japanese-narrow-buildings-7.jpg

As we saw before, Japanese realtors consider no crevice beneath their notice, as long as it is in a central urban area. In this gallery you can see more of their addled creations.

In the interests of not perpetuating false stereotypes about Japanese urban architecture, I should point out that these buildings are regarded with incomprehension even by Japanese, most of whom would not care to live in one. They are far from commonplace.

Needless to say, there is also no question of these being Photoshop creations; I and many of you have personally seen examples of such.

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This building is gaily called “Try-Angle”:

japanese-narrow-buildings-1.jpg

As one Japanese wag put it, “Truly a niche industry!”



    Post Comment »
    95 Comments
    Comment by t//B
    09:28 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    what's with the kid on the last picture?

    I would totally rent one of these apartments if they were real.

    Comment by smooches
    09:31 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    they are real

    Comment by Icy-nee-san
    11:25 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Well than it looks like were renting a place there XD

    Comment by Mieawo
    20:27 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    i think so small house are normal size >_>

    *think about my student live -_-*

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:50 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    My shooping sense is tingling.

    Comment by shiela
    22:54 19/08/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Reminds me of that episode of Detective Conan...when a kid is kidnapped and she said to her dad that outside the window there was a 'tall tower'...Shinichi was like "wtf there's no tower in this town!" and finally realized that the girl was looking at a 'slim building' from sideways... ;-p

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:06 17/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    lol pics are from russian site...well some places in russia are narrow too...

    Comment by Svinto
    09:31 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Holy damn!
    This is awesome!

    Now I would like to see how it looks like inside those apartments.

    Comment by Geerie
    09:37 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    move you bed out to your hallway lol

    Comment by NitWit005
    11:55 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    You'd have to get an extra small bed to just get it into the building. Some of those look like they couldn't fit a tatami mat across.

    Comment by Hanakyou
    14:32 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    There is no hallway :D

    Comment by Anonymous
    21:49 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    majority of the japanese sleep on futons anyways so i dont think sleeping is an issue.

    Comment by firaku
    18:26 06/04/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    You can fold your futon in half and jam it in a small room and sleep in it like a hot-dog!

    Comment by kimmiedansha
    22:56 19/08/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    and japanese are quite short too.

    Comment by Anon
    10:43 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Yeah, I'd love to see the blueprints or floor plans for those places.

    Comment by Malik_USMC
    09:36 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    first I would like to know rent on them
    and second how do u go up floors ladders?

    Comment by Onanymous
    09:39 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I wonder how they build pic8 or pic10 buildings between the other two... D:

    Comment by DriftWise
    02:29 14/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    a la tetris?

    Comment by XSportSeeker
    09:40 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Some are really thin... others are just umbelievable!
    Number 12 for instance, comparing the building's width to the guy who's walking... the building seems thinner!

    Comment by Anonymous
    14:36 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Indeed, I looked at that one and instantly thought "that's not a building, that's a wall o_O"

    Comment by Zelgadis4tw
    14:37 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    ^
    | is me btw...

    Comment by Lost
    12:02 14/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    theres a few that look like the Giant Robots that run rampent around japan crushed the rest of the building so they just stick a new wall on and called it a houce... even thou its more like a wall....

    Comment by Anonymous
    17:22 19/01/2010 # ! Neutral (0)

    I know that these are real, but I honestly believe that 12 is a facade.

    Comment by Anonymous
    09:41 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Japan's so conservative... I wonder what it's like to live in one of those?

    Comment by mr.mortified
    09:47 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    no way any of those are earthquake proof.....

    Comment by Smith
    08:47 14/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    It would just fall over and crumble around them. They would just brush off and go about their day.

    Comment by Anonymous
    09:50 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Some of these things look like the apartments inside would be about average studio size. I'm pretty sure number 12 is a false front, or a decorative wall to the building behind it.
    I really want to see the inside! I bet their about the size of some notoriously small New York apartments.

    Comment by Artefact
    10:01 12/02/2009 # ! Imperious

    They look as if they would be standard 6 tatami 1K apartments, probably with an elevator and stairs at one end, with one apartment per floor. the only difference is probably that they usually have more apartments to each side...

    Comment by Anonymous
    23:07 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    because of the angle i think there is a possibility that 12 is triangular just like the last pic... if not then that's the only house in the gallery w/c in my opinion is uninhabitable

    Comment by Shakespeare
    10:05 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    lol, ahaha, it's like simtower irl

    Comment by Shakespeare
    10:06 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    it's like wayside school lol

    Comment by iapfah
    12:52 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    fuck yeah wayside school

    Comment by dmil666
    10:23 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Most of those buildings look comical. I can't imagine living in something like that.

