A wooden spine extends beneath the diagonally pitched roof of this diamond-shaped house and artist's studio in Japan (+ slideshow). More about House and art studio by Alphaville features a diamond-shaped plan and a pointed roof
An old train carriage forms one half of this family home in Takasago, Japan, while the other half looks like it could be a railway station (+ slideshow). More about Takanobu Kishimoto's Platform is a home built around a train carriage
Each room of this woodland retreat in Japan is topped by a "pointy hat" that gives the timber structure the appearance of a group of pitched tents (+ slideshow). More about Woodland home by Hiroshi Nakamura designed to resemble a cluster of timber tepees
Architecture studio NAAD has gutted a 100-year-old house in Kyoto and re-skinned the interior in plywood to create a temporary dwelling that is designed to look incomplete (+ slideshow). More about NAAD lines a century-old Japanese house with exposed plywood
Both curving and straight walls overlap inside this family home in Shiga Prefecture by architect Tsuyoshi Kawata, which was designed to frame views of a nearby park (+ slideshow). More about Curving walls eclipse glazed facade of park-side house in Japan by Tsuyoshi Kawata
The stepped profile of this house in Japan by architecture studio IHRMK gives clues about the complicated layout of rooms contained within. More about IHRMK's house with a staggered profile looks out over a landscape of paddy fields
This house by Suppose Design Office slopes down beyond the boundary wall of a reservoir in Fukuoka, south-west Japan, to allow residents to be as close as possible to the water (+ slideshow). More about Suppose Design Office's House in Hibaru stretches down to the edge of a reservoir
This rural Japanese house by Suppose Design Office features sunken rooms and see-through walls, designed to allow residents to observe and interact with wild animals (+ slideshow). More about Hiroshima Hut by Suppose Design Office is a see-through house with sunken rooms
Wooden ceiling beams extend beyond the walls of this boxy black house in Japan by Apollo Architects & Associates, creating a canopy above a secluded entrance courtyard (+ slideshow). More about Trellis canopy shades courtyard of Pergola house by Apollo Architects
Japanese studio Alphaville raised the base of this Osaka house up on crooked stilts, revealing the complex arrangement of rooms, bridges and lightwells contained within (+ slideshow). More about Alphaville's Dig In the Sky house is made up of three blocks connected by bridges
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
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
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
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
A curvy structure forms the heart of this small Tokyo home and workspace by Japanese studio Flat House, separating a cafe, gallery and art studio from the residents' domestic activities (+ slideshow). More about Live-in gallery and studio by Flat House hides utility rooms in a central cylinder
A cast-concrete box overhangs the sloping lower floor facade of this house by Japanese studio Matsuyama Architects (+ slideshow). More about Matsuyama Architects builds concrete house on inclining site in Japanese housing estate
A white timber roof masks the upper storey of this Japanese house by Takeru Shoji Architects, but is raised on wooden stilts to reveal the pale timber facade of the lower level (+ slideshow). More about Takeru Shoji Architects tops a timber-clad Japanese house with a "big hat"