A six-lane ring road encircling central Tokyo, Yamate Street is hardly a place for a private house. But when it comes to home-building in the “Big Mikan” (Japan's counterpart of the Big Apple), empty land is good land—even a tiny triangular lot wedged between a heavily trafficked boulevard and a narrow side street. The first realized work of architect Taichi Mitsuya (in collaboration with UNEMORI ARCHITECTS), the Yamate Street House occupies just such a site. Encased by bands of windows, the 54-foot-tall single-family dwelling blends inconspicuously with the high-rise office and condominium buildings nearby.