    Comment by RaikenTB
    10:27 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Not surprised at all. They had buildings this thin in Nagasaki as well. I'd totally live in that first one given how nice the view probably is.

    Comment by Anonymous
    10:47 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I am absolutely stumped by #12, you'd have to walk sideways in that.

    Comment by zecks_marquise
    17:29 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    they have triangular plans so the viewing angle gives a false impression of how wide they are at the other end

    Comment by Anonymous
    10:55 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    wow... 2d housing. for my 2d waifus

    so ronery

    Comment by Palmtop Tiger
    11:03 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    How safe would one of these be in an earthquake? They must have some truly mad engineers and building codes.

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:11 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    the ones that a ridiculous are obvious shops cuz the join lines have no picture noise. But then again I play with myself in front of a mirror.

    Comment by Artefact
    13:03 12/02/2009 # ! Severe

    They are real. I have personally seen similar.

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:36 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    read the artefact comment... I srsly LOL'D...

    Feeling stupid now? Oh no you don't... People who pretending to be clever won't feel that huh?

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:56 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Internet tough guy alert.

    I'd recommend learning 2 English before attempting to flame anyone, junior.

    OH BUT STOOPID PEOPLE DONT LEARN HUH, I LOL, KEKEKEKEKEK.

    Additional retard points for being a suck-up as well.

    Comment by Kip
    11:31 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Some of the perspectives on these make me have to rub my eyes and look again to make sure I'm seeing the dimensions correctly.

    Comment by battleknight45
    11:34 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    it looks like it will fall... kinda like placing a card verticaly...

    Comment by Anonymous
    14:47 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    japanese engineers. do not fuck with them :P

    Comment by battleknight45
    15:29 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    im just saying... as a fellow engineer ^_^

    Comment by American
    16:21 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Yeah, especially considering they actually have a building in Osaka that has a freeway going through it. Why can't we do that here?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gate_Tower_Building

    Comment by Rekki
    11:34 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Reminded me the 9 tsubo houses or something like that.

    Comment by motaku96
    11:54 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    It looks like the buildings would tip over if it was hit on the side with enough force.

    Comment by metatron
    12:23 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    shooped or not...it still made me lol XD

    Comment by Firetribe
    12:28 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Uuuuuuh... I'd be very claustrophobic living in one. But if I feel nauseous, the toilet would be at least in the same room, lol

    Such buildings will be a thing of past since "Sky City 1000" will be built any day now...

    Comment by Keigami
    12:49 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Makes me think of the space limitations in Hong Kong~

    Comment by Anonymous
    13:28 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I commented in the last article to do with these... The term is Spite House (or spite fence) where a building or fence is made to annoy a neighbor or government. Search it up on wikipedia...

    Comment by Kip
    06:05 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Ah! Thank you!
    I spent the rest of the night Googling (sic) spite houses...

    Comment by takkun
    13:44 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Am I the only one who can see that half of these are shopped? They just don't make sense. And other buildings just appear smaller, hence the business buildings around them. One more note, a couple buildings seem to have a weird angle taken on them. spotted two triangular buildings.

    Comment by Artefact
    14:07 12/02/2009 # ! Spurious

    I'm not going to bother repeating myself any further.

    Comment by Zelgadis4tw
    14:44 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    You shouldn't, gave them fair warning in the article itself...

    Comment by SnooSnoo
    13:48 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I'm not an expert when it comes to identifying shopped pictures but the part with the narrow building on every picture hurts my eyes. x.x
    Looks shopped to me.

    Comment by blinky
    13:55 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    14 is shopped and i imagine many others are too

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:30 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    14 is real. I saw that exact building in Japan when I was visiting.

    Comment by cactuar_jinn
    16:53 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    ^--- that's me btw

    here's google maps proof if you still think its shopped. move down the street to see another angle if you want.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Tokyo+Midtown&sll=35.659075,139.728992&sspn=0.000802,0.001733&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FYU3IAIdCyBUCA&split=0&ll=35.664581,139.730759&spn=0.000401,0.000866&t=h&z=21&layer=c&cbll=35.664581,139.730759&panoid=pI88FgBPDgC624-iunqwcQ&cbp=12,289.14124324166323,,0,-4.0557275541795015 [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Tokyo Midtown&sll=35.659075,139.728992&sspn=0.000802,0.001733&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FYU3IAIdCyBUCA&split=0&ll=35.664581,139.730759&spn=0.000401,0.000866&t=h&z=21&layer=c&cbll=35.664581,139.730759&panoid=pI88FgBPDgC624-iunqwcQ&cbp=12,289.14124324166323,,0,-4.0557275541795015]

    Comment by dood
    14:54 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Its like urban tetris

    Comment by Koka-Kona
    15:01 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    They look like they're ready to tumble when an earthquake occurs..

