Naomi Pollock

Design in Japan is deeply rooted in the country's historic craft culture, profound understanding of materials, and commitment to functionality. These qualities yield chairs, cups, and other daily use items which are easy on the eye, comfortable in the hand, and always do their job well. Even as mass manufacturing became widespread in the post-war period and cross-cultural exchanges began...

Highly commended in the Architecture Book Awards, 2024: the definitive overview of and ultimate resource on the iconic architect-designed houses built in Japan from 1945 to the present. Imagine a terraced house whose courtyard separates the kitchen from the bedroom. Or a tiny, triangular tower of rooms stacked one above another. Quirky, experimental and utterly fascinating, the houses produced in...

A visual celebration and record in duotone of Japan's demolished post-war architectural gems and a look at why they've been torn down. As in other countries, not every mid-century modern building in Japan can or even deserves to be saved. Yet a swathe of these works—those that achieved new architectural milestones and those that became landmarks in the public eye—warrant...

Quirky, surprising and entertaining – with more than 400 houses, Jutaku is architecture at the speed of Japan. Frenetic. Pulsating. Disorienting. Japan's contemporary culture is constantly in flux. In stark contrast to the centuries-old imperial architecture of Kyoto, recent Japanese architectural practices have ushered in an era of continuous experimentation. With 500 houses, one house per page, one image per...