Japanese houses come in all shapes and sizes, but privacy is always a big concern. Here are 10 that offer their residents complete seclusion, from an angular concrete bunker to a seemingly windowless box. More about Ten bunker-like houses in Japan that offer total privacy
Wood knotholes are typically a sign of poverty in Japanese architecture, but ICADA has used them to create a unique lighting effect in Knothole House. More about ICADA intentionally puts holes in roof of small wooden house in Japan
Plant-lined balconies and a grid-like facade wrap around the glass Kojimachi Terrace office in Tokyo, which Nendo has designed "to bring the outside in". More about Nendo wraps timber grid around plant-filled balconies of Japanese office
Architect Takeshi Hosaka has built himself a micro home in Tokyo that has a total floor area of just 19 square metres and features a pair of curved roofs. More about Takeshi Hosaka designs tiny house in Tokyo with funnel-like roofs
Japanese architect Kouichi Kimura has completed a concrete house in Shiga, Japan, as a self-contained space that promotes serenity and silence. More about Kouichi Kimura builds fortress-like Tranquil House in Japan
A geometric pattern of square-shaped rooms connected by rhombus-shaped circulation areas forms House in Hokusetsu, Osaka, by Japanese firm Tato Architects. More about House in Hokusetsu by Tato Architects is designed as a labyrinth
Shoraku-Ji is a Buddhist temple next to a cemetery in northeast Tokyo by Toru Kashihara Architects with a stepped concrete design that aims to subvert traditional temple architecture. More about Toru Kashihara Architects designs stepped concrete temple in Tokyo
Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates has completed Topological Folding House, a home formed of a continuous white strip that wraps around to form floors, ceilings and balconies. More about Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates designs house in Japan based on a Möbius loop
Japanese studio FujiwaraMuro Architects designed House in Toyonaka, Osaka, as a series of offset boxes with gaps between them that allow light and air to enter the house, while maintaining the occupants' privacy. More about House in Toyonaka embeds windows in gaps between monolithic grey boxes
We've updated our Pinterest board dedicated to the best Japanese houses, including a home on Okinawa Island with a metal-mesh canopy covered in plants and a house made up of spiralling platforms. Follow Dezeen on Pinterest ›
More about Explore eye-catching Japanese houses on our Pinterest board
Architects and designers in Japan have defended unpaid internships in the country, saying it is a cultural tradition with deep roots. More about Unpaid internships "strong part of the social fabric" in Japan
Japanese conceptual design studio Open Meals has announced a restaurant concept that will use a customer's saliva, faeces and urine to create 3D-printed sushi tailored to their nutritional needs. More about Sushi Singularity makes a bespoke dinner based on your bodily fluids
The 2020 Olympic torch has been unveiled ahead of next year's Games in Tokyo, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka to resemble the cherry blossom flower. More about Japanese cherry blossoms inform Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch design
Tokyo 2020 has unveiled a set of 50 retro-style sport pictograms that pay homage to the icons introduced at the first Tokyo Olympics in 1964. More about Tokyo 2020 unveils Olympic Games pictograms that nod to 1964 originals
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has teamed up with Starbucks on a coffee house featuring origami-like ceilings and trails of cherry blossoms, designed to offer customers a more theatrical experience. More about Kengo Kuma designs building for Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo
A "seamless flow" of spaces including a library, 250-tree garden and a shared social space form the heart of the Shigeru Ban-designed Shishi-Iwa House boutique hotel in Japan. More about Shigeru Ban designs boutique hotel that winds through woodland in Japan
Scaffold-like partition walls and timber display units appear inside this pop-up store that Schemata Architects has designed for Danish homeware brand Hay. More about Schemata Architects completes industrial-style pop-up store for Hay
Foster + Partners has completed the first Apple Store in Kyoto, Japan, which has a translucent facade informed by the materiality of traditional Japanese houses and lanterns. More about Foster + Partners models Apple Store in Kyoto on traditional Japanese houses
A windowless wall punctured by a giant void projects from this steel-clad Japanese house near Tokyo, creating a secret "exterior living room". More about Apollo Architects & Associates hides courtyard behind Cover House's metal facade
Pebble-like seats in pastel hues offer students a place to recline in this recreational area, which Igarashi Design Studio has created for an arts university in Tokyo. More about Igarashi Design Studio's Zero Space is filled with furniture based on river-weathered pebbles