    Comment by Kyo
    15:11 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    No place for fatties in Japan.

    Comment by Lespectraal
    15:42 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    In an earthquake..

    Comment by Yggr
    18:02 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    They must have gotten the idea from an LCD TV.

    Comment by Aoshi
    19:00 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    FAKE! THEY ACTUALLY CONCEAL SOME GUNDAMS THAT JAPAN WILL USE WHEN INVADED BY NORTH KOREA!!!

    Comment by Anonymous
    22:09 11/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    gundam wouldn't fit in that, mind you :D

    Comment by Anonymous
    22:10 11/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    mind you own buseiness

    Comment by MaidNiac
    23:45 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Some of them looks like PS3 and Wii.. And i can't even imagine how the kid in that last pic fits in that house...

    Comment by Meji
    23:48 12/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Can those buildings really stand an earthquake...?

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:34 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    And you know.. if you were actualy buying a apartment in one of those, (Well, not now, but bout 15 years back, same sized apartment) it would set you back more than 1 mio (1 Mio USD, not YEN), speaking about tokyo or other major citys here.

    Comment by Muzaffar
    02:04 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I really don't care if they are real or shop or whatever it is that you people are saying. They look really cool and are there for a reason. I don't mind living in one of those room/apartment compared to living inside a car! =P

    Comment by Matteas
    02:25 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Hell what's that?! I couldn't possibly live in an apartment like that. Why they even build it? Well, a few of those buildings are not that narrow, just lanky. But why building it in this style? It reminds me of european gothic buildings which are very tall in order to be closer to God.

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:36 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    pretty normal i must say.

    Comment by unicogirl
    04:54 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    well, the country already has to put dead people on top of city buildings. so i can't really say i am surprised by this.

    Comment by Anonymous
    05:33 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    How would you live in one? I mean... what if you slip and fall over against a wall? Won't the building fall over or something?

    Comment by Void
    06:18 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    One things that is good is that if your hunted hunted by a tourist group of fat people and you yourself is thin.

    Just escape into the house and your free

    Truly marvelous

    Comment by orro
    07:10 13/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    holy fucking fuck!!!!

    Comment by Marshmallow
    09:26 15/02/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I really like these houses, they're kinda cool, wouldn't mind living in one.

    Comment by Pandemonia
    20:52 01/04/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    until some strong winds remove you and your apartment :3

    Comment by YOSHIDA
    15:38 29/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I see you just swiped this from here:
    http://www.bouncingredball.com/2008/12/10/20-really-thin-buildings-and-houses-in-japan/

    21:36 01/04/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    That narrow house, barely wide enough for a Mediterranean Style front door was very cool. I'll bet it came with a sizable price tag as well. I think it should have been built to be three and a half stories tall. Instead of just two and a half! Is it in Tokyo? Let's see more bizarre buildings like these, please.

    Comment by Shaykin
    15:26 02/04/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Wow, I'd be afraid to live in one of those free standing apartments, I'd keep thinking a strong breeze would make it fall over. (though i'm sure it woulden't happen. Still would be freaky.)

    Comment by Will
    19:34 02/04/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    And the wind huffed and puffed and blew down the house--

    Seriously, if a strong enough wind came by blowing full front at the house, bye bye house!

    Comment by Ponky14
    13:13 24/06/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    there's no way in hell I would fit in that

    Comment by Anonymous
    15:01 11/07/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    It's like a storefront without a back. XD

    Comment by Anon
    20:01 15/07/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    some of them are shopped, indeed.

    Comment by Da_Nuke
    17:07 21/08/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I demand European pics. I've heard these super-narrow buildings are common there. Especially in Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.

    Comment by J
    03:41 23/08/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I wonder what the rent on these places are at

    Comment by Vicious
    11:09 24/08/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Anonymous said:
    I wonder what the rent on these places are at

    I bet the rent is SLIM

    =3 cwhutididthar

    Comment by ooo
    21:55 27/08/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    eh, cool houses :) why in Estonia had so small houses:D good for students :)

    Comment by Char
    03:55 21/09/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    The engineer in me says some of these have to be shoops they just would not be structurally stable.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:25 13/01/2010 # ! Neutral (0)

    how would you fit into #11, is that possible?

    also whats the dude in the last pic doing.

    Comment by Anonymous
    16:38 28/01/2010 # ! Neutral (0)

    About the only way I'd live in one of these buildings is if I owned the whole thing. That's about the only way I'd have adequate floorspace.

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