#japan

Green House is a small urban residence located along a lively greenway in Tokyo. The house was conceived as a backdrop to everyday life, engaging both its inhabitants and passersby through its presence along the public path.   Rather than simply facing the greenway, the project creates a terrace and front garden that extend the life of the house outward. Over time, these outdoor spaces are intended to function as an extension of the greenway itself, contributing to the shared landscape of the neighborhood. Shota Hiyoshi Shota Hiyoshi The exterior is clad in copper and Japanese cypress, materials that gradually change with weather and age. The façade combines planar and curved surfaces, responding to the verticality... More

This house is built on a site along a bank in Toyama City overlooking the Tateyama mountain range. It was planned with the utmost care to allow people to enjoy the scenery in their daily lives. The living/dining/kitchen area and bathroom are located on the second floor to take in the views of the river, Toyama City, and the Tateyama mountain range that were previously blocked by the bank. The large windows offer a panoramic view, allowing you to spend time feeling the changes of the seasons. The entrance and private rooms are all on the first floor, allowing each family member to cherish their own time. The scenery becomes memorable depending on the people who gather there and how they spend their time. The scenery that catches your eye in... More

This mountain villa was designed and planned based on a villa our firm originally designed in 1984 in the Yatsugatake Highlands (Japan) for a different site.The clients, a married couple, were looking for a place that would allow a dual-base lifestyle while cherishing time with their beloved dog. Initially, the plan was to renovate the Yatsugatake lodge that had been put up for sale; however, considering ease of access to central Tokyo, they ultimately chose Suwa (Japan) as the new location. ARTE-1 KAI NAKAMURA ARTE-1 KAI NAKAMURA KAI NAKAMURA The defining characteristics of this building are its horizontally spreading spaces and its hipped roof with deep eaves, whose complex form evokes the surrounding mountain ra... More

Nature takes the lead, and architecture follows in harmony. A dialogue between light and material— a timeless structure designed to live with this land for generations to come. Sobokuya Inc. Courtesy of Sobokuya_by Sobokuya Sobokuya Inc. Courtesy of Sobokuya_by Sobokuya Sobokuya Inc. Courtesy of Sobokuya_by Sobokuya There is no excess ornamentation in this building. The shared intention of both architect and carpenter was simple— to bring out the inherent beauty of the materials themselves. Light and wind flow freely through large windows that open in every direction, casting gentle shadows across the tatami floor. Spring light, summer greenery, autumn breeze, and winter silence— each season becomes part of... More

Emerald Bliss Estate is two buildings with different concepts. The themes of the retreats are “Relaxation Retreat” and “Focus Retreat,” which have a different look and role.A retreat is a way to detoxification from daily life and heal the mind and body.At the “Relax Retreat Sand Wing,” you can spend a relaxing and meaningful time with a beautiful view of the ocean.Focus Retreat “Nagi Wing” is a place where you can spend your time focusing on what you love to do. Caption Caption Caption “Sand Wing”.Based on the theme of a relaxing retreat, this space is designed in nude tones to make you feel comfortable and at home.The open-plan living room, with its iconic sofa, c... More

Le Sauna is a serene Japanese-style retreat designed to soothe both mind and body, blending timeless architectural elements with thoughtful craftsmanship. Its dignified earthen walls and the warm elegance of a handcrafted wooden roof create a harmonious connection with nature. Sobokuya Inc. Courtesy of Sobokuya_by Sobokuya Sobokuya Inc. Courtesy of Sobokuya_by Sobokuya Key features of Le Sauna include a beautifully curved entrance and a tokonoma (alcove) that incorporates bamboo latticework into pine posts, preserving their natural bark for added rustic charm. The bathing area features a Kiso cypress bath, renowned for its durability and fragrance, placed by a large window with Kyoto-style sliding screens for privacy. Adjacent to... More

Totonoeru ie embodies simplicity and expansive openings, seamlessly integrated into its landscape. The grand structure features large wooden doors and windows that frame breathtaking views of nearby mountains, transforming the living room and private rooms into natural art galleries. Interior walls, finished with a mix of black charcoal and white plaster, reflect outdoor scenery, enhancing the connection to nature. Sobokuya Inc. Courtesy of Sobokuya_by Sobokuya Complemented by meticulously crafted kitchen and sanitary furniture, the spacious living area balances grandeur with delicate craftsmanship. Sobokuya’s signature taiko beams serve as structural elements and striking staircases, traversing the centre of the room to create... More

