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Kidosaki’s House in Yatsugatake Perches over Nagano

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The House in Yatsugatake presides like an eagle over breathtaking views of the city of Nagano spread out below it.

Up close, its sharp outline juts out like a sharp beak from the towering Yatsugatake mountains.

From within, it appears to be flying slowly over the distant mountains.

The subtle palette of the surrounding vegetation add to a suspended, dreamlike feeling, which the house nurtures with its quiet coloration.

Designed by Kidosaki Architects Studio, the very unique house is entirely glassed-in on three sides.

A glass-framed door opens to an exterior balcony that almost entirely wraps the house.

The balcony surrounds three sides of the floating structure.

The wide walking balcony completes the zen vibe of the home.

Nagano is well known for its Japanese cultural landmarks like the 7-th century temple Zenkō-ji, and the quiet interior reflects these traditions.

Japan’s traditional craftsmanship is evidenced in this door with its centered horizontal handle.

Beyond the door, black veined marble is used to continue the peaceful tranquility of the mountains in the dining room.

The construction of the house is very sculptural and elegant, with half of it simply sitting on a large structural column built into the mountainside supported with two diagonal bracing cylinders.

Kidosaki is one of the few Japanese architects who really embraces the great traditions of Japanese architectural sensibility: for example, in this detail – rather than employing the thick slab shape found in contemporary architecture – drawing a sharp point with the construction technique.