0:00:02 > 0:00:04I think it's time, Caroline, to go and see how the other half live.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Talk about welcome to my humble abode!
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Cor, that is a whole lot of house!
0:00:11 > 0:00:15He's Piers Taylor, an award-winning architect.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I mean, the depth of this wall, it's 4ft thick.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21After you, my lord.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23And she's Caroline Quentin,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26acclaimed actress and passionate property developer.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32This house has the perfect ratio of bedrooms to swimming pools.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33We've been given the keys
0:00:33 > 0:00:36to some of the most incredible houses in the world...
0:00:36 > 0:00:39If we were left alone here for any amount of time,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- I have a feeling... - We would ruin this house.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46..to discover the design, innovation, passion and endurance
0:00:46 > 0:00:51needed to transform architectural vision into an extraordinary home.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's so glamorous, Piers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56We're travelling the globe...
0:00:57 > 0:01:01..meeting architects and owners, to explore how their daring homes
0:01:01 > 0:01:05respond uniquely to local landscape, climate and culture.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Whether it's battling the elements to construct a dream home on
0:01:13 > 0:01:15dramatic Scandinavian terrain...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The architect was nervous that things would go wrong.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20He couldn't bear to look at it.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23..pushing the boundaries of European experimentation...
0:01:23 > 0:01:25- I think that's it.- I think it is.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29When I looked at the proposal, at the beginning, I was almost shocked.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33..celebrating craftsmanship and beauty in Asia...
0:01:33 > 0:01:35They take away the extraneous,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39and they leave you with what is beautiful.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42..or going all out for glamour in America.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46You just do what you do best, is to create a masterpiece.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Piers! Is this too Miami?
0:01:57 > 0:02:00We're in Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04to find ground-breaking homes that captivate and inspire.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08In a place that combines miniaturisation and microchips with
0:02:08 > 0:02:11ritual and tradition, it'll be fascinating to see what their
0:02:11 > 0:02:13architects have accomplished.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16What do you think of when you think of Japanese buildings?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I think of an extraordinary attention to detail...
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I think of tea ceremony...
0:02:22 > 0:02:23..and spaces that are highly ordered...
0:02:25 > 0:02:26..and tidiness.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- Yeah, that wouldn't be good for you or me.- No.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Japan's many mountain ranges mean only a quarter of the land is buildable.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39With a population of nearly 130 million,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Japanese architects know that small is beautiful.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48And whether it's an architect let loose on the coast...
0:02:48 > 0:02:50This is like Stonehenge or something.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53..a reinvention of an urban townhouse...
0:02:53 > 0:02:54Where are we now?
0:02:54 > 0:02:57..or a woodland fantasy to grow old in...
0:02:57 > 0:03:01It's magical, mysterious, and romantic.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03..we'll discover how some of Japan's best architects
0:03:03 > 0:03:08can package the old and the new in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11It's not big, but it is clever.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Our first home is two hours north-east of Tokyo in Izura,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19an affluent coastal area known for its fishing.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22The sea is everywhere. I mean, it's an abundant source of food here.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I think each Japanese person eats about 3lb a week...
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- 3lb a week, OK.- ..of fish. I mean, that's what's...
0:03:28 > 0:03:323lb is, well, you know, it's half the size of your average baby.
0:03:32 > 0:03:3580% of the Japanese live by the sea.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38There are nearly 30,000km of coastline,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41but in a place highly prone to earthquakes,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43it's not always the best place to be.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50In 2011, the north-east coast was hit by the Tohoku earthquake
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and tsunami - the costliest natural disaster in modern history.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02I'm glad to say that today the rebuilding is almost complete,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06and that traditional techniques and materials are very much in evidence.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10This, to me, seems sort of typically Japanese.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It's the wood again, which must be right up your street, isn't it?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Well, timber's a really resilient material, it's great
0:04:16 > 0:04:18in earthquake zones. It deals with moving around
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and that shake that you get in earthquakes.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Steel will fail instantly, whereas timber won't.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The house we're going to go and see today is entirely made of wood.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- That's why we're coming.- Indeed, and I think the clue as to who owns
0:04:30 > 0:04:33this house might be right in front of us here,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35because he's a fisherman, isn't he?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- Look at this stuff, isn't it gorgeous?!- It's fabulous.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39There's complete order to this.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Yeah. Do you reckon it's organised chaos?
0:04:42 > 0:04:43He knows where everything is.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45This is like my father-in-law's barn.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Here we go, here's your horoscope.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Oh, yes, look. "Today you are going to go and visit...
0:04:52 > 0:04:54"..a wooden house." That's uncanny!
0:04:55 > 0:04:59But even having read our horoscopes and having found ramshackle tackle,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02we failed to predict what we're about to see.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I think this is it. It is it.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And it's not a fisherman's cottage, is it?
0:05:08 > 0:05:09It's quite dramatic, isn't it?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11It's really dramatic, REALLY dramatic.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18House in Izura, though built for a fisherman and his family,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21is hardly the cottage one might have expected.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29Built on a steep hillside, perched on three structural pedestals,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33this house is earthquake resistant, but also, through its clever design,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36manages to marry an approach to modernity
0:05:36 > 0:05:38with traditional Japanese craft.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43This timber construction is so evident,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45the way the joints are expressed at the corner,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48the way everything sits on top of everything else and steps out,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49like a tree. And actually,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53the silver birches here are a little bit like the structure that holds up
0:05:53 > 0:05:55the whole of the house.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57It's got huge energy, hasn't it?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59- It does, it does - like you. - Just whooshes up.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Yes, exactly! It's sort of throws itself up in the air, doesn't it?
