Block party: a new book explores Tokyo’s unique family homes

Absurdity - that's how world-renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma describes the determination of Tokyo families to own a patch of land, no matter how small, in the world's most populated city. But it's an absurdity that results in architectural outliers: tiny yet unique family homes.
Kuma's musings appear in French photographer Jérémie Souteyrat's 144-page study of Tokyo's urban landscape, titled Tokyo no Ie (Tokyo Houses). The Japanese master's houses are presented alongside those by Pritzker Prize winners Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima; small-home champions Atelier Bow-Bow; Sou Fujimoto (Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London) and many more.
Souteyrat, 35, spent four years in search of these urban treasures 'sown like jewels in the immensity of Tokyo'. Says the photographer: 'I like the diversity of this city. If one has the chance to discover a jewel while walking on the street it's a pretty good surprise, isn't it?'
For cultural reasons few Japanese want to live in an old house, so even the gems in this book will likely be demolished within 40 years. 'As the houses are rebuilt every 25 years on average, there are a lot of opportunities for innovative design.'
For the same reason, Tokyo no Ie might become an ongoing project. 'I'd like to take the same pictures at the same locations in 25 years,' says Souteyrat. One of the Kengo Kuma houses in the book has already been refurbished and repainted. In Tokyo, the jewels sparkle for all too brief a moment - making Tokyo no Ie an important document of a city in constant flux.
On the Cherry Blossom, by ALX, 2010.
On the Cherry Blossom, by ALX, 2010.
Ambiflux, by Architecton, 2011.
House NA, by Sou Fujimoto, 2012.
Plastic House, by Kengo Kuma, 2012.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
We bring you all the best bits from this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed
As car makers switch their allegiance to the sunny West Sussex countryside as a place to showcase their wares, a new generation of sports cars were sent running up that famous hill
-
Stay at Patina Osaka for a dose of ‘transformative luxury’ in western Japan
From nature-inspired interiors to sound-tracked cocktails and an unusually green setting, Patina Osaka is a contemporary urban escape that sets itself apart
-
12 photographers vie for Prix Pictet 2025, lenses firmly focused on sustainability
Prix Pictet is the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability. Here’s how the 2025 shortlist responded to this cycle’s theme, ‘Storm’
-
How an icon of Japanese Metabolist architecture took on a life of its own – even after its destruction
When Kishō Kurokawa designed the modular Nakagin Capsule Tower more than 50 years ago, he imagined it boarding ships and travelling the world. Now it has, thanks to a new show at MoMA
-
Mayumi Miyawaki’s Fukumura Cottage puts this lesser-known Japanese modernist in the spotlight
Discover the little-known modernist architect through this private home in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture countryside
-
Aston Martin completes its first Tokyo townhouse, crafted by the brand’s design team
This luxurious private house in Tokyo’s Omotesandō neighbourhood offers design and details shaped by Aston Martin, as well as features for the dedicated car collector
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
A Karuizawa house is a soothing, work-from-home retreat in Japan
Takeshi Hirobe Architects play with scale and space, creating a tranquil residence in which to live and work
-
Naoshima New Museum of Art is a home for Asian art, and a lasting legacy, in Seto Inland Sea
The Naoshima New Museum of Art opens, marking a seminal addition to the Japanese island's renowned Benesse Art Site Naoshima; we explore Tadao Ando's design
-
Behind a contemporary veil, this Kyoto house has tradition at its core
Designed by Apollo Architects & Associates, a Kyoto house in Uji City is split into a series of courtyards, adding a sense of wellbeing to its residential environment
-
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa on harmony, nature and their RIBA gong
The SANAA duo are celebrating their RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 in London today, and talked to us about self-reflection, the year ahead, and the need to create harmony in our environment