Bedrooms the size of a single mattress are slotted two-high into the walls of this wooden guesthouse in Japan by Alphaville, which takes its cues from capsule hotels (+ slideshow). More about Ladders lead to capsule-sized bedrooms in Koyasan Guesthouse by Alphaville
Small-scale fittings, blackboards walls and round toilet cubicles are incorporated into this kindergarten in Japan, designed by architecture studios Hibino Sekkei and Youji no Shiro around a garden playground (+ slideshow). More about Light-filled classrooms surround a courtyard garden at DS Nursery in Japan
Curving walls rise from opposing directions to form an aisle through the centre of this wedding planner's office in Japan by Ryo Matsui Architects (+ slideshow). More about Curving walls create arched avenue through wedding planning venue by Ryo Matsui Architects
Trees sprout out of the rainbow-coloured cubes that make up the facade of this bank in northern Tokyo – the fourth building that architect Emmanuelle Moureaux has designed for Sugamo Shinkin (+ slideshow). More about Coloured boxes and plants cover the latest Sugamo Shinkin Bank by Emmanuelle Moureaux
Forty-two identical windows puncture the exterior of this house in Japan by Tato Architects, which also features a staircase that leads onto a piece of furniture (+ slideshow). More about A staircase lands on a desk inside House in Hikone by Tato Architects
Young Japanese architect Cohta Asano created a new space for a hairdresser inside an existing building in Iwaki, adding a steel frame to support angular wooden shelves and partitions (+ slideshow). More about Cohta Asano divides Japanese hair salon with diamond-shaped partitions
It's rare to find new houses in Japan that haven't been designed by Japanese architects – but this Tokyo residence with a textured glass facade is the work of Dutch architect Wiel Arets (+ slideshow). More about Glass-coated Tokyo house by Wiel Arets looks like it's been shrink wrapped
The concrete and chipboard components of this irregularly shaped holiday home in Japan have been designed to deal with the difficult conditions of its woodland site, from restricted lighting to hilly topography (+ slideshow). More about House by Double Negatives Architecture adapted to suit a difficult woodland site
The lower floor of this live-work building in Japan was designed by architects SNARK and OUVI as a barber shop, while the upper level contains an apartment featuring a spacious loft (+ slideshow). More about Combined home and barber shop features exposed ceiling beams
Swaths of crumpled tracing paper cocooned the interior of this pop-up bar in a Japanese gallery to transform the space into a cozy cave (+ slideshow). More about Naoya Matsumoto Design uses crumpled paper to create grotto-like bar in Osaka
Architecture studio Sinato raised the ceiling level inside this Japanese apartment to create a mezzanine reading room that can be glimpsed through a narrow opening (+ slideshow). More about Sinato raises an apartment ceiling to squeeze in an extra floor
A spiral staircase rises through the trough-shaped floors of this concrete residence in Japan by local studio Takeshi Hosaka Architects (+ slideshow). More about Spiral stairs puncture hilly floors inside Takeshi Hosaka's House in Byobugaura
Japanese studios SNARK and OUVI have slotted a six-metre-wide house with a lopsided roof between two buildings on the edge of a cemetery (+ slideshow). More about Asymmetric House in Tourimachi slots between two buildings
This apartment block in Tokyo by Hiroyuki Ito Architects features concrete walls that step back and forth, and a series of terraces screened by the facade (+ slideshow). More about Hiroyuki Ito completes Tokyo housing block with staggered concrete silhouette
A secluded rock garden runs along one side of this former house that Japanese architect Ogawa Sekkei has converted into a studio and showroom for a landscape architect (+ slideshow). More about Ogawa Sekkei transforms an old house into a landscape architecture studio with a rockery
Three-dimensional shutters are angled to shield the windows of this textured-concrete apartment block and noodle bar in Tokyo by KINO Architects (+ slideshow) More about Angled fins flank the windows of KINO Architects' Tokyo apartment block
Dabs of plaster pattern the raw concrete surfaces in this Tokyo bedsit partially renovated by local architects Yuichi Yoshida & Associates as a short-term living space (+ slideshow). More about Yuichi Yoshida reorganises Tokyo apartment to create temporary accommodation
A bank of cherry blossoms are mirrored in the reflective gables of this cafe that angles around a smaller tree in Gifu, Japan, by architecture studio Bandesign (+ slideshow). More about Bandesign clads a Japanese cafe in mirrors to reflect a row of cherry trees
Japanese architect Kunihiko Matsuba has balanced a small white house over the flat rooftops of a dental clinic and garage near Tokyo (+ slideshow). More about Tokyo house bridges the rooftops of a dental surgery and garage
Lengths of black-painted timber clad this single-storey holiday home in Japan by Studio Aula, which steps across a wooded site in three volumes of increasing sizes (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber retreat by Studio Aula built in the woods outside Tokyo