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"
This blackened-timber house by Japanese studio Yoshio Ohno Architects is sat on top of a sloping concrete retaining wall (+ slideshow). More about Yoshio Ohno's black timber house straddles a concrete escarpment in Hiroshima
The pointed roof of this small zinc-covered Tokyo house by Architecture Atelier Akio Takatsuka is offset to reflect the arrangement of rooms inside (+ slideshow). More about Architecture Atelier Akio Takatsuka divides Quad House into unequal sections
An overhanging roof with angular cut-outs envelopes the upper storey of this small Japanese house by Moca Architects to conceal the interior spaces (+ slideshow). More about Overhanging roof forms a hood over Japanese house by Moca Architects
Waist-high partitions divide up the top floor of this mostly windowless house in Japan, framing different activities without cutting off light to any of the spaces (+ slideshow). More about Katsutoshi Sasaki's House in Hanekita contains a grid of half-height walls
Charred Japanese cedar clads the exterior of this split-level house in Izumo, Japan, by Kanazawa studio Harunatsu-Arch (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber house by Harunatsu-Arch is divided by a stepped floor
The exposed criss-crossing skeleton of this see-through house in Japan frames a labyrinth of wall-less rooms connected by over a dozen different staircases (+ slideshow). More about Yuusuke Karasawa's maze-like S House has an entirely transparent facade
Japanese studio Case-Real has completed a small timber-clad cabin at the base of Mount Kamafuse in Saitama Prefecture (+ slideshow). More about Case-Real's House in Nagatoro sits at the base of a mountain
A collection of differently sized cuboids make up the volume of this family house in Shiga, Japan, designed by architect Kouichi Kimura to offer "versatile spaces" with "light and scenery" (+ slideshow). More about Kouichi Kimura's Scape House uses a variety of windows to create a hierarchy of views
A secluded passage extends along one edge of this house in Japan by Alts Design Office, bringing natural light into the interior (+ slideshow). More about House in a car park by Alts Design Office hides a covered passage behind its walls
Naruse House by MDS has been clad using the traditional Japanese technique of Yakisugi, which involves charring cedar wood to create a blackened, weather-resistant surface that resists decay (+ slideshow). More about MDS designs blackened timber house on a sloping junction in Tokyo
Japanese architect Kazunori Fujimoto used the golden ratio to generate the proportions of this raw concrete house on the seafront of Fukuyama, Japan (+ slideshow). More about House in Tajiri by Kazunori Fujimoto is a raw concrete home facing out to sea
This house in Onomichi, Japan, by Suppose Design Office is framed by five parallel walls, which have been placed at an angle to frame views of an adjacent waterway (+ slideshow). More about Walls run diagonally across the site of Suppose Design Office's House in Onomichi
The upper floor of this Japanese mountain home is twice the size of the base, creating a dramatic overhang that appears to be supported by nothing but a pair of angular stilts (+ slideshow). More about Mountainside home by Kidosaki Architects extends out into the sky
Japanese architect Shintaro Fukuhara has completed a glass-fronted house with a steeply angled roof in Kobe, as a home for himself and his family (+ slideshow). More about Shintaro Fukuhara's family home has a glass facade like "a showroom"
In keeping with the growing trend for skinny houses, Japanese studio Be-Fun Design has completed a terrace of four narrow residences on a plot of just 60 square metres. More about Be-Fun Design builds a row of four super-skinny houses in Japan
Seven house-shaped blocks are sheltered beneath the large asymmetric roof of this house in Japan by Y+M Design Office (+ slideshow). More about Y+M Design Office envelops seven blocks under one roof with Rain Shelter House