation by Tsubasa Iwahashi Arquitectos

The house named relation is a two-story building with a concrete structure. This Japanese house utilizes the interior arrangement inside to create more floors with mezzanines that are connected to each other. So that each zone has a different airy impression.

Relation presented a domestic house design that was reimagined to provide more space while maintaining the privacy of the owner.

House in Nagoya by Suppose Design Office

This double-decker house is designed to follow the current trend of Japanese architecture. Located in Nagoya, the house was designed with a tall door in front, windows on the sides and a garden inside the house. This was done to get better lighting into the building. The house has a central meeting point where the center connects the rooms inside. Thus all the zones in the house reinforce each other to make the house brighter.

The house is enriched with natural lighting coming in through the windows and a natural feel with the garden in the interior.

Gandare House by Ninkipen Architects

Gandare house is located in Neyagawa, Osaka. Creating a spacious house in a densely populated area has always been a common design problem. By utilizing a narrow lot, this house is very innovative in its facade. Ninkipen architects managed to eliminate the impression of a narrow building size and present a bright house with natural lighting. Furniture, wood and metalic materials are the main elements in designing Gandare House.

Gandare House presents a house with natural lighting and an attractive facade on a narrow lot.

Koro House by Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates

Koro House has a basic hexagonal shape in Japanese residential areas. The layout of this house separates the open garden outside the house from the private garden inside. Unlike most houses, the windows in this building are placed in the upper area of the building so that they will act like skylights that provide natural lighting from all angles. Coupled with wooden furniture, the house becomes more comfortable and bright.

The suspended wooden structure creates an attractive space that plays with light and shadow, acting like a sundial.

House in Minamimachi 03 by Suppose Design Office

This house in Minamimachi is enclosed in a concrete building shell. With a massive boxy shape from the front, it does seem dark and rigid. But this assumption will look different upon entering the house. The lighting is well placed so that it can integrate with the room inside.