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It does, yeah, and actually it's very ritualistic, making an entrance.
0:06:05 > 0:06:11# I've been lifted, lifted, lifted... #
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The biggest challenge building House in Izura was to create a
0:06:14 > 0:06:18stable flat platform, not only on a steep hillside,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21but in an area at high-risk from earthquakes.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25The architect's solution was to build three timber structures -
0:06:25 > 0:06:28splayed pillars set in plinths of concrete.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Flexible, but still strong enough to support the house.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35The wooden box above is V-shaped.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39One wing contains the kitchen, dining room, living room
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and a master bedroom suite and an external corridor that
0:06:42 > 0:06:46runs the length of the building. In the other wing,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49there's a hallway, an office and four more bedrooms.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Above is a study and storage room, and at the back,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56a garage and workshop for the owner's fishing gear.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59# I've been lifted... #
0:07:01 > 0:07:03This is a workplace as well as a home,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06wrapped up in inventive timber construction.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12It's like a great big firework shooting up into the sky.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I mean, this is like some extraordinary tree house in here.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19I'm going in. If I don't come out, Caroline, it's been lovely!
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Actually, I think I'm stuck now.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25No, you can't be stuck with your little nine-inch hips.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- Come and have a look.- No, I won't be able to get in there, darling,
0:07:28 > 0:07:29there's two very good reasons why not.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32It's all built on a great big termite mound.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35But actually, the underbelly of this house is one of the most beautiful
0:07:35 > 0:07:37things I've ever seen.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yes, it's a lovely view from here, as well.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So young and agile!
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Building these columns meant that every member had to be tested for
0:07:50 > 0:07:51its individual strength,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55because every new building in Japan has to be earthquake resistant.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59This really does feel ceremonial, doesn't it, under this?
0:07:59 > 0:08:03It's wonderful to walk under a building to enter it
0:08:03 > 0:08:07and then clearly up the stairs, here, to the front door.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12And closer up, the attention to detail really becomes clear.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It's interesting how Japanese this is, though.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Look at the bolts on all of these.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I mean, I could talk all day about bolts, but look at them, I mean,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22these decorative bolt heads that run along here.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- Don't you think they're lovely? - I do.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26- And in?- Let's go.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Inside the house, there's a real celebration of timber,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37with an amazing attention to detail in elements such as this
0:08:37 > 0:08:39cantilevered stair.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Before we explore, we do what the Japanese do.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I would take a bit of time to get used to this.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47- You and shoes.- I'm so uncouth.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50When in Rome...or Izura!
0:08:50 > 0:08:55I like that idea in Japanese homes that when you come in and you've
0:08:55 > 0:08:58taken your shoes off, it sort of slows you down to enter the home.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00And, again, it's that sense of ceremony.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02That's right. I mean, on one hand it's a bit of a pain,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05to keep taking your shoes off every time you go in and out,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07but somehow also it changes your rhythm.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08Nice slippers!
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Ooh...
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Nice screen, isn't it lovely, that?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21And into this, again, wooden living space.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Inside, the unashamed loyalty to wood continues,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29with an almost sauna-like devotion.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33But perhaps more importantly, timber is also the perfect structural
0:09:33 > 0:09:36material for earthquake zones.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37It's not open plan...
0:09:38 > 0:09:42..but the space isn't hemmed in by conventional walls.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I love it that it's only just wide enough to squeeze through.
0:09:47 > 0:09:53Yeah. This is just a normal-sized room, but, brilliantly, you can see
0:09:53 > 0:09:55through both sides,
0:09:55 > 0:10:00so you've got light coming in from both sides of the building.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04It's quite modest, isn't it, the scale of these spaces?
0:10:05 > 0:10:09It is, because, from outside, it looks absolutely enormous.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14But when you come inside, the spaces are really quite small and domestic.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16A tiny fisherman's cottage.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Yeah. Exactly what we thought it would be.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21MUSIC PLAYS
0:10:26 > 0:10:29None of these rooms are particularly large.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32In Japan, it's the quality of the space, rather than the quantity,
0:10:32 > 0:10:33that's important.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Internally, there's an emphasis on making the use of space as efficient
0:10:39 > 0:10:40as possible.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43The bedrooms are tiny -
0:10:43 > 0:10:46hidden away inside this white piece of joinery.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50It has everything you need, including foldout beds.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Somewhere for the homework.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I bet Japanese children actually do their homework.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Between the two external skins of the house,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08the architect has designed a light-filled veranda.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13This place is typical of many traditional Japanese houses that
0:11:13 > 0:11:18would've had walkways between storm shutters and shoji screens.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21But it's beautifully made out of all this cedar.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Traditional paper screens have been replaced by glass.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33The storm shutters have become walls of windows which,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35in a climate of such seasonal extremes,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39ventilate and cool the house as well as keeping insects out.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48These fly screens are absolutely necessary in these corridors,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52because here in Japan, the mosquitoes can be a real nuisance.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57But what I love about this corridor, this indoor-outdoor corridor,
0:11:57 > 0:12:03as it were, is all these windows open.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08So you get a wonderful through-draught and then,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12when the mosquitoes come, shut them out.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Opening windows isn't remarkable in itself,
0:12:17 > 0:12:22but it becomes extraordinary when there are more than 160 of them.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33And the amount of windows is just the beginning.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41This is a complex piece of construction on a steeply sloping
0:12:41 > 0:12:47site and these columns support a very big beam that connects
0:12:47 > 0:12:49back to the bedrock.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53And then, above that, there is a roof.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55There is another beam.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00And, between them, there's not a lot of visible structure.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04But, cleverly, in the zone of the wall is cross bracing,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07which effectively holds the roof up.
