Arched doorways and shuttered windows give this Japanese residence by Takushu Arai the appearance of an oversized playhouse (+ slideshow). More about Arched openings cut through walls of Takushu Arai's steel-plated house in Yokohama
A spacious loft room bordered by a slender handrail is located beneath the steeply sloping wooden rafters of this Tokyo house by Apollo Architects & Associates (+ slideshow). More about Nord house by Apollo Architects boasts a spacious loft room for children to play in
Huge steel beams with I-shaped profiles were stacked to form the framework of this Tokyo house by Mount Fuji Architects Studio, which features a red spiral staircase winding between its floors (+ slideshow). More about Log Rhythm house revives old Japanese building technique using steel beams instead of wood
This raw concrete house in Tokyo was designed by Japanese firm Apollo Architects & Associates as a family home for a couple whose interests include contemporary art and cars (+ slideshow). More about Apollo Architects creates spaces for artwork and cars in raw concrete Grigio house
Photo essay: French photographer Jérémie Souteyrat trained himself to photograph architecture after moving to Tokyo, by hunting down and documenting some of the best private houses in his adopted city. More about Tokyo No Ie: Jérémie Souteyrat documents Tokyo's contemporary houses
Arched, rectangular and pentagonal doorways cut through the three bowed walls that frame the dining room of this apartment by MAMM Design on the outskirts of Tokyo (+ slideshow). More about MAMM Design adds curved walls and different-shaped doorways to a Japanese apartment
Japanese architect Yoshihiro Yamamoto has sandwiched a house with a width of just 3.4 metres between a pair of existing properties in Osaka (+ slideshow). More about Kakko House by Yoshihiro Yamamoto is a 3.4-metre-wide home in Japan
This timber-framed house by architect Tatsuyuki Takagi is raised up by a cantilevered concrete slab, keeping it away from a busy road in Toyohashi, Japan (+ slideshow). More about Fly Out House balances on a concrete wall to avoid overlooking a busy road
This house in Japan by architect Motoki Asano has square windows dotting its facade and an overhanging wonky roof that creates sheltered terraces around the perimeter (+ slideshow). More about House in Wakayama by Spray shelters four triangular terraces beneath its wonky roof
Japanese architect Hiroshi Nakamura used hexagons to generate the layout of this Tokyo home and workplace for a car dealer, while triangular arches create warren-like interiors (+ slideshow). More about Hiroshi Nakamura's showroom and home for a car dealer features warren-like interiors
The ground floor of this Osaka home by Japanese architect Masatoshi Hatamoto is sunken below street level to create more privacy for its residents (+ slideshow). More about House of Yabugaoka has its ground floor sunken for privacy
Sandwiched between a shrine entrance and a farm in Japan's Shiga Prefecture, this family residence by Japanese architect Kouichi Kimura comprises metal-clad blocks that frame a courtyard (+ slideshow). More about Kouichi Kimura's Courtyard House wraps around a private terrace
Rectangular panels of Japanese cedar and glass create a chequered effect on the facade of this Tokyo residence (+ slideshow). More about Glass and timber rectangles create chequered facade for Tokyo house by Takeshi Shikauchi
A long, horizontal block is hoisted above the ground on a collection of concrete pods, providing views of paddy fields and mountains for the home, gallery and studio of an embroidery artist in Japan's Shiga Prefecture (+ slideshow). More about Satoru Hirota Architects creates a "floating" home and gallery for an embroidery artist
This house in Tokyo was constructed using an industrially manufactured steel framework and cladding, making it look more like a factory than a residence (+ slideshow). More about Niji Architects uses steel components to build factory-like Boundary House
Japanese architect Kouichi Kimura chose grey steel sheets for the exterior of this office and apartment building in Shiga, giving it an armoured appearance (+ slideshow). More about Live-work block in Japan by Kouichi Kimura features a steel-plated facade
Tato Architects has replaced all of the walls inside a traditional Japanese house with curving plywood screens (+ slideshow). More about Tato Architects updates a traditional Japanese house with a curved plywood interior
The faceted metal surfaces of this addition to a dairy farmer's house in the Japanese city of Sodegaura fold around a courtyard that connects it with the original building (+ slideshow). More about Architects Teehouse adds an angular steel-clad home to a Japanese dairy farm
The four blocks that make up this house in Japan all feature different kinds of windows, designed by architect Kazuki Moroe to offer varying perspectives of a neighbouring Shinto shrine (+ slideshow). More about House in Japan designed by Kazuki Moroe to respect the shrine next door
This Japanese family home by FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects is arranged as a series of framed spaces, with the ground floor dominated by an art gallery and workspace (+ slideshow). More about Kouichi Kimura's Framing House combines a home and a gallery