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Traditional Japanese houses. They
are beautiful, timeless entities.
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However, fewer and fewer Japanese people are
choosing to build them today. But why is that?
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As a Japanese person, I find this trend
fascinating. Today, we'll take a closer
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look at the features of a traditional Japanese
house and how design impacts modern living.
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I also spoke with my parents, who recently
renovated their house, to investigate
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the real reasons why Japanese people are no
longer choosing traditional Japanese houses.
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Let's start with the entrance. While
this is actually a temple entrance,
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it closely resembles the entryways
found in traditional Japanese homes.
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This space is called “Doma” in Japanese,
and it wasn't just for removing shoes—it
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was used for cooking, farm work, and even doing
laundry. I remember that, twenty years ago, my
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grandmother would prepare vegetables here, and our
washing machine was placed right in the entryway!
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But today, no one uses entryways like that
anymore. Modern homes have much smaller,
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more practical entrances, simply for taking
off shoes. This is just one example of how
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changing lifestyle habits have
reshaped Japanese home design.
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Of course, when we step inside,
we can see more explicit examples.
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Traditional Japanese houses feature a unique
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layout called Tsuzukima—a series of tatami
rooms connected by fusuma sliding doors.
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These versatile rooms can function as individual
workspaces, meeting areas, or storage spaces,
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but they truly shine when combined into a single
large space for community gatherings or events.
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Being able to change the room size according to
different purposes is sometimes very convenient.
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Unlike traditional layouts, most people
today prefer clearly separated rooms,
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like those in your own homes, due to
concerns about privacy, poor insulation, and
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inadequate soundproofing—issues that have become
especially relevant with the rise of remote work.
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When it comes to traditional Japanese houses,
tatami mats are also their most distinctive
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feature. They're also perfect for relaxing—just
add a cushion, and you can comfortably lie down.
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Tatami mats also play a unique role in
measuring room sizes in Japan. Instead of
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using square meters, rooms are often described
by the number of tatami mats they can fit.
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While tatami rooms have many advantages,
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fewer modern Japanese homeowners choose them
today. There are three main reasons for this.
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**1. Difficult to clean**
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Tatami requires special care when cleaning. You
have to use a vacuum cleaner or broom gently
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to avoid damaging the surface. You also need to
vacuum along the seams to remove dirt properly.
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**2. High maintenance**
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Unlike wooden flooring, which can last for decades with minimal upkeep.
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Tatami mats wear out over time and typically need
to be replaced every five years.
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**3. Prone to mold and dust mites**
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Tatami mats can absorb moisture, making them
prone to mold in humid conditions. They can
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also attract dust mites, which can be
a problem for people with allergies.
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While tatami is very comfortable and
gives rooms a calming atmosphere,
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it's clearly not suited for
our modern busy lifestyle.
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Like tatami, shoji screens are another defining
characteristic of traditional Japanese houses.
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In traditional homes, shoji screens allow natural
light to enter while maintaining separation
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between spaces. That's why shoji screens,
rather than fusuma, are used near windows.
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However, they have one major drawback: **they
offer almost no insulation against the cold** .
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As many people commented on my previous video
about why Japan doesn’t have central heating,
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**Japanese homes were designed primarily
for hot summers, not cold winters.**
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In the past, people managed the cold
by wearing layers of clothing and using
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fires or open hearths. However, summers were
unbearable in the era before air conditioning.
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In modern times, since various appliances
can maintain comfortable room temperatures,
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energy efficiency has become a priority
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This is one of the key reasons
why traditional Japanese homes
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are disappearing. They are simply not
built for comfortable year-round living.
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So far, we've explored various parts of
a traditional Japanese house. But did you
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know there are different styles
of traditional Japanese rooms?
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The rooms were **the original home
offices of Japan a space for reading,
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writing, and studying.This is called Tsukeshoin.
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A built-in desk near the window to make use of
natural light.With modern lighting now available,
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this reading space has lost its original
purpose and serves mainly as storage.
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The tokonoma is a decorative alcove
installed in one corner of the room,
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dedicated to displaying hanging
scrolls and flower arrangements.