0:13:07 > 0:13:14And then there are layers of louvres, which give solidity, and
0:13:14 > 0:13:21within those layers of louvre there are then strategically placed
0:13:21 > 0:13:26windows that never sit, of course, where the cross bracing is.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30So although they seem randomly placed,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33they miss all of the cross bracing.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37But I think, cleverly, the edge of the house steps back and tapers and,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40in a way, that is like a tree.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43So when you look at it and you see it in this forest,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45it makes complete sense.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53The owner of the house is Hiroshi Watanabe.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58He's always lived nearby with his family, but not on this site.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01What made you decide to build a brand-new house here?
0:14:42 > 0:14:48What did you ask for, what did you say you wanted of your architect?
0:15:10 > 0:15:12The architect is Kotaro Anzai.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18Much of his work majors on timber construction, and consistent in all
0:15:18 > 0:15:22of his work is a sharp focus on material, light and detail.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Is this a challenge for you to design and construct this house,
0:15:28 > 0:15:29given its complexity?
0:15:53 > 0:15:57And what about the idea of these two buildings supported on treelike
0:15:57 > 0:16:00structures that come out of the ground?
0:16:13 > 0:16:18This is a region where there was a terrible tsunami very recently.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21How do you deal with that in construction now?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50We look to our homes to protect us from the elements.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54For Hiroshi's family, who suffered so badly in the earthquake,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57home is more than a refuge.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01You lost your house in the earthquake.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07How did that feel and has this house helped you get over that?
0:17:51 > 0:17:56For Hiroshi and his family, this house is a fresh start and renewed hope.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59And this house is tailor-made,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03allowing both domestic life and business to flourish together.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- Hi.- Hello. This is Hiroshi's workplace.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- It's perfect.- This is his shower room.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I love it. This is how all kitchens should be.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Just make as much mess as you like and sluice it all down.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Isn't it fantastic, in a world where people are increasingly building
0:18:22 > 0:18:27live-work spaces, to see the place that is actually a work-live space.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30So none of that kind of hiding things away or feeling one has to be
0:18:30 > 0:18:33kind of neat in a kind of... In a sort of groovy, modern house,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35you've got to hide all the stuff you are working with.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It's there and it's beautiful.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Because those groovy, modern houses are so spick and span.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41That's what ruins them, isn't it?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Do you not have all your architectural stuff out everywhere?
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I have nothing. I just have...
0:18:45 > 0:18:47That's it.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48I know that's not true!
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Our next home in Japan takes us to the other side of Tokyo,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15to the coastal backwater of Izukogen.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Japan's population is rapidly ageing.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24More than a quarter are over 65.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28So now people are beginning to think of inventive ways of making old-age
0:19:28 > 0:19:29something to look forward to.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35The house we're going to see is far from the conventional notion
0:19:35 > 0:19:37of a retirement home.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Its wooded hillside location has forced us to ditch the car
0:19:41 > 0:19:43and to find the house on foot.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51This is a completely different way of entering a home for elderly people,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- isn't it?- It is, because we'd never, ever do this normally, would we?
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Because it's difficult terrain, so you'd have to concentrate hard.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00It would use you physically in a different way.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02But it takes you on a journey, doesn't it?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- Yes.- It takes you on a journey away from the stuff of the everyday into
0:20:05 > 0:20:07a magical world.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08What do you think we'll see?
0:20:08 > 0:20:12I don't know. It's very exciting, because I think the idea of treating
0:20:12 > 0:20:17people once they hit their later years as sentient human beings with
0:20:17 > 0:20:20imagination and a desire to be excited and stimulated
0:20:20 > 0:20:22is really important.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27As if at a certain age you're suddenly not interested in any of
0:20:27 > 0:20:29the beauty of life, or the magic.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- That's right.- You're told you're not allowed to.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36I've never seen a place that has a roof anything like that.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39It's a bit like pencils sticking up in the air, isn't it?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41It is. Sharpened pencils, yeah, yeah.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49MUSIC PLAYS
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Jikka House is an extraordinary grouping of primitive-looking
0:21:03 > 0:21:07tepee-like structures echoing Japan's ancient past.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09It isn't just a home, though,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12it's also run as a cafe and community centre for the local area.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Here, the owners have resisted the tendency to become more conservative in old age.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23It's a romantic building.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25This whole journey about arriving through the woods, up the path.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I mean, if there was an ordinary building at the end of it,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32it wouldn't be worth it, so it has to be magical, mysterious and romantic.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- It's a fairy tale.- It is, it is.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36It's like something from Hans Christian Andersen.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40You almost expect there to be a little goblin or a witch
0:21:40 > 0:21:42living in there, who, if you don't behave well,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47will put you in a cage and feed you until you're so fat you can't move.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48- But...- Let's hope!
