The traditional Japanese house 日本の伝統的な住宅
Japanese habitat - the architecture of a traditional Japanese house
Wooden structures, tatami rooms, paper walls: in Japan, the houses are enough to disorient Westerners, who are more used to concrete walls and tiled floors. Indeed, atypical for Westerners who travel to the land of the rising sun, traditional Japanese houses are unusual homes. Discover their characteristics.
The interior of traditional Japanese houses
The entrance in a traditional Japanese house is made through the genkan . It is a hallway where one systematically removes his shoes before going further.
Washitsu are living rooms typically found in traditional Japanese homes. Lined with tatami, they are separated by sliding paper doors, the shôji , or by opaque doors, the fusuma .
In the living room, no table and chairs, but a kotatsu , a heated coffee table , and zabuton. The zabuton are cushions placed all around to sit on. To sleep, the coffee table is moved to unroll the futon , stored in oshiire , wall cupboards with sliding doors.
- To read : The lexicon of the Japanese house
In Japanese homes, daidokoro serve as kitchens . Quite similar to Western kitchens, they are distinguished above all by the utensils found there . Rice cookers, for example, are very widespread equipment, as are kettles. Dishwashers and large ovens are nevertheless less common than in our kitchens.
The bathroom and toilets of a traditional house in Japan
The specific bathroom of a traditional Japanese house consists of two rooms. One of them, most of the time with a sink, is used for undressing. The other room is where the ofuro bathtub is located. In general, the Japanese wash and rinse themselves out of the bathtub: the water is heated to a high temperature before each use.
- To read: Ofuro, the bath in Japan
The toilets , always separated from the bathroom, look like inverted Turkish toilets : if you squat facing the wall and not facing the door, the principle remains similar and just as trivial. While these models are becoming rare in homes in Japan, they are still very common in public places. Washlet designs, Japanese modern toilets, are more common in homes.
- To read : Japanese toilets
Traditional houses in Japan have increasingly looking like Western houses, especially since the end of World War II and the start of globalization. These habitats, however, keep their particularities linked to the inhabitants' way of life and their charm resulting from a decoration that is both sober and refined.
Did you know ? You can rent traditional Japanese accommodation for your vacation!
How to rent a house in Japan? Japan Experience offers you a Japanese house rental service. These can accommodate up to 6 people and offer you an ideal setting to discover the country, its culture and its people.
To help you once there, Travel Angels will be waiting for you upon your arrival and will assist you during your stay. Best addresses, explanation of habits and customs, modes of travel, use of household appliances: take advantage of useful advice and ask all your questions!
The Gion Kaburenjo house in Kyoto
