Although located in a neighborhood near Kyoto known for its historical buildings, this house is in a newly developed residential area marked by contemporary architecture.

Conceptually, the quirky house on an L-shaped lot in the affluent outskirts of Osaka has a lot in common with a traditional Japanese dwelling.

In Japan, where the birthrate is dropping and the elderly population is rising, more schools are closing than opening. But in Kumamoto prefecture on the nation's southernmost island, Kyushu, the city of Uto was faced with an aging elementary school and nearly 800 youngsters to educate.

Like an introverted person, the House of Trough, designed by architect Jun Igarashi in the Kato-gun district of the Hokkaido prefecture in northern Japan, focuses inward.

The owners of the House in Nakameguro wanted their architects to design a residence that would remain in the memories of their three children forever.

A cluster of boxes united by irregular, interstitial space, InBetween House mimics the Japanese urban condition on an architectural scale.

Inspired by that magical space sheltered beneath leafy, deciduous branches, Tree House, designed by Mount Fuji Architects Studio, revolves around a single column measuring 4 feet in diameter that supports frames (aka “branches”) of engineered wood.