0:21:51 > 0:21:56The five pods with their conical wooden roofs seem almost boat-like
0:21:56 > 0:21:57in construction.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Reminiscent of a hobbit house,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03I wouldn't be surprised to see Bilbo Baggins inside,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05clipping his enormous toenails.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I mean, this little arched doorway.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Perfectly Caroline Quentin sized.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12It could be made for me, couldn't it?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- It could. Yes.- And this is a wonderful little courtyard.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19I mean, it's so cute, so pretty, with a view out to the ocean.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21It's really very beautiful.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24And I can see into what I think is, I don't know, actually,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26is it a dining room or a kitchen?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- Something.- Yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30And all you can see is, actually English tea sets.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I mean, it's kind of more bonkers on the inside.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43The word "eccentric" hardly does this place justice.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46It's just all so quirky.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Sitting on this plateau in the woods, the challenge was to build an
0:22:53 > 0:22:56interesting home that could also be a sociable meeting place.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03The solution was five linked pods beneath conical roof forms.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10At its heart, the largest room contains a kitchen and workbench
0:23:10 > 0:23:13with enough space to welcome guests and act as the cafe.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Two pairs of rooms either side provide bedrooms,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24a work and preparation space, and a bathhouse at the far end.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Wow, what a beautiful room.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36This is the biggest room in this house, but it's still quite small.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40But it doesn't feel small because of the loftiness of this roof that
0:23:40 > 0:23:44is this conical structure. It's almost cathedral-like.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49And there are 30 pieces of timber that come down from the oculus and
0:23:49 > 0:23:53bear on this reinforced concrete external wall.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03The concrete that's used for the walls throughout the house are still
0:24:03 > 0:24:07visible here, so you've got this wonderful industrial finish,
0:24:07 > 0:24:13but then cut deep in are these gorgeous arches.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17So when you're lying in bed, you're still very much in touch with nature.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26With their tepee-like quality, the warmth of these insulated timber
0:24:26 > 0:24:30roofs remind us of the natural world, and the quirky, decorative
0:24:30 > 0:24:35touches and eclectic furniture all go to make this a cosy environment.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41And here is a bath.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45But it's not like any bath I've ever seen before.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49It's like an ammonite -
0:24:49 > 0:24:53a shell shape made out of concrete.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00With its gentle slope, it's also designed for wheelchair access.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03And not only that,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07but this whole thing just continues with that theme
0:25:07 > 0:25:12of treating people with age and perhaps some disabilities
0:25:12 > 0:25:16with a sense of dignity, as if they still have an imagination
0:25:16 > 0:25:18and like to be challenged and excited.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29This is an extraordinary set of spaces linked together by a series
0:25:29 > 0:25:31of unusual shapes, curves and angles.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Jikka House's structure was built in two key stages.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42First, the semi-circular walls had to be cast in concrete before the
0:25:42 > 0:25:46conical roof forms could be added,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49which were then clad in hundreds of individual pieces of cedar.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54It's become softer now, after a few years.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56And, in a way, it feels magical.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Its owners are old friends, Nobuko and Sachiko,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07who met working together cooking bento boxes
0:26:07 > 0:26:09for the elderly in Tokyo.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12They open their home as a cafe for the local community.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16So what can I do to help?
0:26:16 > 0:26:18- Can I help you in here? - Yes, please.- Thank you.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21We are now making a soup.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- Vegetable soup.- Vegetable soup. Very good.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- A little bit Japanese style.- OK.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- Here, look at these big mushrooms. - Mushrooms!
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Never eat anything bigger than your own head.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Soon after meeting, Nobuko and Sachiko had the idea of creating a
0:26:37 > 0:26:41purpose-built house that would cater for their needs as they got older.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44You met how long ago?
0:26:45 > 0:26:4820 or more years ago.
0:26:48 > 0:26:5020 years ago?
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And how did you meet?
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Maybe living near, closer.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Neighbours, you were neighbours?
0:26:59 > 0:27:03- Yes.- So when did the idea come to build this house?
0:27:03 > 0:27:05About ten years before.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07For our senior age.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And I'm just worrying about loneliness.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14And then we are thinking, "How about helping each other?
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- "Let's try it."- It's a brilliant idea for you two to think,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20"How are we going to manage?"
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- Yes.- Having found the land, all they needed was an architect and
0:27:24 > 0:27:27there's nothing like keeping it in the family.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33So your son, when you bought this land, how old was he?
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Maybe 12 years old or more.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40But now he's grown-up and he's an architect?
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Yes.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43How very lucky!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- I asked him.- Did you say, "Please be an architect"?
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- "Make for me a house!"- Did you, when he was little, did you say,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52"Please be an architect"?
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Fantastic. I must ask my son that.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59I have a son. I'm going to say to him, "Please build me a house, William."
0:27:59 > 0:28:02No chance. He wants to be a pro basketball player.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06As an architect, building your first house is important.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Building it for your mother comes with added pressure,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11so I need to find out - why this?
0:28:11 > 0:28:12She never wanted...
0:28:13 > 0:28:14She never wanted a statement,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18she just wanted a place where people could gather and feel at home.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23You can gather and feel at home in a normal suburban Japanese house.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27- Yes.- This is not a normal suburban Japanese house like I've seen.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30She wanted many people from many different backgrounds,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34so rather than, like, a traditional Japanese house,
0:28:34 > 0:28:35or like a Western house,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38it naturally became this primitive gathering space.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Like the houses from the Stone Age,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43where people gather around their fire.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46But you were really young when she asked you to do this, were you not?
0:28:46 > 0:28:52I think I was still in school and she told me about her dream and she
0:28:52 > 0:28:55said that, at one point in her life, she was going to do it.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00So I always had that sense that I was going to do this mother's house.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02So I had to do it right.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04It was a tough one.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Whose idea was it to have these wonderful shapes?
