The ’smallness’ defining many a contemporary Japanese building might overseas be a much-loved characteristic of the country’s architecture; it is often however the result of necessity and circumstances, rather than choice, for many Japanese architects.
Because of their scale, resources and years of experience, it is perhaps inevitable that large construction firms are often the ones benefiting from the bigger national projects in the country, making larger commissions less common for the small boutique studios. And with few open competitions in the country, the bread-and-butter of the independent architect depends very much on slightly smaller private commissions such as regional municipality work, retail, hospitality, interiors and of course single-family houses (which more often than not, have to be, because of the major cities’ density, small-scale).
See the architecture projects reshaping Japan
At the same time, the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 incited a wealth of new proposals from architects eager to contribute to society on a larger scale. Not all efforts have resulted in a large-scale public commission, and many of those who felt obliged to help in the country’s reconstruction have put their efforts back into private commissions.
From the country’s strengthened architectural enthusiasm, a number of new projects have been emerging across Japan, managing to not merely fulfil their brief, but brighten up their immediate environment. A new generation of smaller and medium scale high profile buildings (take for example, Kengo Kuma’s research building for the University of Tokyo) and public spaces (such as the Roof and Mushrooms pavilion in Kyoto by Ryue Nishizawa and Nendo) are being born all around the country.
Here, we present a few examples of the most recent contemporary Japanese architecture.
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Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home countryAs he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
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These are Dover Street Market’s jewellery designers to watch, exhibiting at the London store all summerIn a special exhibition, Dover Street Market London is highlighting 36 emerging jewellery designers to know – shop our pick of their pieces
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A street-like Pune clubhouse celebrates the ‘joy of shared, unhurried experiences’A brick clubhouse in Pune by Studio VDGA reflects the fluidity and openness of the Indian way of life with a series of welcoming plazas, courtyards and lanes
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Mayumi Miyawaki’s Fukumura Cottage puts this lesser-known Japanese modernist in the spotlightDiscover the little-known modernist architect through this private home in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture countryside
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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
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A Karuizawa house is a soothing, work-from-home retreat in JapanTakeshi Hirobe Architects play with scale and space, creating a tranquil residence in which to live and work
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Naoshima New Museum of Art is a home for Asian art, and a lasting legacy, in Seto Inland SeaThe 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
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Behind a contemporary veil, this Kyoto house has tradition at its coreDesigned 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
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Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa on harmony, nature and their RIBA gongThe 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
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New book 'I-IN' brings together Japanese heritage and minimalist architecture at its finestJapanese architecture studio I-IN flaunts its expert command of 21st-century minimalism in a new book by Frame Publishers
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Giant rings! Timber futurism! It’s the Osaka Expo 2025The Osaka Expo 2025 opens its microcosm of experimental architecture, futuristic innovations and optimistic spirit; welcome to our pick of the global event’s design trends and highlights
