Tokyo studio Naf Architect & Design designed this house in Niigata to fit around a narrow driveway, which doubles as a space for outdoor get-togethers during the neighbourhood's annual lantern festival (+ slideshow). More about Roadside House by Naf Architect & Design has a driveway that doubles as a party space
Six slabs of wafer-thin concrete form the floors and walls of this house by Kubota Architect Atelier, which cuts into the side of a mountain in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture (+ slideshow). More about Thin concrete planes define mountain home in Japan by Kubota Architect Atelier
This family house in Shiga, Japan, is made up of two structures – a simple two-storey block set on a patio, and a small timber pavilion that opens out to a landscaped garden (+ slideshow). More about Maibara House by Alts Design Office combines a windowless block and a small garden pavilion
Architecture firm Conran and Partners has completed its redevelopment of Tokyo's Futako-Tamagawa area, the city's largest building project of the last decade. More about Conran and Partners completes huge development on Tokyo's Tama River
Japanese designer Wataru Kumano has transformed an old confectionary warehouse into a sweet shop that prepares and serves only one type of sugary treat (+ slideshow). More about Wataru Kumano converts disused Japanese factory into sweet shop
Japanese studios Sandwich and Team Low-Energy used three truckloads of timber to create the sculptural facade of this Tokyo house that also boasts a two-storey-high library and an indoor swing (+ slideshow). More about Kyodo House features a sculptural wood facade and an indoor swing
Apollo Architects & Associates named this Tokyo house after Noah's Ark because it features a symmetrical floor plan and a pointed wooden roof. More about Ark-inspired house by Apollo Architects features a symmetrical layout
Japanese houses are a perennial favourite with Dezeen readers, but the country's architects also apply similar design principles to hair salon interiors.
Examples include a minimal salon in Osaka with space for just one customer, a hairdresser's divided with plants and mirrored screens, and a beautician's featuring crimped screens and golden curtains. See more Japanese hair salons »
More about Today we like: Japanese hair salons
The roof of this house in Japan is tilted above a band of glazing, allowing light to permeate the interior while also making the structure look like a box with a lifted lid (+ slideshow). More about SYAP's House in Yokkaichi has a roof angled upwards like the lid of an open box
There is room for just one customer at a time in this minimally furnished Osaka hair salon, which Japanese studio Sides Core claims was inspired by the principles of mountain climbing (+ slideshow). More about Minimal hair salon by Sides Core accommodates just one customer at a time
Assorted glass blocks give varying levels of translucency to the facade of this showroom and storage facility for an antiques dealer in Osaka, Japan (+ slideshow). More about Glass blocks create multi-tonal facade for antiques showroom by Jun Murata
Behind a simple concrete exterior, this house by Japanese architect Tsubasa Iwahashi contains a complex arrangement of rooms connected by three different kinds of staircase (+ slideshow). More about Tsubasa Iwahashi completes Hyōgo house containing three types of staircase
Japanese studio Nendo has designed a minimal emergency kit for those affected by earthquakes, containing a whistle, radio, raincoat, lantern, water container and multipurpose case in a slender tube (+ slideshow). More about Nendo's MINIM+AID kit contains emergency supplies for earthquake victims
An elevated terrace stretches along one side of this narrow house in Nara, Japan, providing the residents with glimpses into the neighbourhood (+ slideshow). More about House in Nara by Keiichi Sugiyama boasts a raised cedar terrace
Japanese design studio Nendo has completed a set of mirrored interiors for a cafe and office in Tokyo's Kenzo Tange-designed Sogetsu Kaikan building (+ slideshow). More about Nendo adds reflective surfaces to offices and cafe in Kenzo Tange's Tokyo arts centre
Volcanic ash is mixed into the concrete shell of this angular house in central Tokyo, which was designed by Atelier Tekuto for a pair of chemists (+ slideshow). More about Atelier Tekuto completes crystalline concrete home for two chemists
A traditional Japanese construction method was used for this house in Tokyo, which features four wooden columns arranged in a square to support the rest of the timber frame (+ slideshow). More about FT Architects' 4 Columns house features a traditional timber frame and minimal interior
Muji's set of ready-constructed huts were designed by Konstantin Grcic, Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa as minimal rural refuges for escaping the "hustle and bustle" of the city (+ slideshow). More about Muji launches trio of prefab minimal cabins by Morrison, Grcic and Fukasawa
A bright orange wall screens a staircase that leads to a bathroom on top of this concrete house in Tokyo by Takuro Yamamoto Architects (+ slideshow). More about Concrete home by Takuro Yamamoto Architects overlooks an allotment and woods near Tokyo
A pair of large terraces channel through one side of this white house in Tokyo by Takuro Yamamoto Architects, providing residents with an outdoor yoga space and a sheltered parking area (+ slideshow). More about Little House Big Terrace by Takuro Yamamoto Architects features an elevated yoga terrace