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- He made.- He made that choice?
0:29:11 > 0:29:13And what did you think when you saw it?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15We were very surprised.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20I never imagined such a shape.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Yeah. And were you pleased by the shape, did you like it?
0:29:23 > 0:29:26- Yes.- You did like it? Straight away you thought it was good?
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Now, we so love to stay here.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36It's OK?!
0:29:39 > 0:29:41At present, only Sachiko lives here.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45The plan is that, on retirement, they'll live here together.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49For now, though, the cafe is a social hub and helps bring the local
0:29:49 > 0:29:50community together.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Why do people come here? Is it because of friends, or...?
0:29:55 > 0:30:01May come with the friends to eat together and talking, talking, talking.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04So this is a very nice time, to stay here.
0:30:04 > 0:30:05Really nice, really nice.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08I love to hear that sound.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12They are laughing at something.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16I love because the space is so nice, I think.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19And I bet the sound of people talking, laughing,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22because of the dome, is even more beautiful.
0:30:22 > 0:30:23I like those... Right up.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25You've got a very clever son.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Don't worry, it's all right!
0:30:32 > 0:30:36MUSIC PLAYS
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Most days, the restaurant is full.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45A warm welcome, good company and a great three-course meal
0:30:45 > 0:30:48for seven quid mean it's always busy.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54In honour of our visit, there's a British classic on the menu.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56It's traditional. It's called shepherd's pie.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59- Shepherd's pie?- Yeah.- Yeah. - Did you like shepherd's pie?
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Yeah, I like shepherd's pie.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04It's marvellous to see it eaten with chopsticks.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09Whatever's on the menu, they're definitely getting their vitamins.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Myself, 83.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12- Are you?- And she is 82.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23How do you feel now, coming back to this house?
0:31:23 > 0:31:28I'm really happy to see this somewhat eccentric-looking thing
0:31:28 > 0:31:30being loved by a lot of people.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Like, that just amazes me.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34And I almost feel like I didn't...
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I didn't screw it up.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40MUSIC PLAYS
0:31:43 > 0:31:46How do you say, "It's a beautiful building," in Japanese?
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Kireina Tatemono.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- Kire...- Kire.- Kire.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53- Kireina...- Tatemono.- Tatemono.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02I love not quite knowing whether I'm sitting in someone's house,
0:32:02 > 0:32:03or whether I'm sitting in a cafe.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07And yet everybody's entirely comfortable here.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10And the stuff of this room is so beautiful.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14The surfaces, the materials, this white ceramic on this rough concrete.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19But also the space itself, this beautiful conical structure that
0:32:19 > 0:32:20floats above us.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Acoustically, it's perfect.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27You just hear that kind of little twitter of people laughing and
0:32:27 > 0:32:30talking and discussing things and enjoying their meal.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I think this could be a new model which shows us that the world of the
0:32:35 > 0:32:37domestic, that we're familiar with,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39is something we need to keep with us as we get older.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42The reason people feel at home here is that this is like their home.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Certainly, as I get older, I would love it if I felt I had an
0:32:46 > 0:32:51environment to go into like this, where there was a dignity and a beauty.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53We should all aim for that, I think,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55and also get people to walk up very steep hills,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58because it keeps you young. It's a model for the future.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- I'll drink to that.- Nice tea.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04- We do like our tea, don't we?- We do.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13A decent cup of tea with a chum is always a recipe for happiness.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17And with the added ingredient of enchanting architecture,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19this story is destined for a happy ending.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It's like something from a fairy tale.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28It's also Kireina Tatemono.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Hey, yes, it IS a beautiful house.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43We're leaving the countryside.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47In a nation where more than nine out of ten people live in cities,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Japan has a reputation for some of the most interesting urban
0:33:50 > 0:33:52environments in the world.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55So we've come west to Hiroshima -
0:33:55 > 0:34:00now a thriving modern city that's reinvented itself since the nuclear
0:34:00 > 0:34:02attack in 1945.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12It's wonderful the way they've rebuilt this city, actually,
0:34:12 > 0:34:13- isn't it?- Yeah. And of course,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15because it was rebuilt after the war,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17you could set it out on a grid.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Big boulevards, tight, tall buildings.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Could do with a coffee, actually, couldn't you?
0:34:26 > 0:34:27Gagging for a cup of coffee.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29I think we have to go to a vending machine here.
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Yes, shall we try a vending machine?
0:34:30 > 0:34:32BELL RINGS
0:34:32 > 0:34:33Whoa, sorry!
0:34:37 > 0:34:41Coffee in a can is a far cry from the elegant tea ceremony
0:34:41 > 0:34:42I was expecting.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46- Laden down with groceries - at least- I- am, thanks, Piers -
0:34:46 > 0:34:50we're negotiating the hectic streets of Hiroshima in search of an
0:34:50 > 0:34:52architectural masterpiece.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Nestling between two neighbouring blocks,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59at first glance this house is very unassuming.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02But, on closer examination,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05you can see there's something really special going on here.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11In a way, it's a cross between the two buildings either side of it,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13isn't it?
0:35:13 > 0:35:15And isn't it pretty, like a little cube of black ice?
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Very pretty, very pretty.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Very discreet, as well.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23But those glazed bricks are a little bit like the tiles that every
0:35:23 > 0:35:25building seems to be made of round here.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29But that's a much more exciting way of doing it, isn't it?
