Go Inside These Beautiful Japanese Houses

Japanese design has long been on the cutting edge of style, although along with the country’s forward-thinking innovations, there is also a deep commitment to tradition. That’s particularly true in Japan’s contemporary homes , where modern pieces including sectionals and vibrant art mix with signature elements such as shoji screens, tatami mats, and rock gardens . We’ve gathered spectacular Japanese rooms from the pages of AD that blend Eastern and Western aesthetics. See how architects and designers, including Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma , celebrate the country’s design history while fashioning spaces for modern living, from a traditional tea ceremony room to a gallery for contemporary art.

At this minka, or farmhouse, in the foothills of Mount Fuji , there’s a traditional bathhouse with a large soaking tub, which is designed for the entire family to bathe together. It’s bordered by a karesansui, or rock garden. To create the grounds, the family enlisted the celebrated Zen priest and landscape designer Shunmyo Masuno.

Architect Tadao Ando created an unusual guesthouse in Tokyo for Takeo Obayashi, a businessman and an art collector. This gallery, one of two in the home, features pieces from Obayashi’s collection, including paintings by (from left) Aya Takano, Naofumi Maruyama, Kyoko Murase, Hidekazu Tanaka, and Torawo Nakagawa. At left is a Honey-Pop chair by Tokujin Yoshioka.

Walls of woven cedar complement a walnut floor in the sparely furnished master bedroom of a home on the coast of Japan . The space, which blends Eastern and Western aesthetics, was designed by Jun Aoki.

An antique vase and scroll are displayed in the tokonoma at the rear of a cedar shrine in this Japanese residence devised by architects Sir Norman Foster and David Nelson. A lantern and mats are on the floor.

The tea ceremony room in this Tokyo home was created by Ko Uehara after Konnichian, a historic tearoom in Kyoto.

This urban five-story house in Japan was designed by architect Kengo Kuma and reflects his talent for combining geometric forms with natural materials and traditional Japanese elements. Here, pivoting bamboo partitions separate the living and dining areas.