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While shoin-zukuri rooms were perfect for a time
when people mainly read books and wrote by hand,
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they don’t work well in a modern lifestyle that
revolves around computers and large furniture.
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Additionally, constructing a
shoin-zukuri style building
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requires highly skilled craftsmen
and comes with considerable costs.
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This is another reason why Japanese people
no longer build these kinds of rooms.
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While changes in lifestyle are undoubtedly the
biggest factor in the decline of traditional
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Japanese houses, I believe there
are other important factors at play.
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One of these is the decline
of traditional culture.
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For example, Japanese homes traditionally
include Buddhist altars (butsudan) and
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Shinto shrines (kamidana). Buddhist altars
in particular have traditionally been placed
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in tatami rooms because prayers are
offered while sitting on the floor.
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However, in recent years, there has been a
clear decrease in households installing Buddhist
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altars and Shinto shrines. This represents a
decline in cultural practices, and as these
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traditional customs fade, the necessity for
Japanese-style rooms has also diminished.
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Given all these changes in lifestyle and culture,
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it's no surprise that traditional
Japanese houses are disappearing.
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But while they may not fit modern
living, they hold a unique beauty
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and craftsmanship that should not be forgotten.
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In Japan, there are many
floor-length vertical windows.
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These are called "Hakidashi-mado"
and were originally designed to
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allow sweeping dirt directly outside with a broom.
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The next one is my favorite
feature which is Yukimi-shoji.
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Literally translated, it means "shoji
for viewing snow." As the name suggests,
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it's a special shoji screen designed for
viewing snowy landscapes and gardens from
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inside the room. Unlike traditional shoji,
its lower section can slide open like this,
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allowing you to enjoy the outdoor
scenery while remaining indoors.
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In Japanese houses, decorative openings called
Ranma are installed in the upper part between
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rooms for ventilation and light, allowing
for more efficient indoor air circulation.
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The nail hider is another commonly seen feature
in Japanese architecture. As its name suggests,
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its main purpose is to hide nails,
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but the presence of these nail covers makes
the room feel more composed and structured.
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These are just a few of the many features found in
traditional Japanese houses. Each one contributes
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to creating a beautiful spatial aesthetic.
Nevertheless, as mentioned at the beginning, many
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new houses in Japan are Western-style rather than
traditional Japanese. While we've already covered
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some of the reasons for this, we might discover
deeper insights by asking Japanese people directly
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about their motivations. Fortunately, my parents
recently renovated part of their house, converting
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a Japanese-style section into Western-style.
So, I'd like to ask them about their reasons.
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Looking at gatherings held at my house, I've
noticed an increase in elderly attendees, and it's
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become standard practice to provide chairs for
them. From this perspective, my mother's decision
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to choose Western-style over Japanese-style
for her later years was very convincing.
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Among the conversations I had, what was
particularly interesting was that even my
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mother, who was born more than 50 years
ago, grew up sitting in chairs rather
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than sitting on the floor. Indeed, while
my mother was born and raised in Tokyo,
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it was surprising that traditional Japanese
houses weren't the norm even for her generation.
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Of course, when people build new houses, they
naturally tend to choose styles they're familiar
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with. Considering my mother's experience as
well, it's clear that the number of Japanese
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people who have lived in traditional Japanese
houses is declining even further, which will
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undoubtedly lead to an even greater decrease
in traditional Japanese houses in the future.
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It's not hard to imagine that traditional
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Japanese houses might one day
disappear entirely from Japan.
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As someone who grew up in a
traditional Japanese house,
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I feel a deep sense of nostalgia—and a
little sadness—seeing them fade away.
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But at the same time, I understand
that change is inevitable. Even
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traditional Japanese houses have evolved over
centuries to adapt to new ways of living.
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What do you think? Are there elements
of traditional Japanese houses that you
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would like to see preserved?
Let me know in the comments!
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If you enjoyed learning about Japanese
life through traditional houses,
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check out this video for more
insights into daily life in Japan.
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Thank you for watching!