0:35:29 > 0:35:30- I think we need to go in.- OK, cool.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33- Let's go.- No, Piers, no. There's a crossing.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41So, having helped my dear old friend safely across the road,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43at last, peace.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51This is like a decompression chamber.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53- Yes.- Suddenly the city's behind.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Yes, and we're inside a gold-and-black beautiful container.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59MUSIC PLAYS
0:36:18 > 0:36:25A moment ago, we were in the middle of Hiroshima, in the bustling city.
0:36:25 > 0:36:26But where are we now?
0:36:39 > 0:36:43Here, the architect's challenge is to create a sanctuary for the family
0:36:43 > 0:36:47right here in the heart of dynamic, high-octane, downtown Hiroshima.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52At street level, behind a full-width garage,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55is a self-contained apartment with sunken courtyard.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59The main family space and open-plan living, dining and kitchen area
0:36:59 > 0:37:01are on the first floor.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Bedrooms and bathrooms are up above.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Like many urban terraced houses with outdoor spaces front and back,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11this building has a courtyard at the rear and an exquisitely planted
0:37:11 > 0:37:13garden in the front,
0:37:13 > 0:37:17behind a nine-metre-high veil of handmade glass bricks,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20elevating this ordinary inner-city terrace
0:37:20 > 0:37:23into a thing of breathtaking beauty.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27These cast glass blocks are fantastic.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32I mean, silvery scale-like bits of glass that keep the city at bay.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35I bet it changes day and night all the time.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38The colours must be amazing.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Sunsets, sunrise, the traffic at night.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45I mean, an ever-changing screen of glass.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48But, from outside, it's quite blank, it's quite mute.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51It doesn't give away its secret until you come in, at the same time,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54so you don't quite know what's behind here,
0:37:54 > 0:37:55if there is anything behind here,
0:37:55 > 0:37:57or how different it is from the buildings either side,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00of which this is the love child.
0:38:00 > 0:38:01Yes, exactly.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03What an exciting love child it is.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18This atmosphere is mind-blowing.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I mean, it's kind of infinitely special.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26Everything is very pared back, very simple, very orthogonal, and yet,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28the space feels profound.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32I totally agree with you.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35It's just, I don't really know what orthogonal means.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Orthogonal just means that everything is 90 degrees.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Perpendicular to everything else, you know, everything is square-on.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47It may be orthogonal, Mr Taylor, but it's also zen.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51A tranquil, meditative space.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54The perfect place to consider the beautifully simple
0:38:54 > 0:38:56and the simply beautiful.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01It's one of the few houses I've been in that doesn't have a view out,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05and yet we don't feel claustrophobic, do we?
0:39:05 > 0:39:09We're sort of held in this reverie by these two courtyards
0:39:09 > 0:39:12and the subtle and clever manipulation of light.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21And through the trees, through the maples,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25that glass screen turned into an abstract work of art.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27It's impossible to tell what's passing.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30One moment, trams and the cars are storm clouds.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33The next moment it could be just a silver river of light.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37There's no way of knowing, actually, what those things are.
0:39:37 > 0:39:38They just become...
0:39:38 > 0:39:42- Abstracted.- ..abstracted and kind of beautiful.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52All of the living spaces,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55including the upstairs bedrooms that look onto the courtyard below,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57are filled with light that filters
0:39:57 > 0:39:59through the glass blocks and the trees.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04But there's also natural light right in the centre of the house.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10This is the middle of the house, which should be the darkest bit,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12and it's painted dark grey.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15But it's lit from above by this huge roof light
0:40:15 > 0:40:18that brings the light right the way down through the house.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25The architect has also experimented with skylights,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28and this one in the floor of the courtyard doubles up
0:40:28 > 0:40:30as a glass-bottomed pool that
0:40:30 > 0:40:32sends dappled light into the hallway below.
0:40:36 > 0:40:37At the front of the house,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39where the big, important spaces
0:40:39 > 0:40:41look onto those big, important courtyards,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44at the back, these small, intimate spaces
0:40:44 > 0:40:47look onto small, intimate courtyards.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51In a place where land is in short supply,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54giving up valuable living space to create gardens
0:40:54 > 0:40:55may seem like an indulgence.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59But here in the city, the hot summers are even hotter,
0:40:59 > 0:41:04so the value of a garden like this is really something quite special.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08And then, this curtain replaces what would have been a wind chime and
0:41:08 > 0:41:10tells you that the breeze is coming.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18The courtyard at the front is beautiful.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22But the three outdoor spaces at the back of the house play a crucial role
0:41:22 > 0:41:25of introducing light and nature into the other areas.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Ah, there you are.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- Hello.- Hello. Have you brought me some food?
0:41:35 > 0:41:38- I have!- I'll have that in a minute. - What are you up to, darling?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Well, I've just been wondering about how this house works,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43because, at the front of this house
0:41:43 > 0:41:45are all the big, grand living spaces,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48but at the back, all around here,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51are all these little, intimate spaces.
0:41:51 > 0:41:52And they look into this courtyard
0:41:52 > 0:41:56and they have a very different quality than the big, grand spaces
0:41:56 > 0:41:58that exist out the front.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03And the Japanese, it strikes me, are absolutely brilliant at the edit.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06They seem to edit life so beautifully.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08They take away the extraneous
0:42:08 > 0:42:11and they leave you with what is beautiful,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15and I think it is a sensibility that I'm just so enjoying.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18And this house seems to be a prime example of that.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21I don't know what sauce that is, darling, I couldn't read it.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22It might have chilli in it, I think.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- Hope so.- Oh, no, it's a little sprinkly thing.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28- I think it is raw chilli. - Mm, you'll enjoy that.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Paring ideas down to bare essentials may seem simple,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36but the architect took a huge risk here.