SOCHA is a uniquely designed Japanese café themed around traditional Japanese tea and matcha. The concept phase began in 2022, solidified in 2023, and culminated with the café’s official opening in January 2024. The SOCHA project not only serves as a café but also as a showcase of Sobokuya’s design philosophy, offering an immersive experience in both culinary and architectural aspects of Japanese culture. Caption The building housing SOCHA is a renovation project, transforming a space that once served as a newspaper delivery office and a home into a vibrant café on the ground floor and Sobokuya’s Tokyo design office on the second floor. The renovation involved a complete overhaul of both t... More

Suashi no Ie – A House in Harmony with Nature In 2021, Sobokuya embarked on a project to create Suashi no Ie, an eco-regenerative home that embodies the owner’s sustainable lifestyle. Nestled at the foot of Mount Yatsugatake, the house is a blend of traditional Japanese craftsmanship and modern regenerative living. Caption The name “Suashi no Ie” (Barefoot House) reflects the owner’s lifestyle, which greatly revolves around walking barefoot. This passion for connecting with the earth influenced the choice of materials - we aimed to create a natural, comfortable feel underfoot throughout the house. Caption Inspired by the architectural techniques used in the iconic Kiyomizu-Dera Temple in Kyoto, Sua... More

MUSEUM MONUMENT TO FRIENDSHIP AND ITS METAPHORSThe open-air museum celebrates the friendship between Japan and the state of Minas Gerais and what this relationship was able to build out of concrete and immaterial. The project is a bridge over a lake. The bridge metaphorically connects territories, times, ideas and ideals. The lake is like the sea between nations, and also that of challenges, achievements, times lived. The actions and works become visible through remarkable dates that emerge from the water, and the submerged spaces represent the regions of the unconscious of feeling and memory. The route starts from symbolic Japan planted with cherry trees to Minas dos Ipês-Brancos. Leonarto Finotti Celebrating Japan and Minas, c... More

[Background] YOKOSAWA CAMPUS is a co-working space located in the Hizume shopping street in Shiwa-cho, Shiwagun, Iwate Prefecture. One part of the space has been renovated into a café. Caption Caption Caption The building was self-renovated by the owner and friends over several years after being relocated to this location. In recent years, it has been used by local residents as a co-working space. However, since it was originally a residence, seeing the lively interior from the outside was difficult. Caption Caption The owner attempted to create a new reason for people to visit by offering coffee and trying to make a more open gathering place for more people. Inspired by the history of Hizume, which used t... More

This is a landscape design project in Johana, Toyama Prefecture. To create order to a large site, a folly will be set up in the center of the site. A black wall swung 45 degrees inserted in the folly makes a sequence and we go inside along this wall. Caption Caption Caption Caption To start a new story from the existing well on the site, I place stone benches and tables that blend in with the landscape. The composition of the diagonal elements in the square also overlaps with the arrangement in Japanese tea ceremony, where a ladle is placed diagonally on the furnace. Caption Caption Caption Yusuke Takano Caption Caption   More

This is a renovation project in Yatsuo, Toyama, Japan that transformed the old Japanese house into the photographer, Yusuke Takano’s studio. To create the space, we remained the existing wood structure and add Geometric Abstraction to infill. Yusuke Takano Yusuke Takano Yusuke Takano Yusuke Takano It all started by noting that there are elements of modernism like Mondrian’s painting in spaces where traditional Japanese architecture appear the vertical and horizontal structures. The space was greatly changed by painting an abstract painting to site-specific canvas. Yusuke Takano Yusuke Takano Yusuke Takano Yusuke Takano More

A renovation project for a new resident. We renovated a 19-year-old private house due to the change of the resident. The new resident's family consists of a grandmother, father, mother, and 3 children (2 brothers and a small sister). The purpose of this project was creating a space where they can feel a sense of unity between two households even if the living floors are different. Forward Stroke Inc. Forward Stroke Inc. Forward Stroke Inc. In Japan, about two-family homes, there are many cases where the living space is completely separated, such as having two entrances. But in this project, a home originally designed for one household would be renovated into a two-family home. Therefore, it was necessary to study what was ne... More