It has been long since it was often said that the Japanese were living in ?rabbit hutches?, one of clich?s that flourished when it comes to describing Japan’s small living space, compared to those in the U.S. and Europe. The housing situation in Japan is one of the worst among developed countries.
Japan is a small island nation with more than 70% of its land being mountainous, forcing its people to live in limited areas―such as basins or plains―in which they build their own cities. Bigger cities have attracted people to move in. Many landowners, who used to own vast areas, sold their land. As a generation changes, they built condominiums in their lands―an attempt that further accelerated population growth in urban areas. The bigger a city becomes, the more it becomes congested. Japan has an estimated 130 million people with the high population density―ranked fifth in the world. And nearly half of them are living in three major cities―Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
Unfortunately the Japanese housing condition has remained the same in the past decade, however, even in such a narrow space, the Japanese have better dealt with a reality and accepted the tradition of living in a narrow space to build a happy home with their family. Owing a house ― in which all the families find a shelter and share laughter―would be an ideal for many people.

For most people, buying a house must be one of the most expensive items in their lives. In urban areas, there are a plenty of properties for sale, but they are extremely expensive in Japan and demand a number of conditions―including the number of rooms, layouts, good sunlight, and ventilation in addition to surroundings if you have children. You have to clear these hurdles, and then build your desired house in a limited space. But for the ordinary citizens, becoming an owner of a custom-built house that meets all your expectations still a dream.
When you decide to build a house, you want to make it an ideal one―the spacious lounge, the dining room filled with sunlight, the comfortable home theater and the gorgeous foyer that entertains guests. It would be a very enjoyable process for any owner of such a house to think about what he wants to use some sketches, models. For the designer, as part of his work, he begins to help put the owner’s image into a reality and move in the direction of a goal―completion of the house. But for the owner, when the building finishes, it is the moment when he begins his new life there.

Owing cars, juries and other expensive stuff mean a lot to some people. For them, those valuables―which are not always daily necessities―give a sense of satisfaction and become status symbols. This is true of owning a house that is built in a vast space at a great amount of cost.
But building a house involves people to live in. It demands careful consideration for how much they can spend a comfortable time there. It won’t be suitable for a single person to live in a vast mansion, which has a wide dining room with the crystal chandeliers.
Building a house requires careful attention to comfort to those who live in. A designer of the house seeks to plan their house that ensures security for the owner, while taking an appropriate distance with him and avoiding too much intervention. Regardless of the size of a house, the whole planning process combines care, consideration and attention to detail to make the place a home.
A home is more than just bricks and mortar. It is somewhere where families come together every day and blossom. The value of a house might be determined by how much people who live there can live a happy life.