0:42:36 > 0:42:41There was no real way of knowing how the 6,000 bespoke bricks
0:42:41 > 0:42:43would work as an entire wall.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49This is a beautiful piece of glass by anyone's standards,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52but it's made from borosilicate, which is optical glass,
0:42:52 > 0:42:57and that means it has exceptionally high levels of transparency.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00And it just sings with light.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08The architect for this 13-tonne wall was Hiroshi Nakamura.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11He is well-known for some lauded buildings,
0:43:11 > 0:43:13including chapels and cemeteries,
0:43:13 > 0:43:17where a sense of reflection and contemplation is paramount.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22There is a curious translation here
0:43:22 > 0:43:25of things that many people would consider to be ugly -
0:43:25 > 0:43:29you know, passing cars, traffic, buses, trams -
0:43:29 > 0:43:32into things of sublime beauty.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03But it's also a real shrine to beauty and silence.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38There's also an atmosphere within here
0:44:38 > 0:44:41that is very rich and interesting,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45in that a lot of the textures and tones are quite dark.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08This profound serenity would be remarkable anywhere,
0:45:08 > 0:45:13but to find it amidst the frantic bustle of 21st-century city life,
0:45:13 > 0:45:17just beyond the front door, makes this an extraordinary home.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Oh, gosh. It's chilly and dark.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Our final destination is on Etajima,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43one of Japan's 7,000 islands,
0:45:43 > 0:45:48with its stunning coastline of coves and secluded marinas that surround
0:45:48 > 0:45:50the inland sea.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52This is so pretty.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59It's always important to maintain standards and travel in style.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03I love it when they pick us up by boat.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05- Especially a speedboat.- Yeah.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11Hang on. That's a hot tub.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13I think you brought the wrong boat!
0:46:14 > 0:46:17Hello, are you for Piers and Caroline?
0:46:17 > 0:46:19- Hello.- Piers and Caroline? Gosh, this is...
0:46:19 > 0:46:22- It's not at all what... - Not quite what we were expecting.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24No. I'm quite... Thank you.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29- # Rock the boat - Don't rock the boat, baby... #
0:46:29 > 0:46:31I hope no-one sees us on this.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34OK, it's not what we're used to, but fortunately
0:46:34 > 0:46:36our destination is moments away.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45Proud boat- and home-owner Mr Haragami is there to meet us.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Konnichiwa, Mr Haragami.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50If the floating paddling pool is anything to go by...
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Oh, I've got all wobbly.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53I've lost my sea legs!
0:46:53 > 0:46:56..this place is going to be more than a little eccentric.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03Glasshouse For A Diver is a diamond in the rough.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Concrete cubes surround a sophisticated home,
0:47:06 > 0:47:07made almost entirely of glass.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11On this exquisite stretch of coast,
0:47:11 > 0:47:14it makes the most of the wonderful ocean views.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18Mr Haragami has let us discover the place for ourselves.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21The first thing I notice is a load of old blocks.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24I said "blocks".
0:47:24 > 0:47:27They look like they've just left on a building site, don't they?
0:47:27 > 0:47:31But they also have the quality of an ancient, prehistoric landscape.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34This is like Stonehenge or something.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37This is quite ugly. It's just like a pile of old concrete, really,
0:47:37 > 0:47:38on the outside.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41I think architecture suffers from being the arts that everybody
0:47:41 > 0:47:44expects to always be good-looking.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46It's like saying all plays should be happy,
0:47:46 > 0:47:49rather than vehicles to explore feelings.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52And this is a story about a coastal landscape.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55It's telling us a story that doesn't need to be good-looking in
0:47:55 > 0:47:58a straightforward way. I think, actually, in its ugliness,
0:47:58 > 0:48:00this is a beautiful building.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04Perhaps not attractive in themselves,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07these blocks hide an inner beauty.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Look, I've found an entirely different perspective on this house.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17I mean, this is tough weeds growing up against it.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19But inside...
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Is a Fifth Avenue, New York apartment.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23It's hilarious.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Also, it is a New York apartment
0:48:26 > 0:48:30with the most spectacular view of the sea.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37Besides having a great outlook,
0:48:37 > 0:48:40what makes this house really special is the contrast between the two
0:48:40 > 0:48:44extremes of the delicate light-filled glassy interior...
0:48:46 > 0:48:50..and the rough and heavy industrial concrete that is used externally.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02The owner wanted a view of the water from every room in the house.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Quite an architectural challenge.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10Glasshouse For A Diver is a jigsaw of four glass rooms.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15There's a kitchen-diner, a large living room,
0:49:15 > 0:49:20a unique tearoom that doubles as a bedroom, and a detached bathroom.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25The entire house is enclosed in the shell of seemingly random
0:49:25 > 0:49:29concrete blocks that provide privacy and hold up the roof.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34And there it is - a beautiful little glass box
0:49:34 > 0:49:37inside a not-so-beautiful concrete box.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39I think this is a thoroughfare.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41You can imagine in summertime, this is really sociable.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Your friends and neighbours will be popping up and down.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48You'd be there having whatever you'd have at sundown.
