Lifestyle Lore

Japanese Architecture

2 articles

Editorial illustration for Inside the Machiya: How Japan's Merchant Townhouses Turned Narrow Plots Into Working Homes
Travel & Place

Inside the Machiya: How Japan's Merchant Townhouses Turned Narrow Plots Into Working Homes

Machiya are traditional Japanese urban townhouses ingeniously designed to serve as both shops and homes on narrow plots. The article explores their unique architectural features, historical evolution, and modern preservation efforts.

Chloe Dubois·October 18, 2026
Editorial illustration for Shoji vs. Fusuma: How Two Sliding Screens Shape Light, Privacy, and Art in Japanese Interiors
Artisans & Craft

Shoji vs. Fusuma: How Two Sliding Screens Shape Light, Privacy, and Art in Japanese Interiors

Shoji and fusuma are traditional Japanese sliding partitions that serve distinct architectural and aesthetic purposes, with shoji diffusing light through translucent washi paper and fusuma acting as opaque walls often used as art canvases.

Aisha Bakri·October 16, 2026