We should consider the best in traditional Japanese architecture, which dates back over a thousand years, and update it for our modern, Internet age. Hohokus House plays off a sensitive interaction between interior and exterior spaces, which is a hallmark of the Japanese aesthetic. Further, Japanese architects have referenced one of the greatest modern architects worldwide, Le Corbusier, and noted how he creatively utilized the form, texture, and color of a very, shall we say, “industrial” material - concrete. These lessons have been well applied in the work of this architect as well.

First, we must look at its geographic, physical location. A premier home anywhere should take inspiration from its physical location in the natural environment, and the buildings around it, too.

In point of fact, the Hohokus House project is fascinating given its placement at the top of a hill, next to several parks in a great Tokyo neighborhood, from which we can even see Mt. Fuji. We could take advantage of the hillside, carve out a portion to create a new first floor with additional rooms and garage, and offer the impression of the home rising up out of, while remaining part of, the peak of the hill.

Further, despite its ranking as the world’s third largest national economy, all of Japan is really a vast collection of small neighborhoods. The fine homes in the immediate vicinity of this project’s toney locale are rather well-designed, which we felt compelled to reflect and surpass in the design of Hohokus House. An added benefit is the strict regulation limiting adjoining building height, which permanently preserves the panoramic vistas.

One phrase might be “borderless palette” in that we integrated a range of seemingly disparate, and some perhaps contradictory, elements on our palette to actualize a synthesis or dialectic that produced something largely new. In other words, throughout the project we successfully interfaced cross-border architectural traditions, locational and architectural environmental factors, mix of quality natural materials for the interior and exterior spaces, neutral color schemes, and more, with each individual element adding back up to become a more powerful, cohesive whole, well-suited for Japan and for a discerning American home owner who has made this marvelous country his adopted home.