0:49:48 > 0:49:53Gin and tonic. I like it because it's not big, but it is clever.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01When you said this was a sociable house
0:50:01 > 0:50:05and that that was a thoroughfare, I didn't know quite what that meant.
0:50:05 > 0:50:06A loo with a view.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12This house makes the most of the views of the ocean
0:50:12 > 0:50:15and feels expansive, despite being relatively small.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20It's just the size of a modest apartment.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26There is a real archetype in coastal houses of the beach shack,
0:50:26 > 0:50:28and they're really hard things to do, because, usually,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31they're thrown together in an informal way, impromptu way,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34and they're adapted over years.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38And this really does feel like a 21st-century beach shack.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Quite a smart beach shack.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46Polished marble floors, Italian designer furniture.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48It does have an outside loo, I suppose.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52But, for all its modernity and European influences,
0:50:52 > 0:50:55it does have the simplicity of a fishing hut.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Although this is just a simple beach house,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04it's very sophisticated and very Japanese.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08All these spaces, although they're very simple glass boxes,
0:51:08 > 0:51:13are separated from each other in the way that the Japanese traditional
0:51:13 > 0:51:17house would be separated by the use of paper screens.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22And I like the fact that it nods to its past and yet it's very much
0:51:22 > 0:51:23a contemporary building.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30In addition to providing fantastic views,
0:51:30 > 0:51:32the glass allows you to appreciate
0:51:32 > 0:51:36all of the constructional details which are displayed in an almost
0:51:36 > 0:51:38decorative and elemental way.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45This is a house where all of the spaces are separated,
0:51:45 > 0:51:49but the construction is also pulled apart, defined,
0:51:49 > 0:51:53and it is, in itself, a lesson in the elements of construction.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57You can read what's in compression, you can read what's in tension,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59you can read which bits span,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02and you can also read what keeps the weather out.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05That's really unusual in a little house like this.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13The lightweight aluminium roof spans 12 metres from one concrete wall
0:52:13 > 0:52:15to the other.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19The long supporting steel beams mean there's no need to have supporting
0:52:19 > 0:52:23columns internally, allowing clear expanses of glazing.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29As we've discovered on our journey,
0:52:29 > 0:52:33the Japanese use great skill mixing modernity with tradition.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40Now, this is a bit of an unexpected treat in this very modern house
0:52:40 > 0:52:43to find this - a tatami room.
0:52:43 > 0:52:48So, here we've got the shoji screen, which is made of paper,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51and the wonderful quality of the light through these screens
0:52:51 > 0:52:53is completely beguiling,
0:52:53 > 0:52:55but of course, in this house,
0:52:55 > 0:53:01it's a bit unusual, because they open up to reveal lumps of concrete.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06So again, it's the juxtaposition of the traditional Japanese,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09the golden glow of the tatami,
0:53:09 > 0:53:13against the grey austerity of the modern concrete.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17The blocks do much more than hold up the roof.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21They prevent this home from being one big goldfish bowl.
0:53:21 > 0:53:26Inside, rooms are screened off from each other in different ways.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28It's not all shoji screens.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30So that's how you get some privacy.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35And for one's more private moments,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37the glass bathroom is opaque.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39It's almost private.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41There is nothing we don't know about each other.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52There have been some brave choices here.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Owner Mr Haragami came here nearly 40 years ago, when he married.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01He loved the place so much,
0:54:01 > 0:54:05he built his company of commercial divers here and he's spent his life
0:54:05 > 0:54:07working the sea ever since.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Is it true that you like Ernest Hemingway?
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Mr Haragami is retired,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42but building a new home here is a way to continue his love affair
0:54:42 > 0:54:44with the sea.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46What did you ask your architect for,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49what sort of house did you say you wanted?
0:54:56 > 0:54:57That's very trusting.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04The architect who was given this free rein was Tetsuya Nakazono.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21And so, what did Mr Haragami make of his ants' nest?
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Wow, that's like the perfect client.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46Mr Haragami's confidence and trust in his architect was important
0:55:46 > 0:55:49and it meant that he was open to using different materials
0:55:49 > 0:55:50in an unusual way.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54Even using blocks of waste concrete from a nearby cement factory.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40Once the fundamental principles of the project were resolved,
0:56:40 > 0:56:43there was the challenge of getting all of the materials to site.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25This home is an imaginative combination of materials
0:57:25 > 0:57:27and building techniques.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30But it's only been made possible by an even more extraordinary
0:57:30 > 0:57:36combination of visionary architect and open-minded, ingenious client.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40For a simple beach hut,
0:57:40 > 0:57:44this is a very sophisticated piece of architecture.
0:57:44 > 0:57:50I love the way the beautiful glass box is surrounded by
0:57:50 > 0:57:52the shambolic blocks of concrete.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55On top of which sits either a bit of shantytown,
0:57:55 > 0:57:58or the most perfect lesson in construction that I've ever seen.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03Japan has shown us that there's such a confidence in their architects,
0:58:03 > 0:58:05who are trusted and empowered to deliver
0:58:05 > 0:58:07really experimental buildings.
0:58:09 > 0:58:10I didn't expect, I don't think,
0:58:10 > 0:58:15to find such an unconventional group of houses in a place that we do
0:58:15 > 0:58:19associate so much with ancient tradition.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22It's a bit anarchic, really, and I didn't anticipate that.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26I think what's really surprised me has been how human these houses have been.
0:58:26 > 0:58:30I mean, they've been so warm, so witty, so welcoming.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32- It's been good, hasn't it? - It's been great.