The Ofuro: The Japanese Soaking Bath Explained
The ofuro is the deep soaking bath at the heart of the Japanese bathing ritual. Unlike a Western tub designed for washing, the ofuro…
Category: Japanese Design
Joinery · minimalism · ma 間
Fusuma: Japanese Sliding Doors Explained
The fusuma is the opaque sliding door that gives the traditional Japanese house its remarkable flexibility. Unlike a hinged door fixed to a frame,…
Tatami Rooms Explained
A tatami room is the quintessential traditional Japanese interior — a space floored with thick woven straw mats, used for sitting, sleeping, tea, and…
Shoji Screens: A Practical Guide
The shoji screen is one of the most recognisable elements of traditional Japanese architecture — a light timber lattice covered in translucent paper that…
Japandi Style Explained: Where Japan Meets Scandinavia
Japandi is the design style that fuses Japanese and Scandinavian sensibilities into a single, coherent aesthetic of warm minimalism. It pairs the Japanese pursuit…
Japanese Roof Styles: Form, Eaves and Why They Curve
The roof is the most expressive part of traditional Japanese architecture — large, gracefully curved, and reaching out in deep, sheltering eaves. Far more…
Modern Japanese Architecture: Tradition Meets the Contemporary
Modern Japanese architecture is among the most admired in the world — a body of work that carries the calm, the restraint and the…
Japanese Minimalism: The Philosophy Behind the Calm
Japanese minimalism is more than a clean, uncluttered look — it is a centuries-old way of seeing, rooted in Zen, traditional architecture and a…
Genkan: The Japanese Entrance Where Shoes Come Off
Step into almost any Japanese home and the first thing you encounter is the genkan — a lowered entrance area where you take off…
Tokonoma: The Display Alcove of the Japanese Room
In the formal room of a traditional Japanese home, there is one place where display is allowed — a recessed alcove that holds a…
The Traditional Japanese House: Design, Layout and Features
The traditional Japanese house is a clever system of timber, sliding screens, tatami and deep eaves. How it is designed, its key rooms and…
Japanese Architecture: Styles, Principles and Characteristics
Japanese architecture prizes natural materials, harmony with nature, flexible space and calm. Its defining characteristics, its temples, houses and gardens, and how it shaped…