A Japanese-Style House (16 Photos)｜Custom Home Projects by Architecture Firms and Builders

A Japanese-Style House
Start Diagnosis
How-To
｜
Room Tour
Project
Event
Column
Publish

A Japanese-Style House

A Japanese-style home uses natural materials like timber, earth, stone, and paper alongside traditional spatial concepts to foster tranquil living. Deep eaves, verandas (engawa), shoji screens, and tatami mats softly filter light and air while linking interiors gently to gardens. Courtyards or framed garden windows keep seasonal beauty close. Combining traditional sensibilities with modern amenities yields a comfortable space suited for modern routines. Embracing shadows, natural patina, and meaningful negative space creates quiet harmony. We present Japanese-style homes celebrating balance.

View project photos for A Japanese-Style House.

Follow your intuition to save photos that catch your eye. Explore spatial designs to uncover implicit preferences you haven't yet put into words.

Find Architectural Projects for A Japanese-Style House

View from the entrance earthen floor toward the living room.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Walls and ceilings are luan. Floors are structural plywood that also serves as reinforcement. All surfaces are left unfinished in their natural state.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Entrance earthen‑floored area. The storage room at the front is also accessible from the living room, creating a convenient circulation route.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Unfinished cedar plank flooring. Ceilings are painted with small beams exposed.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Second floor. Existing ceiling boards were removed and replaced with a boat‑hull (inverted‑boat) ceiling.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Converted the previously dim two adjacent tatami rooms into a large cedar‑clad living room, rehabilitating the property as a family‑oriented residence.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Renovation Bringing Light to a Rental Row House | Row House on Showa Alley II｜Kitchen

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
View of the garden from the dining area. The fence is clad in yakisugi (charred cedar).

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
The staircase originally located inside a closet was replaced with an open‑riser (strip) stair. A shoin‑style shoji screen functions as the visual terminus.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
View from the entrance storage through the earthen floor toward the street.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
The roof's earthen bedding was removed and re‑roofed with sangawara clay tiles, enhancing seismic performance.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Exterior. The exterior walls, which the previous tenant had painted black, were restored with a lime plaster finish. The mushiko‑mado (insect‑lattice) window was repaired.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
View back from the entrance earthen floor. A relatively wide opening accommodates bicycles and motorcycles.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
The bay window's lattice was removed and the timber joinery was converted to frosted glass and reused. Soft light filters in from the alley.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Light entering from east‑ and west‑facing windows and from above the stair is diffused by the white walls and ceilings, imparting a bright atmosphere to the living room.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro
Most interior fittings were refurbished and adjusted before being reused. The now‑rare frosted glass features a maple motif.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto Architects Associates

302, Zeniya Honpo Main Building, 14-6 Ishigatsujichō, Tennōji-ku, Osaka

Generational Home

Exposed Beam

Japanese Modern

Kominka Restoration

Apartment Renovation

Traditional Japanese House

Renovation

Japanese House

House with Doma

Entrance Doma

rowhouse

Kyomachiya

seismicAssessment

seismicReinforcement

ShowaRetro

A Japanese-Style House

View project photos for A Japanese-Style House.

Find Architectural Projects for A Japanese-Style House

View from the entrance earthen floor toward the living room.

Walls and ceilings are luan. Floors are structural plywood that also serves as reinforcement. All surfaces are left unfinished in their natural state.

Entrance earthen‑floored area. The storage room at the front is also accessible from the living room, creating a convenient circulation route.

Unfinished cedar plank flooring. Ceilings are painted with small beams exposed.

Second floor. Existing ceiling boards were removed and replaced with a boat‑hull (inverted‑boat) ceiling.

Converted the previously dim two adjacent tatami rooms into a large cedar‑clad living room, rehabilitating the property as a family‑oriented residence.

Renovation Bringing Light to a Rental Row House | Row House on Showa Alley II｜Kitchen

View of the garden from the dining area. The fence is clad in yakisugi (charred cedar).

The staircase originally located inside a closet was replaced with an open‑riser (strip) stair. A shoin‑style shoji screen functions as the visual terminus.

View from the entrance storage through the earthen floor toward the street.

The roof's earthen bedding was removed and re‑roofed with sangawara clay tiles, enhancing seismic performance.

Exterior. The exterior walls, which the previous tenant had painted black, were restored with a lime plaster finish. The mushiko‑mado (insect‑lattice) window was repaired.

View back from the entrance earthen floor. A relatively wide opening accommodates bicycles and motorcycles.

The bay window's lattice was removed and the timber joinery was converted to frosted glass and reused. Soft light filters in from the alley.

Light entering from east‑ and west‑facing windows and from above the stair is diffused by the white walls and ceilings, imparting a bright atmosphere to the living room.

Most interior fittings were refurbished and adjusted before being reused. The now‑rare frosted glass features a maple motif.